Rolex ref 6424 hand wind watch

This is a Rolex ref 6424, a simple hand wind watch. According to information from the forum, After the Rolex catalog settled down in the late 1950s, Rolex did not produce large numbers of no-date watches in 36mm cases aside from the Explorer. 

In fact, the vast majority of 36mm Rolex oysters from the 1960s through the 1980s are DateJusts and Explorers, and if you want a no-date non-sport Rolex, you generally have to go down to 34mm, where you will find tons of hand-winding and auto-winding references with or without date. 

This is a rather special watch as Firstly, it’s jumbo case. Typically, standard oyster precision models come fitted in 34mm cases but with this reference 6424, the case was enlarged to match its Datejust and Day Date siblings at 36mm. It might be a seemingly small detail, but it means a ton. And finally, the plump, original lume plots behind each marker. Like the other details, these dots of tritium might not seem all too important but in the world of vintage Rolex, its stuff like this that makes all of the differen

One notable exception is the ref 1018, which is a great automatic (perpetual) no-date reference in a 36mm case. They are less valuable than the 1016 Explorer, but still highly sought after. The ref 1018 is fairly obscure to the general public, but pretty well known to collectors.

In some ways, you could consider the ref 6424 to be a hand-winding version of the 1018, a no-date 36mm oyster. Another nice thing about the 6424 is the 20mm lug spacing, and the fact that they generally came with a 7206 Swiss rivet bracelet (early examples will not be marked). One interesting curiosity is that the 6424 has non-drilled lugs, so the bracelet endlinks for the 6424 have a cut-out to access the spring-bars.ce.

Vintage Omega Constellation C case for Kim IL Sung

I have always love watches with historical importance such as this specially made Omega watch commissioned by Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea, and its premier from 1948 until his death in 1994. Below is watch presented on his 60th birthday on 1972 to high ranking officials, not many of these examples have surfaced. Many may not like the DPRK regime, but I think the watch should not be the subject of criticism as its just a wristwatch and collecting the watch does not equate to liking the regime.

The reference of the watch is 168.029 - Omega were commissioned to make a special commemorative watch with key changes to the standard cal 751 C-shape dial layout and put Kim Il-Sung's signature to the very top and move the Constellation text to the bottom. This is also the one of the series of Omega with Korean date disc.

The refined impression of the barrel-shaped C-line case, designed by Gerald Genta, was commonly seen around the 1970s. Compared to later models with glass-like domed crystals, the early versions feature a dome-shaped crystal, offering a vintage taste. The finely crafted white gold fluted bezel exudes a strong sense of luxury, embodying the essence of Omega's high-end models. The dial features a subtle sunray finish, avoiding any sense of overdone embellishment. This particular model boasts a special specification with a print of Kim Il-sung instead of the Ω logo. The center positions of the bar indices and pencil hands are coated in black, enhancing readability. The day of the week is indicated in Hangul script. The bracelet is a Ref.1172 with Endlink 515.

The case boasts excellent proportions. The dial unfortunately has some scratches but its all original condition.

The Constellation, symbolizing the stars, is a gem of a model that combines Omega's highest precision with automatic winding. It represents the pinnacle of watchmaking born in an era where "precision is the absolute value" before the development of quartz watches. It has the well liked caliber 751.

There are several versions of the Omega Constellation Photos from the internet

Photos from the Internet 

Besides the constellation series, there are also others starting from The Omega Constellation, Seamaster and Geneva, and the levels decrease in order.

Rolex Bubbleback ref 5050 from 1948

This is a Rolex Bubbleback ref 5050 from the year 1948. It has an interesting dial design. 

Rolex Big Bubbleback 18k yellow gold ref 6105 from 1960 勞力士大泡泡背

My love for the Rolex Big Bubbleback continues with this lovely Rolex 6105 in 18k gold from 1960. The indices are ‘arrow-markers’, and the hands are beautifully elegant ‘dauphine” style - even the fluting on the bezel (coin-edge’ bezel) just seems a little more subdued. This is perhaps the last batch of the Rolex Datejust using the semi Bubbleback movement and it is without the cyclops crystal but with the rudimentary Datejust wording on dial. It has the lovely classic red and black calendars.

Besides having a nice bezel, it has a nice Red Datejust wording on its dial. As per my direction for 2025, I shall focus on upgrading and I have traded in some watches for this. I have always thought that the Rolex 6105 only comes with bi colour gold and steel but it has the 18k version as well. Since their introduction in the 1950s, solid gold Datejusts have retained their rarity, significantly contributing to their sought-after status among collectors. 

I have collected both the 18k solid gold Rolex ref 6105 & 6305. The price of the Rolex 6105 is higher then the 6305...

The Rolex Big bubbleback series leading to the Datejust consists of the following 

Rolex ref 4467 (solid Gold from year 1945-1949)  
Rolex ref 5030 (Solid gold) , Bi colour steel and gold 5031, 5075, 6031 (from year 1949 - 1950)，
Rolex ref 6075, 6074 (Bi colour from year 1950 - 1953) also some 1960-64
Rolex 6104, 6105 (18k solid gold and Bi colour modified A296，from year 1951 - 1953) some from the 1960s
Rolex 6304 , 6305, 6309 (Pre ThunderBird) (A296，from year 1953 - 1956)
Rolex Datejust 6604, 6605, 6609 (Thunderbird), 1600, 1601,1603, 1607, 1625 (Thunderbird) (from 1959 - 1977 onwards using Butterfly movement calibre generation features cal. 1065 and later cal. 1565 and 1575.)

Watches Found in 2025:

1. Jan 10 : Rolex 18078 18k Yellow gold bark bezel and bracelet

2. Jan 15 : Rolex 5030 18k Rose gold 

3. Feb 7 : Rolex 6105 18k Yellow gold

Wish Lists 2025:

1. Rolex 18078 ✅

2. Rolex 5030 ✅

3. Rolex 1807 

4. Rolex Lapis dial/ Tiger Eye

 

Watches Sold/Trade:

1. Jan 6 : Rolex steel 鋼 Bubbleback  ref 6050 traded with Longines Tonneau plus cash 

2. Jan 6 : Sold Mido Melik set 

3. Jan 8 : Sold Spare 海鷗八一軍表

4. Feb 5 : Sold Juvenia hand wind watch

5. Feb 7 : Traded Rolex bi colour 6085, steel 6050 and a steel gold 6105 for a 18k 6105.

4. March : Pending Tudor 7962