Important Collectors Watches, Pocket ...

Geneva, May 10, 2009

LOT 302

Ref. 6204 Rolex, ?Oyster Perpetual, Submariner", case No. 949184, Ref. 6204. Made in 1954. Fine and very rare, center seconds, self-winding, stainless steel wristwatch and stainless steel riveted Oyster expanding bracelet.

CHF 18,000 - 24,000

USD 16,000 - 21,000 / EUR 12,000 - 16,000

C. Three body, polished and brushed, screwed case back and crown, graduated bi-directional revolving bezel. D. Black with painted luminous baton, triangular and round indexes, outer minute/seconds track. Luminous steel skeleton hands. 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.


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3-6*

Good

Slightly oxidized

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-33-07

Good

Restored

HANDS Replaced

Notes

The Ref. 6204 epitomizes the pre-Submariner era. Later models featured the word ?Submariner? on the dial; very rarely the word ?Submariner? has been blacked out. 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 called the ?Submariner?, though it was originally promoted as the new scuba diving watch, without the word ?Submariner? on the dial. The growing popularity of scuba diving created the need 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.