Rolex Rolex GSTP WWII British Military Issued Pocket Watch Black Dial NWW 2303
Rolex GSTP WWII British Military Issued Pocket Watch Black Dial
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Rolex G.S.T.P. pocket watch with rare black dial. Produced in house by Rolex from 1939 through 1945.
G.S.T.P. stands for General Services Trade Pattern. These G.S.T.P. watches purchased by the British government for the armed forces and since watches in those days were not mass produced, many manufacturers were issued contracts to build G.S.T.P. watches. They were made to specific design criteria and military grade standard as requested by the MOD. As a result, all of the G.S.T.P. watches are similar looking to each other despite them being made by different manufacturers. Some of the manufacturers were quality producers such as the as Omega, Jaeger LeCoultre and Rolex. These brands have become desirable collectors items
Chrome plated base metal case, with parts of the base metal showing through meaning that this has most likely been used on the battlefield. Black dial, faded dial luminosity, and faded luminous fill in the hands. Hand winding Rolex calibre 735 in house movement. Good running condition
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Rolex SA was founded in 1905 by the German Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis. Contrary to popular belief, Hans Wilsdorf was neither Swiss, nor a watchmaker. Wilsdorf & Davis was the original name of what later became the Rolex Watch Company. They originally imported Hermann Aegler's Swiss movements to England and placed them in quality cases made by Dennison and others. These early wristwatches were then sold to jewellers, who then put their own names on the dial. The earliest watches from the firm of Wilsdorf and Davis are usually marked "W&D" – inside the caseback only. Hans Wilsdorf registered the trademark name "Rolex" in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland during 1908. The word was made up, but its origin is obscure. One story, which was never confirmed by Wilsdorf, is that the word "Rolex" came from the French phrase horlogerie exquise, meaning exquisite watch industry. The Wilsdorf & Davis company moved out of Great Britain in 1912. Wilsdorf wanted his watches to be affordable, but taxes and export duties on the case metals (silver and gold) were driving costs up. From that time to the present, Rolex has been headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, though the company owns facilities in other cities (Bienne, etc) and continents (North America, Asia, Australia, etc). The company name Rolex was officially registered on 15 November 1915. It is thought this change was part of a drive to popularize wristwatches, which at the time were still considered a novelty largely for women (pocket watches were more common). Wilsdorf was said to desire his watch brand's name to be easily pronounceable in any language. The company name was officially changed to the Rolex Watch Company during 1919. It was later changed to Montres Rolex, SA and finally Rolex, SA. Rolex SA is a foundation initiated and originally funded by Hans Wilsdorf and the Aegler family. According to foundation documentation, the Rolex SA company can never be sold, nor traded on any stock market.