Oyster ref 2784 Commander watch from 1941

Rolex has made a lot of interesting timepieces ranging from the early trench watches, cushion watch, Prince and Rolex Bubbleback etc. It has also had several sub-brands or subsidiaries over the years, with Tudor being the most prominent. One of those subsidiaries, although its products are often considered a ‘Rolex’ like any other, was the Oyster Watch Company.

 

The Rolex Oyster Commander was made to the same high standard of Rolex but marked with ‘Oyster Watch Company’. These particular Rolex Oysters were meant to be sold in the Canadian market. Rolex has a long and interesting relationship with the Canadian market, with Rolex focusing on Canadian sales in the mid-20th century, supposedly because of an agreement with its supplier, Aegler. 

For example, the famous department store in Toronto, Eaton’s, sold Rolexes at the time and often changed the name themselves to try to make them more appealing. In addition, Rolex has also produced the Eaton Quarter Century Club watch for Eaton's long service award.

Rolex endorsed this and made unique models like the Oyster Junior Sport and Oyster Recorda for the Canadian market, in trying to tailor their products to this new audience. There were also others like the Oyster Pioneer, the Oyster Aqua, and the Oyster Raleigh.

I personally think the watch looks nicer with a metal bracelet...what do you think?

They were designed with 24 hours markings and sold to CANADIAN soldiers going overseas in WW2.

From 1941

It was fitted with a FHF Caliber 59 manual winding movement (FF30), a Rolex modified ebauche movement made by Fabrique d'Horlogerie Fontainemelon, with the movement coming in 15 and 17 jewels versions; having 40 hours of power reserve, with a 18,000 bph rate. This one is 17 jewels. The basic version fifteen jewels is often plainly finished bridges while with seventeen jewels was with beautiful striped bridges, The movement was likely only used in Rolex models for the Canadian market ca. 1935-1945.

Rolex Oyster Commander came in a water-resistant Oyster case and the threaded case back is signed SAR “Oyster Watch Co, Geneva-Swiss, Great Britain Patents.

Source : 

https://montrespubliques.com/new-1minute-reads/the-rolex-oyster-commander

https://www.trovestar.com/generic/zoom.php?id=148781