March Auction
Lot 380:
Rolex Gold-Filled Open Face Pocket Watch, 44mm
Description
Rolex (Wilsdorf and Davis) Gold-Filled Open Face Pocket Watch, 44mm, Serviced 2025
Vintage Rolex open-face pocket watch housed in a Canadian-market gold-filled case, measuring 44mm in diameter. The cream dial is signed “Rolex, ” with applied Arabic numerals, blued steel hands, and subsidiary seconds at six o’clock.
The manual-wind movement is signed:
“W&D – Geneva – Swiss – 15 Rubis”
(Wilsdorf & Davis, the founding company of Rolex)
The interior case back is stamped:
“W&D Co – Gold Filled – Guaranteed 20 Years – Made in Canada – Extra”
The case exterior features engine-turned engraving with central shield cartouche. The watch is accompanied by its 11.5-inch chain.
Included is the original receipt for overhaul and cleaning from Besner Jewellers, dated 2025, documenting recent servicing. A handwritten research note referencing W&D Company in Canada and serial details is also present. Serial number noted (see images).
Details
Maker: Rolex (Wilsdorf and Davis)
Movement: Manual wind, 15 jewels
Case: Gold-filled, Canadian production
Diameter: 44mm
Chain Length: 11.5 inches
Dial: Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds
Period: Circa 1920s-1930s
Accompanied by: 2025 overhaul/cleaning receipt (Besner Jewellers)
Condition: Recently serviced per receipt; light surface wear to case consistent with age
Catalog Note:
Established in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis, Wilsdorf & Davis was the original trading name of the firm that would become Rolex. During the 1910s-1930s, Rolex watches distributed in Canada were often cased locally in gold-filled housings stamped “W&D Co – Guaranteed 20 Years – Made in Canada, ” reflecting domestic production for tariff and market purposes. The present example, with its signed “W&D – Geneva – Swiss – 15 Rubis” movement and Rolex-signed dial, represents this early transitional phase in the company’s history.
Video of movement:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TUso817gUoyb003MPytNg4fttgfh3gYV/view?usp=sharing
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