Rolex 1908 · 52509-0002

The dress line, and deliberately unlike the rest of the catalogue: no Oyster case, no rotating bezel, no date — a slim round case on a leather strap with a rice-grain motif dial, and a sapphire caseback, which Rolex almost never uses. Calibre 7140 is built for this line. At 39mm with 50m water resistance, it is a watch that makes no professional claim at all, which is the point. What matters on examination: the leather strap and its buckle are consumables and tell you little, but the case is not — a slim dress case shows polishing more than an Oyster does, and the sharpness of the bezel edge is the tell; the exhibition caseback's crystal and seal; and dial condition, since the rice-grain motif cannot be restored. Confirmed through the desk. Maker: Rolex. Reference: 52509-0002. Available through ELITA's private desk — verification review, discreet handling and storage. Price on request.

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