ROLEX Oysterdate Precision "Gilded Relic" Dial 1969

Fully serviced 09/30/2026

Timegrapher +2s/d 256° 0.1ms

The Oysterdate Precision 6694 was Rolex's plain date watch, made from the early 1960s until the late 1980s and one of the last manual-wind models in the catalogue. This example dates from 1969, and its dial is what sets it apart: decades of ageing have spread a fine gold-toned speckle across the grey surface, so no other 6694 looks quite like it. Inside is the hand-wound Cal.1225 with 17 jewels. During the service the movement screws were remade and a new movement clamp seat was fitted, and it is now running to within two seconds a day. We fitted a black leather strap, which sits as well with a knit as with a jacket.

The case is stainless steel, with a smooth polished bezel and a screw-down crown signed with the Rolex coronet. There are light marks from use, and the crystal has been replaced. It measures 34mm across (excluding crown) and 42mm lug to lug, with a 19mm lug width. The case is flat and slim, so it sits low on the wrist and wears a little larger than its size suggests.

The centre of the dial has turned a pale gold while the outer edge has gone grey, and fine speckles cover the whole surface. There is some flaking along the edge between 12 and 1 o'clock. The applied baton markers and slim hands stay easy to read against it, and the date disc has been replaced. In warm light the dial reads almost gold, and in shade it turns a stony grey, which is where the "Gilded Relic" name comes from.

- wrist size in our picture is 17cm circumference -