Rolex Oyster, Ref. 2327

Manual winding, sterling silver wristwatch with a coussin shape case and small seconds circa 1925.

Case: Sterling silver, fluted bezel, plexiglass crystal. Large, onion crown.

Dial: Silvered dial. Hours, minutes, and small seconds. Applied Arabic numerals. Outer railroad track.

Movement: Manual winding. 15 jewels. 

Condition: Original crystal has a nick at 8 o’clock.

Diameter: 33mm, thickness: 10mm.

Circa 1925.

More about Rolex:

The Rolex Oyster, when it was released in 1926, was the world’s first water-resistant watch. Arguably, it changed the watch market forever, with a new focus on durability and water resistance. Today, almost all Rolex watches fall under the Oyster collection. 

In 1927, Mercedes Gleitze became the first Englishwoman to swim the English Channel. Later, also in 1927, Gleitze repeated the swim while wearing an early, gold Rolex Oyster around her neck. Following the swim, and because of increased media attention to Gleitze, Rolex partnered with the swimmer, using her notoriety and her likeness in the company’s official advertising, which continues to this day. 

Notably absent from the dial of the present watch is the, now famous, crown logo. Rolex did not begin using the crown until the early 1930s.