Rolex Precision 4219

Ref. 4219 is a steel, manual-wind Rolex Precision with centre seconds. Christie's dates its 35 mm example to the 1950s; a Bonhams lot indexed by LotSearch describes a 32 mm watch dated 1950. Vintage Watch Centre dates case 056827 to circa 1948 and its caseback photograph shows 4219 inside the case. Together, these records place catalogued examples from circa 1948 into the 1950s; the full production endpoints remain undated. Christie's lot 617; LotSearch, Bonhams lot 134; Vintage Watch Centre, case 056827.

Published dimensions conflict: the Bonhams record gives 32 mm, while Christie's, PropertyRoom, and Vintage Watch Centre each give 35 mm. Only Vintage Watch Centre names Cal. 1210, and its movement photograph shows no caliber number. The reported case serials 056827 and 057022 cannot settle the dates; Rolex restarted its numeric sequence in 1954, so low numbers can fall in more than one sequence. Vintage Watch Centre; PropertyRoom; serial-number guide.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	4219
family	Precision
date range	Sources date individual examples to circa 1948, 1950, and the 1950s; the production endpoints remain unknown.
case	Stainless steel; listings give 32 mm or 35 mm, with a 1stDibs conversion rounded to 36 mm
caseback	Christie's describes a snap-on back on its example
dial	Silvered dials are documented with gilt Arabic and baton markers, and with Arabic numerals and central seconds
movement	Manual wind; Christie's describes a signed 17-jewel nickel-finished movement. One dealer attributes Cal. 1210 to case 056827, but its date and caliber claims conflict.
bracelet	Leather straps appear on the pictured examples; no bracelet or end-link fitment is established

Where it sits in the line

The 4219 belongs to Rolex's hand-wound Precision line. The reviewed catalogues describe a time-only watch with central seconds. Christie's calls its case circular and gives it a snap-on back; none of the reviewed records identifies the reference as an Oyster. The photos show a plain bezel and straight lugs, with no date display. PropertyRoom; Vintage Watch Centre.

Production outline

The dated records place examples in 1950 and the 1950s; Vintage Watch Centre gives case 056827 a circa-1948 date. The listing also attributes Cal. 1210 to that watch. Colin White's The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists the caliber as 1954–1964 on PDF page 91, which conflicts with the seller's circa-1948 date if both attributions are correct. The seller's movement photo has no caliber engraving, and the low case serial can fall on either side of Rolex's 1954 serial reset. The date and caliber attribution remain unresolved for this example. Christie's; LotSearch; Vintage Watch Centre; The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, PDF p. 91. The Vintage Watch Centre photograph shows 4219 inside the caseback, while its product text calls the number 1219.

PropertyRoom describes case 057022 as a 1950s ref. 4219. PatekMonger, 1stDibs, and iCollector repeat the same serial and seller text, so the pages appear to document one watch. 1stDibs converts the seller's 35 mm diameter to 1.42 inches and displays the rounded result as 36 mm; that is not a separate measurement. The serials 056827 and 057022 are reported by sellers as case serials. Rolex restarted its numeric sequence in 1954, so these low numbers fit more than one sequence and cannot independently date either watch. The records place examples in the late 1940s and 1950s, with production endpoints still undated. PropertyRoom; PatekMonger; 1stDibs; iCollector, 7 February 2024.

Movement notes

Christie's describes a signed, 17-jewel nickel-finished movement without a caliber number. Vintage Watch Centre identifies the movement in case 056827 as Cal. 1210; its photograph shows “Rolex Precision” and “17 Rubies,” but no caliber engraving. The movement guide records this as a seller attribution tied to one watch. Christie's; Vintage Watch Centre; The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, PDF p. 91.

Dial map

Christie's describes a silvered dial with gilt Arabic and baton markers and central seconds. The 057022 photos show a silver dial with Arabic numerals and central seconds. Vintage Watch Centre's case 056827 has an Arabic 1–12 dial with gilt leaf hands; the seller says that dial was restored. These records give no complete factory dial list, and the serial-less Christie's and Bonhams catalogues do not establish whether their watches are distinct. Christie's; PropertyRoom; Vintage Watch Centre.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

Christie's, PropertyRoom, and Vintage Watch Centre give 35 mm; the Bonhams record gives 32 mm. 1stDibs displays 36 mm after converting the same seller's 35 mm text to 1.42 inches. These are listing measurements for individual watches, not a confirmed case specification. The photos show a plain bezel, straight lugs, and a signed crown; the sources do not identify the crystal material or establish a reference-wide crown specification. Christie's; LotSearch; PropertyRoom; Vintage Watch Centre; 1stDibs; iCollector, 7 February 2024.

The PropertyRoom photograph shows serial 057022 on the exterior; Vintage Watch Centre's separate caseback photo shows 4219 stamped inside, though its product copy says “1219.” The available pictures document those two examples. PropertyRoom; Vintage Watch Centre.

PropertyRoom's case profile, with the straight lugs and plain bezel.
PropertyRoom's exterior caseback and serial 057022.

Bracelet, clasp, and packaging

The photographed watches are on leather straps; Vintage Watch Centre also shows a Rolex steel buckle on its example. The reviewed sources offer no evidence for a bracelet, end links, clasp code, or reference-specific packaging. A strap fitted to a surviving watch does not establish how Rolex delivered the reference. Vintage Watch Centre.

Auction record

Christie's sold lot 617 on 21 June 2000 for GBP 1,116. The catalogue identifies a 1950s steel ref. 4219 with a 35 mm case, central seconds, and a 17-jewel movement. Bonhams lot 134, sold on 27 June 2006 for GBP 1,140, is indexed by LotSearch as a 1950, 32 mm ref. 4219. LotSearch preserves the Bonhams catalogue description used here. iCollector later listed case 057022 on 7 February 2024 and reports that it did not sell; the serial and repeated description identify it as the same PropertyRoom watch, not another example. iCollector.

Gallery

PropertyRoom's 057022 example, front view.
The same watch in profile.
Exterior caseback, serial 057022.

Sources