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Rolex Datejust Two Tone Automatic early model, ref. 6305, 1955 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Rolex Datejust Two Tone Automatic early model, ref. 6305, 1955

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Rolex (maker)
Date
1955
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
Two-tone steel/gold
Dimensions
Diameter 36 mm (without crown)
Stock no.
vp3856
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Portfolio (vp3856)
Catalogue title (original)
50ties Rolex Datejust Two Tone ref 6305 Automatic early model (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Portfolio (dealer), Vienna (stock number vp3856), this is a wristwatch by Rolex, made in Switzerland, dated 1955. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Two-tone steel/gold. Recorded dimensions: Diameter 36 mm (without crown). The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer specification — Vintage Portfolio

Movement: automatic with centre seconds; Dial: cream colored with golden indices; Case: two-tone steel/gold; Crown: Genuine Rolex (signed); Date display: Date function; Diameter: 36 mm (without crown); Strap: hand-crafted, italian, vintage leather (retail price 70 euro); Dial condition, as described by the dealer: The still factory original (non-refurbished) dial has slight patina.

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Calendar, moon-phase and perpetual calendar watches

Calendar complications range from a simple date to the perpetual calendar, which automatically allows for months of different lengths and leap years until 2100. Pocket watches with perpetual calendars were made in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; Patek Philippe made the first perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1925, and series production followed in 1941. The annual calendar (Patek Philippe, 1996) needs correction only once a year.

Moon-phase displays use a disc with two moons and 59 teeth advanced daily, approximating the 29.5-day lunation; more precise trains reduce the error to one day in over a century.

What to look for

  • Apertures or subsidiary dials for day, date, month and leap year.
  • Moon disc under a 'bosom' shaped aperture.
  • Recessed correctors on the case band for setting the calendar.

Dating clues

  • Triple-date wristwatches: popular c. 1940–1955.
  • Perpetual calendar wristwatches: from 1925 (unique) and 1941 (series).

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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