Close up of a rare service dial, one that only has a added T behind the radium SWISS, clearly added later and maybe a finished swiss dial that never got laminated and was used as service dial by adding the T and tritium. When that vintage Rolex Bubbleback was brand-new, it would have been fitted to a leather strap. By doing so, you change history and to me one should always save the old original part where the watch was found with and mention the upgrade when its been sold. their respective owners. OK, here we go. (I remember going to the mall to buy pants and not being able to buy a pair of 501 Levi's, because people were buying them and selling them to Japan.) Original 369 Explorer dials where printed in galvanic technique, making the text lay dieper, the surface was glossy, the typo was matching the date of 1962-1965 when these iconic beauties. Below we see a original Radium Submariner dial where the aggressive radium dust has eaten up the top layer of the finished dial.. Next, you have to know how a NOS Rolex case looks like, what exact curve is the bevel making and how wide is it as with every reference its different then you can compare it. Additionally, due to their domed acrylic crystals and convex, protruding case-backs, Bubble Back watches are disproportionally thick in an almost egg-like fashion. Support open 7 days a week. If you have any questions, please send some pictures by my RPR Contact button.Cheers Philipp. Comparison: You willnotice that the graphic chanced over the years with the later version we see on the right. Sothebys #HK0720 - 2017-04 - Important . What also makes the Bubbleback so interesting to collectors is the wide array of cases and dials that were available on them. When watch collecting started long ago, the focus was always on highly complicated movements, built in pocket watches and later after WWII commonly in wristwatches. Many times, use the rope to complete the rope. Servicing 1940s bubbleback. Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis, founded the company Side view of a 5512 SCOC Underline dial with a close up of the tritium plots. La Datejust est l'un des premiers modles Rolex avoir survcu jusqu' aujourd'hui. Today the Rolex Bubbleback is coveted by serious collectors the world over - not . Antiquorum ->http://www.antiquorum.com/catalog/search, earlier report of mine about the impact of Instagram. FAKE! April 2021 saw Rolex reveal its latest novelties, including a watch that no one expected: the ref 124273 bi-metal 36mm Explorer. Search for similarities but again, this needs to be done precisely. It was the first time that a watch had received "chronometer" status--a classification that, even today, is held by a relative few timepieces. 1 = Yellow gold Placor (Tudor) Pepsi GMT-Master II. Rare Vintage 18K Oyster Perpetual Datejust Ovettone Ref. Every Rolex reference has its own coronet. Now you know which model you have and from what year it is, this is already important information to determine the approximate value your Rolex. A burned Big Crown dial that due to humidity, dry storage and lots of UV light chanced color and cracked in the surface, Below you see how the moisture the radium chanced to green spots around the luminous dots on the dial. of its For instance if a crisp Big Crown Submariner from second batch (1957-1959) has been found but for some kind of a reason (Rolex didnt always deliver their watches as seen in the catalogue)its missingthe iconic red triangle bezel, finding the correct red triangle thats matching with the all over patina of the watch is very difficult! Sale date : 05/04/2017. Bob's When buying a timepiece from us, you can be confident that it is authentic. What do you notice?, Its about the same story as on the first tropical brown Submariner we analyzed up here except the hands look to be more matching. Be aware!! Notice the burning marks of the radium around the luminous, something we see more obvious on lighter colored dials, 2 x Rail Dial on the top, followed by a Mk2 with tropical brown dial and a Mk 4 with matt black dial, Close up of a naked Comex Seadweller ref 1665. The enormous amount of photoshop done is a thorn in my side. This goes to show how the Bubbleback laid the foundation for multiple Rolex models to come including the Datejust which is one of the most iconic and recognized timepieces in the world. x6 = Maxi Arabic Watches The Turn O Graph Ref. An old watch that has been worn and stored during time will have patina on the dial. Next you should find out if your Rolex is still all original or if it has non original parts / later service parts. Together with its unique look, the pure pleasure of telling time without unnecessary embellishment or distraction comes to the fore in the Bubbleback by Rolex. In 1931, Rolex introduced a "perpetual" rotor that literally rewound a watch with every flick of the wearer's wrist. If its not obvious the parts are not matching, look closely between the lugs, you will notice that this matt area is much more worn then the like new lugs are. That is why the lugs are often sealed with tape before band removal. 0 = Stainless Steel We also value your privacy and safety, and this is why we take great measures to keep your information safe at all times. Or the other way arounda damaged and worn-down case with a perfect dial and hands also tells us something has been done to cover up imperfections. Rolexs Bubble Back watches get their nickname from their extremely rounded, protruding case-backs. We start as usual to check out the color of the hand & dial luminous. This has been offered for auction by the previous owner, clearly we see the matt dial making it a mixture of wrong decisions. You see below the lume dots of the Newman dial are bit bigger due to the fact the where placed against the typical square newman index. An early Milgauss & Military bezel or hands or even laterall red 24 hour hand, all blue GMT bezels have exploded in price due to the fact the most watches where damaged, got changed during a service or simply wherenot delivered back thenwith it as nobody really cared about these details from the way we collect nowadays. 3 = Fluted Paul is committed to staying up-to-date with the latest research and developments in the watch industry and e-commerce, and regularly engages with other professionals in the industry. Moreover, Rolex used several different handsets for the Bubblebacks over the course of the production. 5512 SCOC, again we bright luminous added on the glossy dial.. We know your time is valuable. On the left you see a service crystal with a facet on the edge, there where the original crystal is domed. If it is polished, then by whom? A true tropical dial has perfectly matching original luminous, an untouched top layer of the dial and chanced color because it used to be worn in a very sunny area and then got stored for many years in a dark place ( safe ). Each model is part of an extraordinary history of innovation. Below you see is a first owner barn find Rolex Paul Newman where all luminous dots are still in tact and the luminous of the hands are matching the dial. This will tell you its a Ref 1665 Sea Dweller. Sometimes youre lucky, like with this Submariner! Since some while now we, the inner circle of hardcore vintage Rolex dealers & collectors, have noticed that fake Submariner dials are being sold as genuine. Is the woven fabric band shown in the pictures authentic for this vintage Rolex, 33 45? The bakelite bezel on the GMT Master ref 6542 was highly radio active. Now we are talking about auction houses, let me just explain the basic rules of the vendor. The missing luminous in the second hand has been spread around the dial. To make it even more difficult and make you understand what to watch for, heres a link toan, Then using simple techniques as a Geiger meter to see if theres any radiation left on a Pre 1963 Rolex is very handy. At the end of this report I will summarize the most used Rolex reference numbers for you. To get this damaged dial yet again attractive and all matching, dealers will re-lume it to hide the water damage. Vibration Proof. First, we have the standard size, then we have the ladies size, and lastly came the Bib Bubbleback. In a constantly developing market, where fine and honest quality has gone mad price-wise during the auctions, I wanted to add a basic guidance for you how to determine the originality of a vintage Rolex and make all details better understandable for any watch collectorwho is serious about his hobby. Although highly interesting from a design standpoint, the Bubble Back design was actually born out of necessity as an efficient means to house Rolex's thicker, self-winding movements. The case and bezel also deserve special mention, as their design points to developing tastes as well as innovations in manufacturing techniques. After 1964 radium ones where forbidden and later tritium ones lost their luminance in 15 years. As you could have read earlier in my vintage Rolex Buyers Guide, the luminous in general I see as a Moisture Meter or more specific, aCondition Meter of which you can determine what has happened inside a Rolex during its life. Rolex Bezel Codes: If this is on free forums, In the last couple of years the value of rare vintage Rolex has gone up rapidly. In my. 6 = Turn-O-Graph The radium dust, one never mustinhale, leave small stains on the surface of the dial. 22 = Stainless steel and Platinum (Yachtmaster) Another part to check if a watch has been polished are the chamfers, the bevelled edges between the matte part and the middle case. Rolex Bubbleback (2940) Price Guide and Specifications See market pricing for Rolex 2940 watches. Besides that, the case holes are often newly drilled you notice when looping them up close the inside is different, missing the necessary patina and also looks new. First again try to analyze it yourself before you scroll down to my remarks. Then we focus on the case and the bracelet, we see that the small hairlines are not consistent and the color of the steel is all over much too bright looking, meaning its recently polished, with other words, prepared for sale. Every specialized auction house has its own database of achieved results. Every day a nice and honest watch somewhere in the world gets a treatment because its dial is having some little spots or the case has original scratches on it. FAKE! Your email address will not be published. Although its having the minute track and its marked only with Swiss at 6 oclock, the luminous is not radium but already later Tritium hence the geiger is below 0.25 mSv as you can see.. It has survived the depths of the sea with Jacques Piccard and the summit of Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary's Sherpa. Check his website for possible Ipjone & iPad applications on Rolex and Patek Philippe over here:www.johngoldbergerwatches.com Provenance: I like to add in a update the proven history of a watch. Often a used one will show you burr on the screw. As your reference number tells you which model you have you now start comparing your Rolex with one from my reference list below. Rolex's 3035 caliber was the first automatic self-winding watch mechanism that featured a quick-set function. Theserial number is mentioned on the Chronometer Certificate. 6x = Blue In case you are not sure how a certain reference should look like unpolished, take a close look at the matte part of the watch with a suitable magnifier. We try to reply within an hour. Rolex Passion Market is a fully independent initiative, without any legal, economic or other ties with the famous luxury watch maker. This particular SCOC small crown 5508 is almost all over damaged and the grooves have become very deep. Crott >http://www.uhren-muser.de/archive.html? A lot ofresearch Ive done on these Submariner Big Crowns and my standard procedure was to measure the dial with a geiger meter. A mixture of wrong decisions complete the rope to complete the rope to complete the rope complete... Original or if it has survived the depths of the hand & dial luminous luminance in years! Will tell you its a ref 1665 Sea Dweller matching, dealers will it... 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