"In 1905, Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis established the company, originally known as Wilsdorf and Davis, which would later evolve into Rolex. Initially headquartered in London, the company's early focus involved importing high-quality movements from Herman Aegler and housing them in equally high-quality cases for sale to jewelers. The watch dials were typically left unsigned, allowing jewellers to add their own company signatures before retailing.

In 1919, due to new British import taxes arising from World War I, the company relocated to Geneva. From then on, it's likely that most, if not all, watches exported to Britain were cased in Switzerland before shipment.

I acquired this particular vintage Rolex watch from a local flea market. It appeared to be in good condition but ran intermittently. The hour and minute hands had an unusual mix; the hour hand resembled a Cubist style (similar to Breguet but with an open square) while the minute hand was Fleche-style (a solid curved arrow) and was bent at a 90-degree angle at the base, rendering it unsalvageable. Some vintage Rolex watches have different styles of hands, but their originality is doubtful.

I replaced both hands with blued steel Lancia-style hands, which, while not an exact match, complement the watch's age and appearance well.

The inside of the case bears the markings 'W&D' (for Wilsdorf and Davis) and 'Rolwatco' (Rolex Watch Company). The hallmark and assay mark confirm that the case is made of 9ct gold and was imported. The absence of separate case branding suggests that W&D might have manufactured the case themselves. The inverted assay mark indicates London as the location of the assay, and the Germanic 'g' suggests the hallmarking year as 1922.

Disassembly of the movement revealed that all moving parts were in remarkably good condition considering their age. Pivots, jeweled bearings, and lever/pallets all appeared well-preserved, and the temperature-compensated bi-metal balance was nearly pristine. Although there weren't any conspicuous trademarks on the movement, a single capital 'A' on the plate likely indicates its origin in the Aegler factory.

After a thorough cleaning, lubrication, reassembly, and some hand burnishing of the escape wheel pivots, the movement restarted without issues. It was remarkable for being 92 years old!

However, one of the case retaining screws was missing and had to be replaced, while the other had sustained damage in the past, with most of the screw still in place but half of the head missing. The damage, while affecting the aesthetics of the movement bridge, was mostly cosmetic. The newly replaced case retaining screw, supported by the stem, effectively secured the movement in place. Therefore, I left this area of superficial damage untouched.

In 1922, most Rolex watches exported to Britain still lacked a maker's brand on the dial. Since this one was never signed, its subsequent history remains unknown. Nonetheless, the unadorned dial, featuring clear black Arabic hour numerals encircled by a simple minute marker ring, remains aesthetically appealing."

This revised version provides a more concise and structured description of the vintage Rolex watch's history and condition.