Rolex Oyster Ref. 6282 - Silver 'Sector' Dial

If you boil Rolex down to its purest form, what do you get?

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual. This is truly the genesis for the entire Rolex brand. The very first Rolex models were called ‘Oysters’ which was owed to their innovative three part case that all screwed into each-other. That is where the fluted bezel actually derives from, being screwed down into the top of the case to secure the crystal with a gasket - as well as the grooves on the oyster case back. All makes sense now - right?

The piece that we have here, simply called an Oyster, is a descendant of those early watches, utilizing a water-resistant Oyster case, a manually-wound movement, and nothing else. No frills — purely a functional timekeeping device.

Dating to circa 1953, this Reference 6426 dates to circa 1952 and contrary to our prior comment about being a "no frills" watch, does possess a beautiful silver 'sector' dial within its 34mm case. Coming in at 34mm in diameter, the stainless steel case comes to us in fantastic, possibly unpolished condition, and shows normal signs of wear with no damage of note. The Oyster bracelet is a slightly later unit from circa 1962 and shows matching normal wear. The dial, however, is the real treat with this piece. It features a vertically 'brushed' silver center section with a silver ring on the outside. The indices and coronet at the 12 o'clock position are all rended in gold-tone foil and recessed within the dial. These small and beautiful mid-centry design cues are also found in the handset, with equally beautiful 'feuille' hour and minute hands, and a blued-steel central seconds hand. 

And don't let the 34mm case size fool you, these 34mm Rolex models are chronically slept on and present great value next to its more well-known siblings, while truly embodying the essence of Rolex.