Description

An extraordinary vintage Rolex Precision ladies’ cocktail watch in 18k white gold, set throughout with round brilliant-cut diamonds in a configuration that places it among the most spectacular examples of mid-century Rolex jewellery watchmaking. The square case is bordered on all four sides by a continuous diamond bezel; the double-row diamond bracelet, each row a full line of prong-set round brilliants, extends the brilliance from wrist to case without interruption. This is a watch that is worn as fine jewellery as much as it is worn to tell the time, and it has the presence to justify that claim.

Rolex Precision – The Jeweller’s Canvas

In the decades before the Cellini collection formalised Rolex’s approach to dress watches, the Precision designation covered the full range of the brand’s non-Oyster timepieces, including its most extraordinary jewellery creations. Through the 1950s, 1960s, and into the 1970s, Rolex produced a series of ladies’ dress watches in precious metal and diamonds that stood apart from the utility-first Oyster line in every respect. These were watches made to be seen: high-concept, labour-intensive, and often commissioned in small numbers for specific markets or clients.

The jewellery cocktail watch was a distinct genre in this period, distinct from the bracelet watch and from the ordinary dress watch. It demanded that the bracelet and case form a unified composition, that the dial be subordinate to the overall jewel effect, and that the piece read as an object of adornment first. Rolex produced these watches with the same technical discipline applied to the Submariner or the Daytona, but channelled into gem-setting precision and metalwork rather than water resistance or stopwatch function. Surviving examples in honest, complete, and unaltered condition are significantly rarer than comparable examples from the mainstream Oyster line.

A Double Diamond Composition

What sets this example apart from the majority of Rolex Precision diamond watches is the bracelet. Where most diamond-set examples of this type feature a gold or mixed-metal bracelet with diamond-set case shoulders or end-links alone, this watch presents two continuous rows of prong-set round brilliant diamonds running the full length of the bracelet on each side, creating a piece in which the diamonds are not an accent but the primary material. The case’s full-perimeter diamond bezel continues this logic without interruption, making the silver dial the only non-diamond surface visible from above.

The fold-over deployant clasp, visible and fully functional, is a further mark of quality: a construction detail typically reserved for the finest bracelet watches of the period, offering both security and ease of wear.

The Dial

The watch features a classic silver dial signed “Rolex Precision” with the Rolex crown at 12 o’clock. Applied baton hour markers and matching slender hands provide clean legibility without competing with the diamonds that surround them. The simplicity of the dial is entirely intentional; a quiet centre to a spectacular frame.

Specifications

Brand: Rolex

Model: Precision Manual Wind (Ladies Cocktail)

Year: circa 1960s

Case material: White gold-tone (18k white gold)

Case shape: Square, approx. 16–18 mm

Bezel: Full perimeter diamond-set bezel (round brilliant-cut diamonds)

Dial: Silver dial with applied baton hour markers, signed Rolex Precision

Bracelet: Double-row round brilliant diamond bracelet with fold-over deployant clasp

Movement: Manual wind (Calibre 1400, 18 jewels)

Condition: Good vintage condition with light signs of wear consistent with age

Accessories: Watch and box only (no papers)

Warranty: 1 year warranty

Availability

This vintage day-date automatic watch is available through Vintage Times Amsterdam.

For further information or high-resolution images, please feel free to contact:

Vintage Times

Vintage Times Amsterdam is a small watch boutique who mainly deals online and with a select group of private collectors. We are constantly looking for rare vintage timepieces and try to present the best condition available. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact for more information about this watch or other timepieces from our collection. We ship worldwide and also welcome you for a visit at our office in Amsterdam.

Vintage Times

email: [email protected]

tel / app: +31 6 4 1111 044