Rolex Prince 9k “Doctors” watch

This is the famous Rolex Prince watch best known for its use by doctors in the 1920/30’s simply because it was accurate , reliable , stylish and had a seconds hand which was needed for taking the pulse of patients. Its cost however would surprise most people in that it was a similar price to an average family car ( and they were not cheap in those days ! ).

Oddly enough during this period rectangular watches were very popular as they marked a change from the standard round pocket watches which were the order of the day and many manufacturers moved to this style which with great success.

This design change was a major break from tradition in watchmaking but it represented a whole new movement in society from architecture to fashion , it was the period known as “art deco” . It was a time for new ideas and a break from the Victorian past and the drudgery of the first world war.

The rectangular watch marked a move so pronounced  today ie the watch being not simply a timepiece but a statement about the person wearing it.. It was slim new and chic , a challenging new design of the upmost quality. Most people think of modern Rolex models and simply don’t realise that the ethos of quality and radical design comes from the very beginning of the company .

 

During this period the swiss watch industry grew in leaps and bounds eclipsing the English watch industry ( most people do not realise the English were producing high quality watches long before the Swiss picked up on the idea ( but more of that later ).

Unfortunately the great depression brought all of this to a halt but Hans Wilsdorf did not recoil and spent much of this time coming up with innovative ideas and marketing plans to keep pushing the business forward including the first Rolex perpetual models which whilst not the first watches to be self winding they did popularise the system.

 

Simon Whitelock December 15th, 2015

Posted In: Second Hand Watches