Restoration one of the first Rolex watch ever made - antique/historical military silver case

Classic Watches & Style
Jul 27, 2026

This time I´m restoring an old vintage Rolex.
It has a 0.925 silver-cushion case and is powered by the Rolex 600 handwind-movement. The Rolex 600 movement was introduced in 1922. Based on the stamps on the caseback this watch should have been made between 1923 and 1925. Giving the fact, Rolex was born in 1920, it can be said that this watch is one of their first model ever made.

The watch is in a really bad condition. The silvercase is scratched, the glass is broken, the watch isn´t running and the movement is wobbling.

The hands are not original, the minute hand was cutted roughly to fit in the case. I´m removing the old luminous paint on the hour-hand, polish both of them and re-blue them at 300°C. This was my first attempt on re-bluing hands, so please allow that little uneven result ;)

I need to replace the glass, so I need my little flux-capacitor again.

I´m fitting a new crown and crown-tube, this is preventing the movement from wobbling in the case and adds some waterproofness to the watch.

The bridle of the mainspring is broken, so I´m replacing the mainspring. After everything is cleaned and polished, I can re-assemble the movement with some fresh oil. After that, this watch is in a fantastic beat (+8 seconds per day) again.