Sonning Vintage Watches

I’ve used the phrase ‘every now and again we find a super special watch’ twice today and out of over 3,000 watches that have been on our website I’ve used it less than 20 times – this is an ‘every now again’ watch… Like most watch lovers the GMT Pepsi is one of my favourite pieces and it all started in 1954 – Rolex actually registered the name ‘GMT Master’ in 1955. To meet the demands of pilots and in particular Pan Am, Rolex launched the GMT Pepsi. Originally it would’ve had a blue and red Bakelite bezel and brass bezel holder but sadly most of these broke and were replaced by the steel bezel holder and insert. Rolex also used rhodium and in 1956 Rolex replaced them with the steel inserts at no cost (original  Bakelite – many are aftermarket – bezel inserts are extremely rare and valuable).

This example is from 1956 and is stunning. The metal case is in amazing condition for its age with no signs of corrosion – it was owned and worn daily by a gent in South Africa. There are signs of wear and I’ve tried to capture these on the photographs and there’s a very light engraving on the case back – this can be polished out if required. The original and untouched dial is again in excellent condition for the age but does show signs of wear due to the wear – please note the very slim hour hand and of course no crown guards. As an aside is has the red/black roulette date. The bezel insert is from the late 50’s/early 60’s and maybe the original replacement as it’s got the fat fonts and has ghosted beautifully. It also has what we believe is the original winding crown with the Swiss/Brevette cross under the crown. The original very high grade Rolex signed ‘butterfly’ movement is again in very good condition and it has just been serviced by our professional watchmaker. The watch sits on a genuine but slightly later (1966) Rolex flexi-bracelet with the rivetted sides. There are 12 links and we have a spare making the full 13. The bracelet, bezel insert and crown would be worth around £12,000 alone…

To find a 6542 in this condition and originality is wonderful and it’s still a very wearable watch. We will give a 12 month guarantee on the movement. If history is any judge this will provide a wonderful watch to wear and a great investment.

I have done a WhatsApp video which shows the watch in a truer state and if you’d like a copy please advise your mobile number.

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The metal case is in amazing condition for its age with no signs of corrosion – it was owned and worn daily by a gent in South Africa. There are signs of wear and I’ve tried to capture these on the photographs and there’s a very light engraving on the case back – this can be polished out if required. The case (with bezel) measures 39mm, excluding the crown and 47mm long including the lugs. The serial number is difficult to read due to the wear from the bracelet (very common on watches of this age) but we do have it – 21***3. The inside case is signed ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva Switzerland’, ‘Patented Stainless Steel’, ‘6542’ and the age reference is ‘IV56’.

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The original very high grade Rolex signed ‘butterfly’ movement is again in very good condition and it has just been serviced by our professional watchmaker. The movement is signed ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva Swiss’, ‘Adjusted 5 Positions and Temperature’, ‘Twenty Five 25 Jewels’ and the calibre is ‘1050’. The movement number is ‘680552’.

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As with the majority of pre-owned watches that are 10 years or older, this particular watch does not come with its original box and paperwork. The watch is 100% genuine and rest assured we provide a lifetime guarantee on the authenticity and provenance of all the watches we sell.

Although there is no original paperwork, we do provide a written invoice and 3 page insurance valuation with the pictures of the watch and all available reference numbers. We also give a 12 month warranty on all our watches. We also stock a good selection of vintage watch boxes to help complete your purchase.

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Sonning Vintage Watches are one of the largest prestige brand vintage watch retailers on the Internet carrying stock of around £800,000; we’ve sold over 3,000 vintage watches across the world since our formation in 2009. We’re based in Berkshire and Nottingham and spend 1- 2 days a week in London. Whilst we’re an Internet business we do ‘show’ 90% of our watches prior to sale and travel across England to meet prospective buyers.

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We provide a lifetime guarantee on the authenticity and provenance of all our watches and come with a full printed Receipt of Sale and Insurance Valuation. Purchasing from SVW gives you the protection and reassurance of buying from an incorporated company with outstanding customer testimonials.

We provide a high quality box and use the Royal Mail Special Delivery for the UK and DHL for overseas sales. They are insured for the full purchase value.

See what our customers say – 100% positive feedback on all our sales sites and over 40% of our customers buy again or refer us!

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We use the Royal Mail’s Guaranteed next day service for UK sales and DHL for all overseas shipping. All our watches are fully serviced, but prior to couriering each one will undergo a 3 day pre-delivery check to ensure the watch is in perfect condition.

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This is a rare and highly collectable vintage watch from one of horology’s most famous names and will, if history is any judge, provide an excellent financial investment as well as a possession to treasure and enjoy. I will provide an insurance valuation in excess of my asking price. Please appreciate the difficulty of photographing this piece, it looks even better in real life. Subject to your location I’ll happily show the watch.