Rolex

Subexplorer
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I love the Red touch...

Of course it has not the charme and intrigue of Baron´s "Red Depth" Explorer, nor the colorful sight and past of Nicolas´ 6542 GMT red and blue bezel, much less the attraction and lore of a Red Sub. ... But a little touch of red on the dial always gives a watch an special character. This was I thought when I found this old Date Just, of which I quickly fell in love with. It is a reference 5031, that is, the second reference of the Date Just, being the first one, the reference 4467. By the serial number, this watch was made circa 1948/49, and I prefer to think in 1948, as it was my birth year! It got an special crown, the "Super Oyster Crown" a non screw type, which Rolex experimented for just a couple of years, around 1949/50. They tried a type which not requiered to screw back after winding manually, or setting the time, as some clients forgot that, and their watches flooded. For those absent minded watch users, Rolex developed this new type of crown with rubber seals. But probably due to the quality of the seals available on those early times, they also failed, and Rolex decided to set back in their trusty screw crowns their timepieces where famous for. This model came with a movement caliber A295, and it belongs to the "Bubbleback" era, easy to understand the nick name viewing the watch from the front and paying attention to its "bombee" screw back, and the height of the case+back combination (around 14 mm). In spite of the fact this movement was made more than 60 years ago, it got an amazing precision. I can´t stop being amazed by the noblesse and reliability of these old Rolex movements, and its cappability to work so well after so many years. The watch came equipped with the "roulette" type of date numbers, red for the pair and black for the odd numbers. This timepiece came with no straps, so I got a nice pair of black ostrich ones, which I feel are in suite with the vintage look of the watch. The Date Just is a model often forgotten by collectors, a shame I feel, as it somehow epitomizes the charm, the looks, the elegance and the prestige of our beloved brand. I am working in a future post about vintage Date Justs, to justify what I say here. I wish you´ll like this old watch, which I enjoy on my wrist since a couple of weeks. Best cordial regards, Abel.