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Rolex Roulette Wheel Datejust, ref. 6605, 1957 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Rolex Roulette Wheel Datejust, ref. 6605, 1957

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Rolex (maker)
Date
1957
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
Stainless Steel
Stock no.
266153
Credit line
Dealer listing, Grey & Patina (266153)
Catalogue title (original)
1957 Rolex 6605 Roulette Wheel Datejust (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Grey & Patina (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number 266153), this is a wristwatch by Rolex, made in Switzerland, dated 1957. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Stainless Steel. 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 description — Grey & Patina

This year marks 100 years of Oyster watches from Rolex, but perhaps it peaked in 1957… This 1957 6605 Datejust may just be the best conditioned one we’ve ever come across. Dauphine hands, pointed markers, checkered bezel, applied crown AND Rolex text, cream dial, and finally a Roulette date wheel. There will always be new colors and models, but true soul takes time and in special instances gives it back in.♠️💄 Insert: Checkered Steel Dial: Cream applied logo Case: 36mm Bracelet: Rolex Jubilee

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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