Reference:4220: Difference between revisions

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== Dial variants ==

The 4220's dial range is ~~wider~~ than ~~its~~ production span suggests. The signature is the California "Error-Proof" dial, ~~half Roman upper and half~~ Arabic ~~lower~~, ~~with radium plots at the hour positions~~ and ~~matching lume on the Mercedes hands; base colours~~ are ~~typically black or cream, with silver~~ also documented~~, and it pairs with blued Mercedes hands across the 1941–1949 window~~. ~~Outside that window the bread-~~and-butter 4220 dial is a cleaner all-Arabic layout, typically applied or painted numerals with a minutes track. Two-tone sector dials sit on some earlier 4220s, Art Deco in register, with a minute track or sector dividing the centre zone from the outer ring. Gilt dials (glossy black or cream ~~base, gold-toned printing) appear on the 4220 paired with applied batons or gilt Arabic numerals, consistent with other gilt-era Rolex dials of~~ the ~~period. Base~~ colours ~~run cream, black, blue, and silver~~; blue is the least common ~~and tends to appear on later-run examples~~.

The 4220 dial range is broader than the short production span suggests. The signature look is the California Error-Proof dial, but all-Arabic, sector, and gilt layouts are also documented. Black and cream are the main colours; blue is the least common.

Dial text across all variants reads “ROLEX / OYSTER / SPEEDKING / PRECISION” in four lines, typically with “ROLEX” at twelve, the “Speedking” line centered, and “PRECISION” at the base above the six. The “Speedking” wordmark is the single most important text element for a 4220 identification — a small Oyster case of the right period with sub-seconds and a “SPEEDKING” dial is not a Speedking, because the Speedking designation requires center seconds. That configuration would be an Imperial or Royalite dial on a 4220-family case.

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== Auction and dealer record ==

The 4220 does not ~~sustain~~ a deep public auction market~~; it trades mostly through specialist vintage dealers and smaller houses. Two indexed results anchor the record~~. Antiquorum ~~(2006), Mondani Collection, case 503302, made 1946, stainless steel with yellow gold accents, two-tone beige dial with gilt baton hands, a late-war production example with mid-run dial~~ and ~~hand configuration;~~ the ~~lot's Mondani Collection provenance (the Guido Mondani~~ reference ~~library sold through Antiquorum) gives it catalogue weight without pushing~~ the ~~4220 into a separate price tier. A 1946 stainless steel example sold at Bonhams for £1~~,~~152, a baseline result for a clean, period-correct, non-special 4220, roughly $1,300–$2,000 at the hammer~~.

The 4220 does not have a deep public auction market. Antiquorum and Bonhams give it enough record to show the reference is real in the market, but it trades mainly through specialist dealers rather than headline sales.

Across the broader dealer market, 4220 prices run from roughly $1,300 at the floor for a serviceable, refinished-dial, non-special example to around $3,500 for a well-preserved, original-dial, correct-hands configuration. California dials command a premium: exceptional original California-dial examples with matching-patina Mercedes hands can reach the upper end of the range or beyond. Kew Observatory A-certified movements carry their own premium, independent of dial and hand configuration. A Kew A 4220 is a watch that passed the British observatory’s highest precision trial, and the certificate history is collector-visible through the movement serial.

@@ Line 113: / Line 113: @@
 == Dial variants ==
-The 4220's dial range is wider than its production span suggests. The signature is the California "Error-Proof" dial, half Roman upper and half Arabic lower, with radium plots at the hour positions and matching lume on the Mercedes hands; base colours are typically black or cream, with silver also documented, and it pairs with blued Mercedes hands across the 1941–1949 window. Outside that window the bread-and-butter 4220 dial is a cleaner all-Arabic layout, typically applied or painted numerals with a minutes track. Two-tone sector dials sit on some earlier 4220s, Art Deco in register, with a minute track or sector dividing the centre zone from the outer ring. Gilt dials (glossy black or cream base, gold-toned printing) appear on the 4220 paired with applied batons or gilt Arabic numerals, consistent with other gilt-era Rolex dials of the period. Base colours run cream, black, blue, and silver; blue is the least common and tends to appear on later-run examples.
+The 4220 dial range is broader than the short production span suggests. The signature look is the California Error-Proof dial, but all-Arabic, sector, and gilt layouts are also documented. Black and cream are the main colours; blue is the least common.
 Dial text across all variants reads “ROLEX / OYSTER / SPEEDKING / PRECISION” in four lines, typically with “ROLEX” at twelve, the “Speedking” line centered, and “PRECISION” at the base above the six. The “Speedking” wordmark is the single most important text element for a 4220 identification — a small Oyster case of the right period with sub-seconds and a “SPEEDKING” dial is not a Speedking, because the Speedking designation requires center seconds. That configuration would be an Imperial or Royalite dial on a 4220-family case.
@@ Line 122: / Line 122: @@
 == Auction and dealer record ==
-The 4220 does not sustain a deep public auction market; it trades mostly through specialist vintage dealers and smaller houses. Two indexed results anchor the record. Antiquorum (2006), Mondani Collection, case 503302, made 1946, stainless steel with yellow gold accents, two-tone beige dial with gilt baton hands, a late-war production example with mid-run dial and hand configuration; the lot's Mondani Collection provenance (the Guido Mondani reference library sold through Antiquorum) gives it catalogue weight without pushing the 4220 into a separate price tier. A 1946 stainless steel example sold at Bonhams for £1,152, a baseline result for a clean, period-correct, non-special 4220, roughly $1,300–$2,000 at the hammer.
+The 4220 does not have a deep public auction market. Antiquorum and Bonhams give it enough record to show the reference is real in the market, but it trades mainly through specialist dealers rather than headline sales.
 Across the broader dealer market, 4220 prices run from roughly $1,300 at the floor for a serviceable, refinished-dial, non-special example to around $3,500 for a well-preserved, original-dial, correct-hands configuration. California dials command a premium: exceptional original California-dial examples with matching-patina Mercedes hands can reach the upper end of the range or beyond. Kew Observatory A-certified movements carry their own premium, independent of dial and hand configuration. A Kew A 4220 is a watch that passed the British observatory’s highest precision trial, and the certificate history is collector-visible through the movement serial.