Rolex 1625 question?

[alexkarbo]

Hi,

I was looking at 2 tone vintage 1625 Thunderbirds from the 60s & 70s and some are stated as having 18k gold bezel and crown and some 14k gold bezel and crown but they look the same and even have the same production year...Is it possible that the 2 tone 1625 came only in 14k or only in 18k and not both?

Thank you for your answers.

[Fredrik]

Up until -74 most watches imported into USA were 14k because of import restrictions and tariffs from the depression. Almost all of the rest of the world used 18k gold.

The restrictions were lifted in -74 when they dropped the gold standard.

Some countries had restrictions the other way, in Sweden it was illegal to sell gold and call it gold for jewelers if it was less than approximately 18k from 1474 up until 1988.


So in short, as far as i know, they were produced simultaneously in 14k for the USA and 18k for the rest of the world.

[alexkarbo]

Thanks for all that great info.

So I guess it was the same for Canada then it was for the US? Just thinking out loud...I will do some research on it and find out but with your info I at least know where to start :)

[Fredrik]

I am not at all sure it was the same for Canada. I do believe that lots of Rolexes have been exported from the USA and Canada should have a lot of originally US sold watches.

If you find any conflicting information please let us know! I am most likely not entirely correct and I like to know more.

[enginerd]

So I guess an 18k 1625 is worth more than a 14k 1625?? I'm very interested in this topic as I'm deciding on purchasing an 18k 1601 at the moment. It's from ~1970. It is from overseas, so the 18k makes more sense now. I had expected it to be 14k.

[mdw3]

With most vintage models today, you will find that the comparable 14K and 18K versions will be priced very similarly, with emphasis more on condition instead. In fact, there are some, specific cases where 14K can be more desirable than 18K. In any event, you should not be put off by a 14K version of a model, if the condition is excellent. Certain models, most notably the Day-Date series, were only distributed in 18K, worldwide.

Michael