THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 1019
YEAR: 1968
CASE DIAMETER: 38MM
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC

1019s are already hard to find, and examples with black dials are as rare as hens’ teeth. This 1967 example was originally sold at Chin Kong Watch & Pen Store in Singapore (a shop that used to exist on North Bridge Road, not far from where I (Tommy) lived), after spending four years in a shop window. Fifty-five years later, the watch has been kept in fantastic condition. The case has been polished before but remains superbly strong: there has been minimal wear following a Rolex service in 2018.