Essays by Haywood

In January 2019, a pleasant gentleman brought this watch into the Miltons store in Birkenhead, asking for an offer to buy it. We think the watch may have been left by his father, as he then sought his mother’s approval…  Read More ❯

In February 2014, Miltons in Liverpool city centre were delighted to purchase this lovely Rolex Submariner with box, papers – and an interesting background : This model is part of the long line of Rolex Submariners which have now been…  Read More ❯

Following its introduction in 1954, the Rolex Submariner went through a period of very fast development including various models such as the 6200, 6204, 6538, 6536, 5508 and 5510. In 1959 the first model with crown guards was introduced in…  Read More ❯

In September 2017, Miltons in the old Roman city of Chester were lucky enough to purchase this fine example of the iconic Rolex GMT-Master 1675 : It is a model which has a key place in the history of the…  Read More ❯

In April 2016 Miltons was contacted by a friend in the watch trade who did not specialise in vintage Rolex. He had a client, the former boss of a FTSE250 house builder, looking to sell a Rolex Sea-Dweller model 1665….  Read More ❯

In late 2020 Miltons in Liverpool were thrilled when this very rare and desirable Rolex GMT-Master was brought in : It is a stainless steel model 1675, a model which in various forms was produced in large numbers from around…  Read More ❯

This lovely example of a Rolex GMT-Master model 1675 has a case number in the low 3-million range.     It has the Mark II dial, most easily identified by the distinctive characters and spacing used in “ROLEX.”    …  Read More ❯

In Autumn 2018 we were approached by an existing client to ask if we would advise his father, who had a Double Red Sea-Dweller. We were delighted to help and appraise the watch comprehensively for him. He had bought the…  Read More ❯

In Spring 2018 I was approached about an old Rolex GMT-Master that had been brought into another jeweller for service. The shop owner recognised that it was something special, informed the lady and asked me for a guide price. The…  Read More ❯

There is much light beyond certain wave-lengths which we cannot naturally see, unaided. A portable UV torch like the one below can be bought online for a few pounds. It will reveal aspects of watch dials, especially luminous material, that…  Read More ❯

Towards the end of 2012 I was contacted by a former Royal Navy Clearance Diver. About ten years earlier I had purchased one of the earliest military-issued Rolex 5513s from him, and shortly after that a later 5513 mil sub,…  Read More ❯

The model 5513 was for nearly thirty years the “classic” Rolex Submariner, following its launch in 1962. However, in those decades its dial above all else went through many iterations. Even small differences or unusual features now excite the collector….  Read More ❯

Text… Text Text, inc GV story… Text Text Text Steer readers to www.speedmaster101.com for further reading. Text…Read More ❯

There can be no doubt that all versions of the Rolex Explorer which have a separate 24-hour hand and fixed 24-hour bezel are examples of the “Explorer II.” Specifically, the 1655, 16550, 16570 and 216570 all carry such a name…  Read More ❯

In the original, manual wind Daytona ranges there had not been a bicolour (steel and yellow metal) option. The bicolour Rolex Daytona Cosmograph shown below is one of the first of the new,self-winding models introduced in the late 1980s, using…  Read More ❯

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The very first Rolex Submariner was launched in 1953. It went very quickly through a number of short-lived permutations and model references before settling down as what would become the classic 5512 and 5513, made from 1959 and 1962 respectively….  Read More ❯

Following man’s first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953, Rolex more than ever associated itself with pioneers in sporting endeavour and exploration. The first “Explorer” models appeared little different from many other Oyster models, but in the early 1970s Rolex…  Read More ❯

In the late 1960s Rolex first introduced a Submariner featuring a date display : the model 1680. For a number of reasons, not least the fact that Rolex used more than one dial maker,  we see many different versions of dial…  Read More ❯