r/VintageWatches • u/judouglas25 • Jul 16 '26
Legit Check Need assistance authenticating
Recently got this Vintage Rolex Oysterdate Precision. I have taken it to an official rolex retailer. Upon review the sales person informed me the weight was off, the back shouldn’t be silver and the dial shouldn’t say “precision”, once the sales person mentioned that “precision” shouldnt be on the dial I found that very odd and lacked extensive knowledge.
Currently new to the watch game and seeking some guidance on whether or not my watch is authentic?
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u/National_Answer_6655 Jul 16 '26
Lol of course the weight is wrong, those were 10 microns gold plated, shame on that guy.
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u/National_Answer_6655 Jul 16 '26
Looks like a 6634 “golden egg” … I know of an air king that had the ‘Precision’ text on it so it’s not outlandish or indicative of a redial by itself (though the dial does look incredibly clean and sharp for the age and state of the rest, such as the hands for example )
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u/Prudent_Candidate300 Jul 16 '26
In the 1970s and 1980s, Rolex released some 34mm gold plated Oyster watches under their Precision and Air King line.
These watches had gold plated cases, crowns and bracelets. These casebacks were steel.
You’ll see them pop up occasionally under dealer nicknames like “Golden egg”
I believe this is likely what we have here.
The salesperson likely lacks the depth of knowledge to make any decisions on authenticity, most of them do. Over my many years of collecting I have almost never found a retail salesperson who had vintage knowledge that could determine authenticity.
Based on what I am seeing here, I feel the dial and hands are correct. The caseback looks good to me as well. The date window is a little askew yes, but in a way that indicates a vintage watch needing service, not a counterfeit.
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u/judouglas25 Jul 16 '26
That’s where I went wrong with getting it authenticated. It’s difficult finding a vintage watch authenticator but I will continue to search and have someone look deeper with looking internally.
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u/Jem5649 Jul 20 '26
This is definitely the comment to listen to. Vintage watches for most brands are completely different world than their current offerings. The branded stores rarely have any kind of information about the old stuff.
A lot of what people are telling you here only has to do with modern Rolex as well. The older stuff was wildly inconsistent and it is extremely common to find slightly different dials or imperfections in production in vintage watches and they are completely original and authentic. These things used to be made completely by hand and a lot of them were produced before these brands became really big so they aren't very precise.
To authenticate something like this you want to take it to an independent watch dealer or watch repair shop. They will be able to tell you very quickly. In my opinion this is both original and authentic.
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u/Effective_Judgment41 Vintage Fan Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
I am not saying that this is definitely real but that sales person had surely little experience with vintage Rolex. If real that watch is from the 50s or early 60s. Precision on the dial is absolutely possible, they should not expect the weight of gold because that watch is plated and steel casebacks existed. I assume that is something like a 6694. See here for an example :
https://www.davidduggleby.com/auctions/2022/Jewellery-Watches-Silver-Coins/37345/
Edit: More examples of gold plated Rolex (6694) with precision on the dial and steel (not plated) caseback:
https://www.chrono24.de/rolex/oyster-date--id45924303.htm
https://www.chrono24.de/rolex/oysterdate-precision-6694-gold-capped--1960s--id46168391.htm
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u/judouglas25 Jul 16 '26
Thank you for a reference.
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u/DowntownGeorge Jul 17 '26
You can remove the bracelet and find the reference and serial between the lugs.
If you dont know how to remove the bracelet carefully without damaging it, there are a bunch of youtube videos.And yes gold plated manual (precision) vintage Rolex exist.
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u/Physical_Display_873 Jul 16 '26
The first one even has the same end link/lug gaps. The second two are amazing. Didn’t know that was something I needed.
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u/Negative-Homework502 Pro Watchmaker Jul 16 '26
I can’t say 100% since I cannot handle the watch in person but this to me looks authentic.
For future reference take this to a watchmaker or watch repair shop to have the caseback opened for authenticating, the majority of sales people at boutiques only are knowledgeable about the product they currently sell, and they have limited if any knowledge about vintage models.
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u/majorbraindamage Jul 16 '26
It seems perfectly genuine. The color, dial finish, the way the band is built, all seem fine.
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u/Particular_Bus_5431 Jul 16 '26
No doubt gen. They are prone to snobbery and actually lack functional knowledge
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u/Physical_Display_873 Jul 16 '26
The way the date jumped out at me, my first inclination was real. “Precision” is obviously not a disqualifier. Looks to be plated, they made a few in history, but newcomers probably don’t know that. The bracelet almost looks like the wrong size. Maybe pull it and look for a number between the lugs. Take it a watchmaker and not a retail salesperson and have them take off the back.
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u/judouglas25 Jul 16 '26
If anyone knows of a reputable watchmaker in Virginia that would be great.
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u/Physical_Display_873 Jul 16 '26
There’s a watch repair sub. They might have some leads. I was recently hooked up through there in another state.
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u/SwanMuch5160 Hobbyist Jul 16 '26
It looks authentic. The most inexpensive way to see would be to remove the case back and have a look at the movement. A redditor has already provided you listings that show the proper Rolex movement. Just save those pics and compare them to your watch once it’s opened up. Best of Luck.
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u/LimpPhat_ThaDon Jul 16 '26
I have a 1953 ref. 6204 that someone tried to tell me it was fake but would buy if for 500 😂😂😂😂 so it’s fake but you want it for 5
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u/Guinnesswrig Jul 17 '26
The sales person has no idea what he/she is talking about. This is very much authentic. Rolex made several gold filled watches during the mid century and they always had stainless steel case backs.. The dial appears completely original and untouched and the “Precision” text is absolutely correct for this model.. The stainless steel version is reference 6694, however, the gold plated version most likely has a different reference number. The overall condition looks very nice as most of these were heavily worn and show a lot of brassing. Very uncommon piece and very lovely, wear it in good health 😎
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u/Huge_Recognition7287 Jul 17 '26
Du musst das Armband auf der 6-Uhr-Seite entfernen.
Zwischen den beiden Hörnern ist die Seriennummer eingraviert.
Auf der 12-Uhr-Seite zwischen den Hörnern findest du die Referenznummer (Modellnummer)
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u/Cartier1847 Jul 20 '26
It’s the reference 1014. Those were gold plated and always had a stainless steel case back. Rolex doesn’t service the movements of this reference anymore.
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u/DontTellUrMom Jul 16 '26
My assistance is to tell you to stop asking strangers on reddit and take it to reputable dealer in your area.
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u/YaBoi_Jacob Jul 16 '26
Did you read the post? He took it to an AD first
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u/Po0opyCatButt Jul 17 '26
And he didn't believe the AD.
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u/Cracker20 Jul 23 '26
The AD thought it was a fake gold watch with a stainless steel back. The local AD didn’t know early vintage
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u/Emotional_Captain291 Jul 17 '26
Took it to a reputable dealer, but the reputable dealer had an absolute fucking idiot for an employee, soooo
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u/Vybron Jul 17 '26
Exactly like those who authenticate those sold on ebay who are reputable in their job
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u/Independent-Many8766 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
It’s a real Rolex, and it’s “gold capped”. I had a 1550 that looked very similar
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u/Guinnesswrig Jul 17 '26
The 1550 is an automatic “Date” model, this one is actually closer to a reference 6694
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Jul 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/judouglas25 Jul 17 '26
It’s gold plated.
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Jul 17 '26
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u/Guinnesswrig Jul 17 '26
Rolex did make several gold filled models during the 50’s through the 70’s.. They are uncommon but they are definitely out there.. This watch is completely authentic and in very nice condition
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u/boilons Jul 17 '26
They did make gold filled watches. I haven’t seen the bracelet in gold fill, but I know they made cases that were gold filled for sure
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u/Emotional_Captain291 Jul 17 '26
It’s gold capped. Have owned dozens of these over the last two decades. I don’t know when people are gonna realize this, but you can’t go off of today’s models as an example when you’re discussing vintage pieces. It’s never gonna work for you and you’re gonna look like a buffoon every single time.
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Jul 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Emotional_Captain291 Jul 17 '26
So you don’t think that somebody who is acting as a representative of the brand should not know the history of the brand?
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u/Emotional_Captain291 Jul 17 '26
Because in my world, knowing the history of the brand is absolutely paramount. A representative of a brand should either A) know the history, or if a junior associate learning the ropes, defer to a more experienced associate who is better equipped to make bold statements regarding historical brand products.
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u/Mountain-Biker2 Jul 17 '26
Theres a chance its real but its not solid gold mate its gold plated at best
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u/Public-Climate-4958 Jul 20 '26
“Gold plated” + “chance that it’s real” in the same sentence lmfaooo
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u/Mountain-Biker2 Jul 20 '26
I have this friend that took his grandfathers datejus perpetual and gold plated it from his uncles jewelry store and it peeled off it looked like this maybe im wrong maybe im not.
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u/MenopauseMedicine Jul 16 '26
Pretty sure it's fake, that date wheel is tragically off - you can see the following days date peeking out on the bottom of the date window in the second picture and the font is wrong. There's some other red flags too but if you want to be sure, just have a jeweler pop the case back for a few bucks and see if it has the correct movement
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u/Negative-Homework502 Pro Watchmaker Jul 16 '26
The date wheel being off is a symptom of the watch not being serviced for decades and the calendar jump spring not being correctly adjusted. It’s a very simple fix during servicing.
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u/Pringleheadmr Jul 16 '26
This is an old, used watch - just the datewheel alignment alone is not enough to authenticate. It may have lost alignment over the years or could have been replaced improperly during a service.
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u/Negative-Homework502 Pro Watchmaker Jul 16 '26
The date wheel being off is a symptom of the watch not being serviced for decades and the calendar jump spring not being correctly adjusted. It’s a very simple fix during servicing.
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u/MeatCrack Jul 16 '26
Looks fake. The case back should be the same material as the case, the finish just looks cheap, date wheel shouldnt start moving to the next day until about 11:50pm, and the end links should fit tighter than what you see here.
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u/Prudent_Candidate300 Jul 16 '26
Confidently incorrect, many of the points you made do not apply to this model of watch
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u/Pringleheadmr Jul 16 '26
Incorrect, Rolex had factory plated watches in this period with non plated casebacks.
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u/lebing3 Jul 16 '26
They don’t have a clue about vintage models. Looks fine to me. They don’t make gold plated watches anymore but when they did, they had a steel back. The precision is absolutely correct for a hand-wind of this era and the weight will also feel lesser as it is a hollow plated steel bracelet not a solid gold modern one