Octagonal silver-cased rolex oyster club-tooth lever wrist-watch with black crocodile-skin strap

Description — British Museum

Rolex Oyster wrist-watch. Bar movement with club-tooth lever escapement. Silvered dial with Arabic hour numerals, 12 in red; subsidiary seconds. Blued steel hands. Silver case with screw-on back and bezel. Black leather wrist-strap.

Curator's comments — British Museum

Comment from Richard Good, Catalogue of Watches in the British Museum. Vol. V (Unpublished manuscript) Made by Rolex Switzerland, Case c. 1928 Waterproof silver cased wrist watch with club tooth lever escapement. Signature: Only the case is marked in the back 'ROLEX'. The movement marked 'SWISS MADE' on the front plate and '15 JEWELS' on the train bridge. However the movement is not original to the case.(1) Case: Silver four part case, open face with a screw back and bezel both of which screw onto a threaded ring which fits inside the case band. In the back is 'ROLEX 20 W RECORDS GREAT BRITAIN PATENTS 260554/1925 SWISS PATENTS + 260054/1925 274,789 SWISS PATENTS + 114.948 + 120.851'. The import marks for Glasgow 1928. Makers mark R W C LTD Numbered 55301 43. Dial & Hands: A silvered dial with black painted Arabic numerals but with the 12 in red. A sunk subsidiary seconds dial Scratched on the back of the dial Jm Forster 6 Eldon Square Newcastle on Tyne 1923. The hands of blued-steel, the minute hand missing, the hour hand of spade design. The seconds hand of blued-steel. Movement: The movement not original. Frame: A nickel silver movement with a bridge for the barrel another for the centre and third wheels and cocks for the escape wheel the pallets and the balance. The train bridge and the escape wheel cock are marked 67. The balance cock is marked 67 twice. Barrel and Mainspring: A recessed cover to the going barrel. Barrel: I diameter 9.5 mm., height 1.5 mm. Mainspring: height 1.5 mm., thickness 0.125 mm. Barrel Arbor: diameter 3.1 mm, snailed. Hooking: A tongue is pressed from the barrel wall. Train: All the brass wheels gilded but on one side only, the centre wheel, third and fourth wheels with five crossings. The steel escape wheel with four. Jewelling: Jewelled bearings from the third wheel onwards, all the jewels rubbed in. Ruby endstones to the balance jewels. Escapement: A straight line layout, club tooth lever escapement with short lever, double roller and D-shaped impulse pin. The exposed pallet stones have flat acting faces. A steel escape wheel with four crossings. An equidistant locking escapement. No. of teeth embraced 3½. Balance & Spring: a bimetallic balance with brass screws and two platinum timing screws. Balance diameter 9.2 mm., thickness 0.6 mm. A blued-steel flat spiral spring with 10 turns. Means of Regulation: An index on the balance cock registers against a divided scale with 'F S' and 'A R' engraved on the balance cock table. Train Counts and Beat Rate: Great wheel 70 (barrel) Centre wheel 64 pinion 10 Third wheel 60 pinion 8 Fourth wheel 60 pinion 8 Escape wheel 15 pinion 6 Beat rate: 18,000 Motion work: cannon pinion 10 minute wheel 30, minute pinion 8 hour wheel 32 Winding System: Conventional positive set keyless work with the winding button able to be screwed onto the pendant tube, for an illustration and explanation see registration no. 1995,1205.1. Dimensions: Case: Length 33.0 mm., width 31.7 mm., height 9.4 mm., over the glass. Movement: diameter 23.0 mm., height 6.0 mm. Provenance: Purchased in 1986 with funds made available by the late Stanley H. Burton. Note: (1) For the correct movement for this case see registration no. 1995,1205.1.