Calling Francesco....!!!....

[AP77]

Unvarnished and unbiased opinion requested on this Rolex Valjoux 22...Thank you....

[Dan S]

Interesting, this is new to me in the Rolex context. It appears to be a Valjoux 22GH monopusher from the 1940s or perhaps even late 1930s. Looking forward to learning more about the reference it belongs to.

[offrdmania]

Not sure ive ever seen a Rolex single pusher unless a watchmaker robbed that bridge from a Rolex 22

[AP77]

Reference 2508....The abscence of the coupling clutch and coupling clutch spring would be an indicative characteristic of a monopusher as would the the 6 winged pillar wheel....I certainly didn't discount the possibility of the attempted removal of the bridge from another movement but explain the damaskeening or Geneva stripes on the wheel bridge, the spring house bridge, the balance bridge and then replicate that identical scheme to the bridge itself....Unlike Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin, Rolex did virtually no customization to any Valjoux movements once they received them so this presence of this ornate damaskeening can't be discounted...You have to consider the $20,000 loan Rolex got from Aegler in 1933 just to stay liquid as a viable company and the subsequent nationalization of the watch industry as a whole executed by the Swiss government in 1934 to save the industry thus ending the watchmaking exploits of an estimated 20,000 watchmakers in Switzerland....One also must consider two other factors....The Great Depression and Rolex's nonexistent and haphazard records keeping in their early years....Without Mr. Wilsdorf's marketing abilities in attracting prominent individuals to wear his watches Rolex could have easily succumbed to the external pressures of the early 1930's that caused the demise of so many other watch companies and watchmakers....I do have legitimate photos of a 2508 second generation with a single rectangular pusher....They do infact exist....Lastly, I really would challenge anyone who would assert that Rolex was this masterfully run company in its infancy.....There's just far too much guesswork about those early years to assert anything with specificity and confidence...A simple prime example is simply this....Tell me with absolute certainty what year your Rolex was manufactured in...???....You or I can't say without equivocation because nobody knows except Rolex....

[AP77]

It's definitely a Valjoux 22 and not a Valjoux 22 GH....I realize the limitations on the photo uploads but if you look closely you can see the screw holes where the coupling clutch and coupling clutch spring could be housed...The Valjoux 22 GH would not have thpse screw holes....

[AP77]

Serial number 35XXX puts the watch "circa" [email protected] more detailed photos if interested....Thank you l....Frank....

[Dan S]

I'm afraid I wasn't able to follow all of the reasoning in your post, but in distinguishing between V22 and V22GH, I think you need to consider that it is a monopusher and that the column wheel has 6 pillars instead of 9. I saw that you mentioned these issues, but for me, these are both characteristics of the 22GH, not the V22. Personally, I have never seen a V22 with 6 pillars, but of course I have not seen everything. I can certainly provide documentation of that if necessary, but you sound very knowledgeable so I'm sure you're already aware of this.

Please note that I am not trying to make any claims about or against authenticity, I have no idea what movements Rolex used in the 1930s, and this is very interesting to me. I wish that you had uploaded photos of the dial as well. I agree that the movement decoration is consistent, and I have no reason to think that Rolex did not use a V22GH.

[Dan S]

I dug up a couple of diagrams showing the column wheels.

[AP77]

Dan,

You're more than welcome to send me an email....I just received the 3 extremely detailed pdf documents from ETA via the Swatch group with every imaginable detail with photographs from...Infact, the photographic identification page they sent me that lists every movement the ever made shows a Valjoux 22 with a six wing pillar wheel....Not a proponent of today's social media AT ALL but would be more than happy to forward you the three pdf documents they sent to me...Just wanted to elicit a few thoughts about perceived and allegedly "known" facts about Rolex....Definitive answer about Rolex when the company was in its beginning state are very speculative...Thank you very much for your attention...!!!...Send me an email and I'll forward you a dozen HD photos of the watch as well as the engineering schematics from ETA....Hoping you and you family are doing [email protected]....

[Dan S]

Thank you for your kind wishes, we are doing well, and I hope you're healthy and safe.

I will send you an email, and would be happy to see those documents. There is always more to learn. One can of course find dozens of parts diagrams of V22 movements showing 9 pillars going back many decades. I have actually seen one drawing with 6 pillar wheels labeled V22, but then in the supporting text, it mentioned 9 pillars, so I suspect they just used the wrong sketch in that one particular document. In my personal experience, I have not seen a V22 with 6 pillars, but I have not seen everything ... far from it. You and I each have our own opinions based on our own experiences. Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me will respond, and correct me if I'm wrong.

With respect to the movement you posted, it looks entirely self-consistent to me, and again I want to repeat that I have no reason to think that there is anything wrong with it.

[AP77]

Dan,

You're more than welcome...A note of thanks is due to you for being so courteous in sharing your thoughts with me....Best wishes in your endeavors and I value the time you spent with me and the courtesy that you extended in giving your attention....Frank....