In 1926, Hans Wilsdorf unveiled the Oyster, widely regarded as the world’s first waterproof wristwatch; in 1931, he added the “Perpetual” rotor, the first freely rotating oscillating weight. The Oyster Perpetual brings these two founding inventions together and, in the mid-1950s, it was the backbone of the Rolex catalogue: no date, no complication – the essential Rolex, and the testing ground for everything the brand was inventing at the time.
Caliber 1030 is the finest illustration of this. Introduced in 1950, it was Rolex’s first automatic with bidirectional winding: thanks to its patented reversing wheels, the oscillating weight winds the mainspring in both directions, whereas that of the previous generation worked in one direction only. Its openworked rotor, smaller and lighter, earned it the “butterfly” rotor moniker, and its slimness at last allowed Rolex to leave behind the domed casebacks of the “Bubble Back”. Twenty-five jewels, 18,000 vibrations per hour, chronometer-certified: this is exactly the mechanism that, at the same time, powered the first Submariners, the Explorer 6610 and the GMT-Master 6542. The very same, here, dressed in gold.
The reference 6564 is the 34 mm Oyster Perpetual with a smooth bezel from the second half of the 1950s: Oyster case with fluted screw-down caseback, “Brevet +” crown – the patented crown that preceded the Twinlock marking – and domed plexiglass crystal. Its ivory dial bears the inscription “OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER” on two lines, the wording that predates the “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” that would become standard at the end of the decade, and the word “SWISS” alone at 6 o’clock, the signature of radium dials. The applied gold arrowhead hour markers, tipped with radium, are accompanied by gold Dauphine hands and a blued steel seconds hand whose fine line brings the whole composition to life.
What makes this example singular is its gold: 9 carats, the British legal standard since 1854 and the gold of choice across the Channel, which Swiss law has recognised only since 1933 – and solely for watch cases. The inside of the caseback tells its whole journey. On the Swiss side: the signature “Montres Rolex S.A. Geneva Switzerland”, the “9K·0375” fineness mark and the Geneva Key no. 12, the maker’s mark of Genex S.A., Rolex’s Geneva case maker. On the British side: the “R.W.C. LTD” sponsor’s mark – Rolex Watch Co. Ltd, Wilsdorf’s London company, registered at Goldsmiths’ Hall in 1923 – and the import hallmarks struck on its arrival by the Glasgow Assay Office, recognisable by its two opposed Fs. A case made in Geneva for Great Britain, assayed and hallmarked in Glasgow, at a time when import licences for watches remained reserved for importers established before the war and when Purchase Tax weighed heavily on luxury goods: for a Briton in the 1950s, 9-carat gold was the natural route to a gold Rolex. Reserved for this market, these 9-carat Oyster Perpetuals form a small, little-known subset of the production.
Our example, produced in 1955 and bearing serial number 113xxx, is preserved in very fine overall condition. The case has retained its edges and proportions, and all its hallmarks – Swiss and Scottish alike – are perfectly crisp; the reference 6564 and the “BREVET +” inscription are engraved between the lugs at 12 o’clock. The dial is remarkably fresh, and both the Dauphine hands and the hour markers have taken on a light speckled patina of unmistakable vintage charm. Caliber 1030 has been fully serviced by one of our experienced watchmakers and runs perfectly. We present this watch on a new green alligator leather strap hand-stitched by our artisan, whose deep green echoes the warmth of the gold, complemented by a yellow-gold-plated pin buckle. It is accompanied by our Steel Warranty Card.
A 1955 Rolex with a British passport, powered by the caliber of the first Submariners: in our view, the Oyster Perpetual in its truest form – 34 mm equally suited to both men’s and women’s wrists, to be worn every day as well as for the most elegant occasions.
