Rolex

chippyfly
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Vintage Tudor just received

I share my latest acquisition for interest.  Had not intended buying more watches but you all know the pangs of addiction until the target is achieved?

Tudor Oyster Royal reference 7934 dating from 1955 and serviced intensively at a Rolex AD by a previous owner 2 years ago at great cost to him, according to the few papers that came with the watch.  I love watches with this detailed dial time-tracking and gilt alpha numeric indices plus gilt hands with blued steel central seconds hand.  34mm suits my slim wrist in common with many other similar sized vintage watches in my small collection.

I do not yet know the calibre of the movement but it is manual-wind 17J and the plates are pinkish and have not been nickel-silver plated.  Only have the retail agent's photo not able to be copied here but I have on order a Rolex case-opening die for future use if required.  The watch came on a cheap, wrong-sized black strap so I replaced it with a spare correct one I had, which I think is very suitable for the period. 

For a 64 years old watch the time keeping is really good at average of 5 positions +6 seconds/day but on the wrist much less advancing and it is possible to hack the time setting, in spite of no hack complication.  Beat error averages under 0.2m/s and the amplitude is just about acceptable at 245º.

I know the case has been polished but I think it was well done.  The lugs are so elegant.  The slightly domed crystal and the signed crown both look to be new but the dial has not been touched for a long time.  The 5-minute luminous markers have been removed, leaving just traces of their presence. I am pleased about that because the radio activity from what is left of the radium is now 0.89µSv/h above background, which I can accept for regular wearing.  Maybe the luminous paint in the hands can be removed but if it's not broken, don't fix it!  Cross-hairs on the dial would be the cream, but I doubt if that was an option when new.

So I now have an additional vintage watch to wear in rotation.  The only quirk is that there is a screw-down crown for a manual-wind watch but I suppose the advantage outweighs the thread wear.

Best, Clive 

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