Rolex Oyster Athlete ref 4127 serial # 2132xx circa 1942. It has a size 32mm case with wide concave bezel, straight extended lugs, and screw down case back and period screw down crown. Lugs size is 17mm. The Rolex Athlete watch was produced in early 1940s and there are two versions : one with small seconds (using cal 700?) and one with centre/sweep seconds (cal 710).
There are three different models that used the similar design case design in the 1940s:
1. the 4127 (manual wind), mainly in stainless steel;
2. the 3548 (perpetual) often called the Empire, which is bigger in size and are in both steel and yellow gold
3. Ladies watch variant (manual wind).
Most of the 4127 comes with Mercedes and pencil hands looks in full numeral or alternative numerals and some rare ones come with California dials. There are many redial watches. Most of the dials that looks to be original does not have the Rolex coronet. Just Rolex Oyster Athlete in the same font. Some dials with ‘precision’. It is Powered by 17 jewel manual wind calibre 10 1/2 hunter movement. I am very glad to be able to find this Athlete as it was quite rare in the 1990-2000s. This watch has brought back fond memories of my early years of watch collection
Rolex Athlete in steel ref 4127
Rolex Empire ref 3548
The above is a Rolex Empire in gold ref 3548 (perpetual)
with a cylinder style case , which looks similar to the Rolex Athlete, but its
case is much thicker as it has an automatic movement . The ref 3548 is quite
rare owing to its design and I have not come across another after I have bought
one in the late 1980s. The watch was priced the same as the `Rolex Prince jump
hour at that time and I have chosen this Rolex Empire.
It is interesting to note that these watches were expensive during the earlier days
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