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FS: REDUCED - 1968 Vintage Rolex 1600 Datejust Smooth Bezel

Up for sale is this classic Rolex reference 1600 Oyster Perpetual Certified Chronometer Datejust with steel case and uncommon smooth steel bezel. This circa 1968 Datejust features a flawless silver sunburst dial in stunning Near Mint condition with darkly patinated original Tritium lume plots. Overall the watch is in Excellent vintage condition and its workhorse caliber 1575 has also just been fully serviced and is running like a champ. It now comes on a very nice handmade shell cordovan strap. With its Explorer-style smooth bezel the 1600 Datejust is the perfect blend of tool watch and elegance — a Sports watch for the board room, if you will — and certainly one of Rolex’s most timeless designs. On the wrist all those clean lines translate into an absolute knockout. Being so recently serviced, this great Rolex will come with a 6-month movement guarantee for all normal, non-abusive use.

The asking price for this classic late 1960s Rolex Datejust 1600 with beautiful silver dial on leather strap is now REDUCED to $2,850 USD OBRO, which includes fully insured shipping worldwide. Bank Wire strongly preferred. Other payment options upon application. Payment must be made in US DOLLARS. Watch will ship upon full clearance of the funds, as well as any necessary bank vetting.

CASE & BACK: Classically proportioned 36mm x 43mm stainless steel Oyster case wears a bit bigger due to the unadorned smooth steel bezel. The watch shows very light previous polishing — more like re-brushing of the lug tops — and has acquired some scratches and marks from wear since then but no major dings. Excellent vintage condition with thick lugs and undistorted lug holes. There is wear between the lugs from the years but the correct model number 1600 is crisp and legible with the complete 1.85 million case serial number equally legible. The outer caseback may have also been detailed at some point but the brushed portion looks pretty factory to me. The outer back also has superficial scratches and dulling of the polished finish but no super deep nicks or harsh tool marks to speak of — again Excellent cosmetic condition overall. The inner caseback shows no corrosion and also bears the "1600" reference & is date coded "II.68," the latter perfectly matching the case SN in terms of era of production.

DIAL & HANDS: Absolutely stunning and Near Mint silver sunburst pie pan dial with white gold bar markers and original Tritium luminous. Also a nice bonus, this Datejust retains its period correct open-6s and 9s silver date disc. The surface of the dial is flawless and all lume dots are intact and display a dark patina. Only the applied markers show a bit of oxidation to their beveled ends and that is only visible with a high powered loupe. The original black print is crisp and intact and this dial is also interesting in that it features the old fashioned hyphen between OYSTER and PERPETUAL, which is only found on a very small minority of late ‘60s/early ‘70s DJs. Original Tritium filled "stick" hands are Excellent with some light corrosion and matching dark lume. Both the dial and hands lume will glow briefly when exposed to UV light, as is correct for original compound of this period.

CROWN: Signed steel Rolex Twinlock crown screws down properly and pulls out to the winding and time-setting positions as it should.

CRYSTAL: Older bevelled acrylic Cyclops crystal has been polished but still shows some residual scratches and some wear to the edges — Very Good vintage condition.

BEZEL: The special thing about the 1600 Datejust is its smooth, Explorer-style bezel. This reference was made in much fewer numbers than the more ubiquitous fluted white gold bezel 1601 and the castellated steel 1603. This particular bezel may have been buffed lightly in the past but its edge is still pretty sharp and it is in Excellent condition with only a few minor scratches/nicks.

MOVEMENT: This Datejust features Rolex's stalwart cal. 1575 (marked 1570 on the bridge, as was usual) 26-jewel automatic Chronometer-grade movement originally adjusted to 5 positions and temperature. This watch was just fully overhauled in October of last year and so the watch is keeping excellent time with strong power reserve and the trademark instantaneous date change at midnight. It is therefore guaranteed for 6-months of normal, non-abusive use.

STRAP: This great DJ now comes on a lightly used handmade black shell cordovan strap with generic steel buckle that suits the watch beautifully. It is just getting nicely softened up and broken in and is in Excellent condition. This Datejust has a 20mm lug width.

As a matter of policy I make NO guarantees for the water resistance of this watch in any way, shape or form.

This classic Rolex Datejust is offered with a 3-day inspection period from the date of receipt and may be returned for a full refund (less any shipping costs incurred by the buyer). This refund is unconditional and once I get back the watch in exactly the same condition as it was sent to you, your money will be refunded. Of course, once the 3 days are over the sale will be considered FINAL.

Thanks for looking,
T.
tomvox1@hotmail.com

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