Rolex Oyster Perpetual Zephyr Ref. 1008 — Steel and rose gold, ca. 1957

Identity

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Zephyr Ref. 1008, ca. 1957. Self-winding mechanical movement, chronometer-certified. Oyster case in steel, 34 mm diameter, signed screw-down crown, engraved Zephyr bezel in 18-carat rose gold. Cream dial, applied gold baton indexes, gold dauphine hands. Plexiglas crystal. Two-tone Oyster bracelet in steel and 18-carat rose gold with folded links, signed deployant clasp.

Horological context

The Oyster Perpetual descends in direct line from the original Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch patented by Rolex in 1926. The addition of the Perpetual rotor in 1931 — the first self-winding mechanism with oscillating weight — completed the maison's founding concept: a waterproof and self-winding watch. The no-date variant represents its most pared-down expression. It unfolds across two branches: the chronometer-certified Oyster Perpetuals — including Ref. 1008 Zephyr with engraved bezel — and the Air-King line, whose name pays tribute to the pilots of the British Royal Air Force. These Air-Kings bear the Precision designation on the dial, distinct from chronometer certification.

Character

Engraved Zephyr bezel in rose gold, two-tone steel and rose gold configuration less frequent than yellow gold variants. Cream dial with dauphine hands, typical of mid-1950s Oyster Perpetual production.

Serviced watch. Very good condition. Delivered with the brand box and the Contre-Temps 12-month warranty certificate.