Important Collectors Watches, Pocket ...
Geneva, Mar 29, 2009
LOT 359
Ref. 6204, Retailed by Serpico Y Laino Rolex, ?Oyster Perpetual, Submariner", case No. 988691, Ref. 6204. Made in 1954, retailed by Serpico Y Laino. Fine and extremely rare, center seconds, self-winding, stainless steel wristwatch with ?Lollypop? seconds hand and the original stainless steel Oyster expanding bracelet. Accompanied by a Rolex box
C. Three body, polished and brushed, screwed case back and crown, graduated bi-directional revolving bezel. D. Black with luminous baton, triangular and round indexes, outer gilt minute/seconds track. Luminous gilt skeleton hands, gilt ?Lollypop? seconds hand. M. Cal. A260, 9 3/4???, rhodium-plated, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance, shock-absorber, self-compensating blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 37 mm. Thickness 13 mm. Approx. overall length 175 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 3* |
Good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 3-6-01 |
Good Slightly oxidized HANDS Original |
Notes
The Reference 6204 epitomizes the pre- Submariner era. Later models featured the word ?Submariner? on the dial; very rarely the word ?Submariner? has been blackedout. Rolex introduced the ?Submariner? at the 1954 Basel Watch Fair. The first production model, available to the public that same year, was Ref. 6204. It came to be known as the ?Submariner?, although it was originally promoted as the new scuba diving watch, without the word ?Submariner? on the dial. The growing popularity of scuba diving created a need to for a waterproof timing device at depths. Ref. 6204 was water-resistant to 600 feet and used the Rolex caliber A260 movement. It differed considerably from Ref. 6200, having a slimmer case, small crown and parallel hands with a dot at the end of the seconds hand.