Month: September 2017

Rolex has made the transition from a top-end throughout the company’s incredibly long history, together with tool watch manufacturer to an internationally regarded luxury icon. As the company evolved, so did the designs of its watches. While modern replica Rolex frequently use premium materials and follow a highly refined aesthetic, vintage Rolex watches often try to have a little more purpose-built design. These few defining features help them differ from their modern counterparts.
One of the most visually apparent differences between well-aged Rolex watches and modern ones is that the crystals on vintage timepieces are made from acrylic rather than synthetic sapphire like all of Rolex’s contemporary offerings. Acrylic is significantly softer than sapphire; however, it is more flexible and not possibly to shatter into small pieces should it receive an impact. What’s more, since acrylic is slightly less transparent than sapphire, it brings with it a warm, distinctively vintage feel that is not present on modern watches.
The bezel inserts fitted to Rolex sport watches that are manufactured today are made from a proprietary ceramic material that Rolex calls Cerachrom. However, this is a relatively recent development in Rolex’s history. The fake Rolex manufactured their bezel inserts out of aluminum for many decades, which would have the tendency to scratch and fade with regular use. Nearly every vintage Rolex sport watch with a rotating bezel will have an insert made from aluminum. The fading and typical wear can frequently be observed on them, which has become synonymous with vintage timepieces.
One of the less obvious features of many older Rolex watches are the holes that go completely through the lugs of the case. Different from modern Rolex in which the springbar holes are only partially carved into the inner sides of the lugs, these holes are completely drilled through the lugs of many older Rolex watches. Drilled lugs allow for easier strap changes; however since they slightly disrupt the lines of the case, Rolex determine to discontinue them in favor of a more refined and streamlined design.
One of the obvious reasons why people choose to collect vintage Rolex is that the level of variation that exists among the different watches from decades past. In the earlier years of production, there was far less standardization and control present in the production process. Therefore, a large number of subtle inconsistencies exist among otherwise identical watches. These minor differences come in varying degrees of rarity and can account for important premiums in resale value. This further adds to the interest and excitement for collectors. For instance, a rare Sea-Dweller 1665 can either be a Double Red Sea-Dweller or a Great White.