Why We Love It
When you think of a watch with an integrated bracelet and an unusual case shape, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Audemars Piguet came up with that concept in the 1970s. After all, the Royal Oak —with its distinctive silhouette— more or less single-handedly created the notion of a luxury sports watch. Its success prompted brands as far-ranging as Vacheron Constantin and Girard-Perregaux to roll out similar-looking watches, all crafted on the ideal of a rugged versatility.
However, Rolex had experimented with integrated bracelets as early as the mid-1950s, two decades before Audemars Piguet released the Royal Oak - and, on dress watches.
Yes, thats right, dress watches.
In the 1950s Rolex released a watch that would be a spiritual precursor to the Royal Oak, the Reference 9083, offered here.
Released only in Great Britain, the watch that came to be called the 'UFO' only ran for a short period of time before being discontinued. Though Rolex continued to offer integrated bracelets in the Cellini collection throughout the 1960s, it wouldn’t be seen again on a steel watch until the introduction of the Oysterquartz in the 1970s.
The fact that Rolex offered the Reference 9083 in steel, on an integrated bracelet, was a bold and a forward-thinking move in retrospect. Paired with a delightful honeycomb dial, and a lovely Alpha handset, the watch is a classic mid-century design that still resonates with the tastes of today.
These are seriously cool watches and are few and far between - so dont sleep on it!
The Story
Despite the success of Rolex’s sports models, they were not the manufacture’s sole focus of production. Throughout the 20th century, Rolex released dress watches with elegant dials housed in the famous Oyster case. At a lower price point, they stood outside the Crown’s more elite dress watches such as the Datejust or the Day-Date.
Known as the Oyster Precision line, they served as an entry point for consumers into the world of Rolex.
Simple, elegant, yet no less sturdy than their sporty counterparts, they remain just as handsome today as they were when they were created.
