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ROLEX GUARANTEES

A careful analysis of the different types of guarantee issued by Rolex allows us to better understand their evolution, from the very first and elusive paper certificates to the most recent plastic card guarantees.

1930s


Amongst the first Rolex certificates available is a 1934 model issued by the Official Controlment Offices for the Rating of Watches of Bienne, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle and St-Imier in Switzerland. This document is numbered and carries the watch calibre number, the model name (in this case Prince Impérial) and certain technical characteristics.
At the bottom of the page is the stamp of the Contrôle officiel de la marche des montres and on the right the date and the director’s signature.
On the back of the guarantee is printed a copy of the regulation that the Swiss company follows in its testing watches for quality and precision. For certain watches the certificate bears a further caption: “Especially good time results”.

1940s


Another example of a Rolex guarantee dates back to 8 July 1943 belonging to lot 311 (reference 3525), nicknamed “Monoblocco”. This watch has a very particular story because its owner, Corporal Clive James Nutting, received it whilst imprisoned in the high security German prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft III, with the possibility of paying for it after the end of the war.
The watch is accompanied by the original receipt with reference and case numbers, original numbered guarantee and important correspondence between Corporal Nutting and Hans Wildorf the founder of Rolex.

 

1950s


Rolex guarantees of the 1950s are in booklet form with several pages and are quite large, especially compared to previous certificates. The actual guarantee can be found in the centre of the booklet where, in a designated space, the serial number of the watch can be filled in by hand. The other pages contain the principal technical characteristics of the production house and some instructions for the use of the watch.
The last page however is reserved for the stamp of the authorised seller.
A few years later the guarantees took on a different shape, however still proportionally large. On the first pages the red Rolex seal was found to certify/guarantee the precision of the mechanisms and some historical facts about the Swiss company. The central part is reserved for the registration number of the watch whilst the last pages list user instructions and some company records.
At the end of the 1950s a Rolex guarantee was issued that would be used up until the first years of the following decade. It was smaller, folded in three and had the certificate of authenticity on the front. The user instructions, facts about the company and an additional list of the most important dealers were included.

1960s


At the beginning of the 1960s Rolex began printing guarantees with embossed registration numbers, which became the standard in the following years, except for certain guarantees printed in the USA that still had the numbers written in ink. The guarantee issued by the Swiss company went back to a booklet style, keeping it’s previous characteristics however. Gradually, in the mid 1960s Rolex guarantees included a new booklet, “Your Rolex Oyster”, translated into the distribution country’s language.
The cover is white and inside there are historical facts, technical innovations of the company and user instructions. At the centre the guarantee certificate, with punched registration number.
At the end of the 1960s Rolex introduced a guarantee with registration number to be completed in ink on the last page, near the official dealer’s stamp.
This type of guarantee was used until the end of the 1960s.
Amongst Rolex models, the Submariner Ref. 5513 and the Cosmograph Daytona hand-wound chronographs make an exception because the lack a chronometer’s certificate and supplied with guarantees filled in by pen instead of punched.

 

1970s
From the 1970s to the 1990s the Rolex guarantee was presented on a single piece of paper so as to be able to be kept inside the document holder that came with the watch and is associated with the C.O.S.C chronometer certificate (“red seal” at the bottom left). The registration number is punched into the paper and the dealer’s stamp is next to the sale date. Sometimes the caseback protective sticker can be found on the guarantee, removed at the time of purchase.

1980s and 1990s


Starting from the 1980s a fundamental innovation was introduced to Rolex guarantees: the country code. A 3 digit numeric code placed next to the registration number that serves to indicate to the Rolex company the nation in which the watch was sold. The only exceptions are the watches produced for COMEX, to which are reserved the code 119.

 

 

Today

In 2001 Rolex introduced a modern guarantee with holograms (with a coloured rhombus) where the registration numbers are not punched but printed and where, for the first time, the name of the purchaser appears on the guarantee.
With this particular type of guarantee the Swiss company tried to make it harder to counterfeit and reconfirm the originality of its products.
The latest generation of guarantees, produced from the end of 2007, is in a credit-card format and carries the watch serial number, the model reference and the date of purchase as well as a space for the buyer to write his name.
della Rocca gioielli assures its customers assistance that is always available and of the highest quality, representing a “guarantee” for the consumer, who feels more secure in his purchase. Evidently, this is a relationship of trust established over time, by way of a strong and recognised reliability and excellence, elements that render our company well-known in the watch sector.



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Watch Experts

Watch Experts
Della Rocca jewellers are qualified to value and appraise any wrist or pocket watch: our experts are registered with the chamber of commerce and law courts of Bologna, they can therefore issue certificates of authenticity for all our products.