Rolex ref. 3525, Prisoner of War - History of this Watch

[DaMan1990]

The movement was a Valjoux 13, modified by Rolex, manual winding with a screw-down remontoir bearing the inscription "Rolex patent", pump pushers for the chronograph function, two sub-dials, one for continuous seconds and one for the chronograph minutes. The POW had a black "gilt" dial with gold inscriptions, with "ROLEX OYSTER" written in circular fashion at 12 o'clock and "CRONOGRAPH" written linearly. At 6 o'clock, the inscription "ANTIMAGNETIC" was present. The hands were called Lapis, with or without phosphorescence.

A final observation on the gilt inscriptions: these, most likely due to photochromic reactions conflicting with the black color of the dial, tended to fade, becoming almost illegible. I was able to verify this in the specimens (three in total) that I had the fortune and privilege to handle and analyze.

POW, Prisoner of War, is a piece of history encapsulated in a watch.