Rolex oyster royal "amazing dial" my first vintage Rolex "NEED INFO PLEASE"

[watch royal]

Hello,
I recently purchased my first truely vintage timepiece. It is a 1956 rolex oyster royal case number 6444. It has an amazing quarterd dial with a waffle pattern it looks like tiny ridges on the dial. The second hand has blued from age, the dial & watch in general looks so amazing in person vs my pictures. It has a rolex 1210 17j movement. I have some questions for you guys, any help would be greatly appreciated.

1: I was told the watch is 100% original & un touched, was told the dial & hands were not refinished & that the watch was not ever polished & the crown is original to the watch, Do you guys agree?

2: I tested the watch & it has a 48 hour power reserve & is around 18 seconds fast a day tested over 10 days, is that acceptable for a 60 year old watch or do you guys think I should have it serviced or just regulated? Or dont fix it if its not broke?

3: are parts plentiful for the cal 1210 movement, also since its a manual wind will the crown & tube wear quick, ive only had a 5513 sub & that is an auto. What would be a fair price to service this manual wind?

4: what do you guys think the value is for this watch for insurance purposes & I want to know if I got a good deal on it?

5: I would like a oyster bracelet for it, if anyone has one, I think its 18mm

[CrownMe]

so i guess u didnt buy that gold Rolex in your last thread from that guys wife? lol


good choice. i dont have any info on it only that it looks nice. congrats

[watch royal]

No, I passed on that. I wanted to flip it & purchase a bubble back ive been eyeing but cant afford without buyers remorse & wife remorse.

[watch royal]

Anyone have an opinion, I would like to know what you guys think, good or bad?

[R.W.T.]

I would say the case is relatively as it came. The bezel is the marker here. Even the best finishers you can't mimic an untouched bezel no matter how flat and nicely you mill it. The line between where the satin top was on the lugs and the sides is very definite. Still someone might have used a polish cloth or something in its history on the tops of the lugs...it's pretty hard to wear it off that evenly but the back of the lugs shows pretty serious wear from the endpieces so...it's possible. Dial is original no doubt. A little heavy on the patina but nice and unusual style. The crown and tube will wear faster because it is manual wind. Lots of 1210 parts out there. The lug width is likely 19mm.

Nice enough watch. The 1210 is a GREAT movement. They are super accurate through the positions generally even though they are not rated.

[NukeMan]

Like it a lot! Especially how the structures of the dial intersect in the middle.

[watch royal]

Originally Posted by R.W.T.

I would say the case is relatively as it came. The bezel is the marker here. Even the best finishers you can't mimic an untouched bezel no matter how flat and nicely you mill it. The line between where the satin top was on the lugs and the sides is very definite. Still someone might have used a polish cloth or something in its history on the tops of the lugs...it's pretty hard to wear it off that evenly but the back of the lugs shows pretty serious wear from the endpieces so...it's possible. Dial is original no doubt. A little heavy on the patina but nice and unusual style. The crown and tube will wear faster because it is manual wind. Lots of 1210 parts out there. The lug width is likely 19mm.

Nice enough watch. The 1210 is a GREAT movement. They are super accurate through the positions generally even though they are not rated.

Thank you for the info, very informative.

[watch royal]

Originally Posted by NukeMan

Like it a lot! Especially how the structures of the dial intersect in the middle.

Yea, I really like the dial, that is what sold me on the watch. I really like dials that have Arabic numerals, are aged & unique. Thanks for the compliment

If anyone has some info on the questions I asked, I would be very grateful for some info.

[R.W.T.]

If it is dry...you service it regardless of whether it is keeping time.

Those movements will go for a long time without oil...but you are grinding away on pivots if it hasn't been serviced in 5 years.

If it's running fast it is quite possibly having low amplitude, indicative of no lubrication causing the seconds to click off faster than normal. That watch can keep better time than that.

[watch royal]

Originally Posted by R.W.T.

If it is dry...you service it regardless of whether it is keeping time.

Those movements will go for a long time without oil...but you are grinding away on pivots if it hasn't been serviced in 5 years.

If it's running fast it is quite possibly having low amplitude, indicative of no lubrication causing the seconds to click off faster than normal. That watch can keep better time than that.

Yes, I read a whole write up on here about that exact issue & it causing the watch to run fast. I was just wondering what timing accuracy this cal movement should be capable of after 60 years of service. Also being it had a 48 hour power reserve i thought it may have been serviced recently because most with this cal are getting high 30 or low 40 hours? Also the watch is steady at 18 sec a day never deviated from it so its not erratic. With that being said, you still think I should service it? I know with age things will not be as great as when new & I read online a vintage watch should be +-15 sec a day but maybe not a rolex? I was told it had a recent service but I bought it online & don't trust a word an online seller tells me

on a side not, I was taking it off today & dropped it 4 feet onto the tile floor face down it stopped ticking but then I did a 2 foot drop onto its back side & it started rite back up & has been keeping the exact same accuracy of time? I was so upset but maybe it will be fine now, time will tell. You guys think it is ok, have you ever done the same stupid thing?

Thanks RWT, I really appreciate your time

[R.W.T.]

If it had a recent service...then the performance would be explainable. Lack of service would not really...change the power reserver...I mean yes a drier watch would stop faster...as the mainspring ran down at the end but it's really kind of regulated by the length of the mainspring and size of the barrel etc.

This updated version of the basic 10.5 movement is shock resistant. You didn't break the staff. You probably just knocked the shock jewel sideways.

My method of repair would not have been to drop it again...but it's your watch :-)

It would be nice to know the amplitude. You dan't really know that without a timing machine. If the amplitude is 260 or better at full wind in the horizontal and doesn't fall off below 200-220 in the verticals...it's probably as it should be. They often have more amplitude than that. I would say that would be middle to low side. You can just slow the regulator down. It's not that difficult.

If it hasn't been abused I would wager it would be able to be regulated within 5 seconds a day.

Best, T

[watch royal]

Thanks again T,
I am going to go have it tested on a computer because you have me thinking twice now about it having the capability to be much more accurate.

As I stated yesterday I dropped it on my tile floor from about 4 feet. I got it ticking after that only to have it stop again later. I am super bummed out, I really like this piece, it may not be a truly collectable piece or an expensive one at that but I just really like the look & feel of it. It Is my first manual wind & I like breathing life into the watch rather than just picking it up expecting it to be wound.

Do you think I broke something? I keep getting it going again by tapping it hard on the counter & it will run for hours but then stop. Sound like a major issue or just need an adjustment?

[R.W.T.]

Well....something is obviously not right at this point.

It's just impossible to say anything really substantial without having it.

Anything could have happened. Hopefully one of the kif springs on the shock jewel slipped out or broke a leg. Much better than a staff.

Still it's gonna have to be looked into....Rolex is one of the most robust and the 1210 is a robust as any but a direct hit at the right angle on a hard tile floor....it's a machine....there are limits.

I would probably stop tapping it on the counter ....

[watch royal]

Thanks again T
It has not stopped again in two days now so I think all is well I will not be taking it off over a tile floor again, I read some posts of others doing the same, im not the first idiot to do it & wont be the last either.

It has gone up to 25 seconds a day fast now, not sure if its from the drop but either way, as you stated it can be a heck of a lot better in the accuracy.

I contacted the watch company I purchased it from & they said to send it back & they would have the watch maker give it a look. Also I was told that they did not service it & were not sure of its last service, the ad was miss leading because it stated it had a recent service. I told them that it was miss leading & that I would appreciate a service, I told them i will pay for parts if they throw in the labor so we will see how reputable they are & what they end up doing for me?


What would you say this watch is worth with a fresh service done on it & being it is as original as I think anyone will ever find. I really like its originality & since I have gotten older I truly love them the more beat up & un perfect they are, as long as its been cared for, that is.

[R.W.T.]

At least your first casualty was shock resistant...

Mine wasn't. I got a watch serviced and promptly dropped it and broke the staff....my watchmaker who later taught me was borderline tears and now I understand why. You go to so much trouble to get everything right and then boom..it's over and back to square one. That was the day I learned what a balance staff WAS and the difference between shock resistant and NOT shock resistant.

:-)

Value who knows. All over the map. Under 2k I would think.

[watch royal]

Thats a sad story, I would just about have a heart attack if that happened rite after I just went through the wait & the price of getting it serviced!
I can only imagine what the watchmaker must have thought, seeing you rite back for service. Hope they gave you a discount because I doubt their service warranty included a incident such as dropping it, or did it cover it?

I am sending them the watch this week & they said they would service it, only problem is this company is a watch wholesale company & I don't think their watchmaker is probably qualified to work on fine movements like rolex have. They do sell some nicer timepieces such as rolex. Im just hoping they do a good job on it & not screw it up worse. I had a tudor ranger I had serviced locally & I had to bring it back in so many times after service that I just gave up on them ever doing a good job on it. I sure hope this company does a decent job, but doubtful.

[ROGERB]

Great old watch . Crown is not original, most likely crown and tube were replaced in a service. These older smaller watches seem to look best on straps IMHO R


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[watch royal]

So... I brought the watch to my local AD & Had them open it & check it out for me, I was curious if it needed service & it kept stopping on me. I dropped it but was not sure if I caused an issue.

Rolex ad watchmaker stated it was in terrible condition, had water intrusion at some point & did not even have a gasket on the rear case back. Also they stated it would be $1,000 to fix her up & told me that me dropping it was not the cause of it stopping that it would have stopped soon anyway.
I paid $700 for it, can't see spending that much to get it all good. I really love the dial & blued second hand because it looks just like the very early first explorer dress version, it is so unique I really want to use this peice but I think I may return it. Ive bought 3 rolex on the bay so far & this is the second one I had issues with. You guys know how the rolex ad can be snobby & they are used to working on new rolex so do you guys think they are being overly critical or should I heed their warning & be rid of this piece, what would you do. I can have my local watchmaker service it for around $300 & be in it arou d $1,000. What do you guys think of this matter?

that being said, I bought a 6694 gold capped 34mm oysterdate precision yesterday on the bay to replace this watch since I want a manual 1200 cal movement rolex in my little collection im starting. I think they are the backbone work horse that made the current date just popular today. I love the 6694 series & cant wait to get it & see it in person

It is a gold capped version of the 6694 & has a light champaign dial that looks all original to me but wondering what you guys think of this new 6694 im getting? It has a 40 micron gold cap that is applied by fusing the ss case with the gold, rolex does nothing cheaply so it is a super thick layer of gold & will last forever. I am uploading some photos but they are from the pawn shop I bought it from online & it looks dull with bad lighting so I will post better pics when I get it in hand, the similar ones ive looked at online look alot more sharp because the photos are much better, I know it will look amazing in person. I only paid $650 for this 6694, I think it was a super deal being similar have been going from $1000-2600 online & those are selling at that price not just asking also I compared other gold capped 6694. What do you guys think its worth?

Lastly, I can get the original rolex gold fill band on the bay for $300 or go with a black or tan ostrich band, what do you think looks best?

[MonBK]

Does your seller really have such a generous return policy that he will allow you to return it after you dropped it 4 feet onto the tile floor?

[watch royal]

Yes, I can be returned for any reason for up to 90 days. Also, it was listed as serviced & it was a lie, after hearing the ad today, they were very sure that it could have been breathed on & would have stopped on me, that was my first question if I was to blame fir it being faulty or if it would have faulted either way. I am not one to return something if I broke im a seller myself online & dont like being taken advantage of but in this case I feel I have all the rite to return this watch.