A wonderful antique Rolex hand-wound watch, Viceroy

This time, we will introduce the Viceroy, a luxury Rolex watch that has many fans due to its rarity and romantic history.

A luxury watch for your life

Rolex is a watch brand that everyone knows and aspires to.
My father wore a Rolex watch, and ever since I was a child I dreamed of owning one myself someday.
After graduating from university and getting a job, I had no hesitation in choosing to spend my first bonus on a Rolex.
With this Rolex, I want to live life as a member of society and as an adult, just like my father did back then.

Luxury watches are now becoming mainstream as gifts to mark important milestones in life, such as in return for an engagement ring or as a gift to celebrate a new job.
It seems that there are an increasing number of newlywed couples who give each other watches instead of rings, because "even if they have such nice rings, there will be no occasion to wear them."
In that respect, luxury watches can be called the ultimate luxury accessory, because of the brand identity, the sense of exhilaration that comes from owning something fine, and above all, their practicality. And while they are luxury accessories, they also become irreplaceable partners that keep time together.

Luxury watches are the romance of the working man

After all, luxury watches are mostly popular with men.
The price and the status of the brand probably inspire confidence and motivation to work.
Nowadays, smartphones have become widespread, and you can find a watch anywhere in the city, so to be honest, you wouldn't be in a bind without a wristwatch... Still, the reason why businessmen like and wear luxury watches is probably because it's the romance of a working man.

Since its founding in 1905, Rolex watches have captivated many working men around the world.
In pursuit of chronometer accuracy unaffected by the rocking of a ship or temperature changes, it became the first wristwatch to receive an official chronometer certificate from the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute in 1910. Then, in 1926, it became the first watch to be waterproof and dustproof.
As performance improved, watches began to be used in sports, aviation, motor racing, exploration, and other fields, and they became established as the dream of many working men in a variety of fields, a dream that continues to this day.

What are antique luxury watches?

Perhaps antique watches are the most quintessential expression of a man's romance. Modern luxury watch brands such as Rolex, Omega, Longchamp, and Tag Heuer began their history in the mid-1800s to the 1900s.
Nowadays, thanks to mass production technology, you can get a watch for under 1,000 yen if you're not picky. However, antique watches, hand-wound watches made before the 1970s, were made one by one by skilled craftsmen and were even more expensive than modern watches.

These expensive ornaments are treasured by their owners, spend time with them, and are passed down from father to son, and from son to grandson...inheriting the romance of time.

Rolex Viceroy in Historical Context

The Rolex Viceroy we are introducing this time was born in the 1940s.
In the long history of Rolex, this model was released relatively soon after the establishment of chronometer accuracy and waterproof/dustproofing, making it a valuable antique Rolex for its mechanical aspects. The 1940s was also the time of many historical wars, including World War II, which developed the industrial power of various countries, and wristwatches were one of them.

It is said that this was a period when many military watches were produced as standard issue items, but on the other hand, there were few regular watches produced. This is one of the few precious Rolex Viceroys, made by craftsmen in the rough seas of a world different from the modern era. It's very romantic to wonder what kind of owner used it.

In the early 1900s, wristwatches were not yet widespread, and pocket watches were the most common type of portable watch. However, Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, turned his attention to wristwatches and actively engaged in their manufacture.
The war was also an event of technological innovation, and in the 1930s, production of wristwatches surpassed production of pocket watches for the first time. This marked the beginning of the perception that "wristwatches were the mainstream type of watch" and was an extremely valuable period for antique watch enthusiasts.
In those days, an owner of a Rolex watch, which was already a luxury manufacturer, was a man of status and financial means, and a fashionable, cutting-edge man who cared about his appearance.

In addition, the Rolex Viceroy is a hand-wound watch that does not require a battery, and will not stop if you take good care of it every day. When you think about the history of someone winding this watch and using it with care, antique automatic watches feel very special. Some antique collectors love the history of these watches and only collect hand-wound watches.

So let's see what models are available.

ROLEX Viceroy Model Introduction

The dial, which is a mix of Arabic and Greek numerals, is very unique and stylish. It is 29.7mm in diameter. The pink gold bezel gives it an antique feel.

This is a unisex model with a diameter of 28 mm. If it was owned by a woman at the time, I wonder what kind of beautiful lady would have worn it. The belt can be adjusted up to 6.5 inches. The deep red belt is very impressive, and depending on the fashion, it can be changed to a variety of images, from casual to preppy. This is a basic Arabic numeral dial.

This is a first-class Viceroy in both condition and luxury. Made in Switzerland in the 1930s. Screw back, 17 jewels, hand-wound. The shiny 18-karat gold bezel and graduated dial give it a cool impression. The simple design is a very attractive mix of antique goodness and stylishness that is no less than modern designs. A characteristic of hand-wound watches is that they have fewer parts than automatic watches, making the body thinner. The clean design that matches this characteristic makes this a must-have for antique Rolex lovers.

This is a 1939 Swiss-made Viceroy in very good condition. It has a small seconds hand that is separate from the center of the dial, making it a rare model among Viceroys of the same era.
At first glance, the structure seems complicated, but in fact the center second requires higher skills and has more parts. With that in mind, the small second dial is very nice and exudes the nostalgia and warmth that only antique watches can offer. Another distinctive feature is the slight two-tone color of the dial.

What do you think?

This time, we introduced Rolex Viceroy, one of the luxury antique watches. A number of masterpieces were born around 1940, a turbulent time in the world, and at the same time, during the golden age of antique watches. Rolex Viceroy is an automatic watch that never stops, and is filled with a variety of history and romance. Please let it be your partner that keeps time with you and carry your romance with it.