# Help Identifying The Model Of An Old Rotary



## wakojako99

Hi, I'm brand new to this forum (although I have casually browsed the forums for a while now...) and wondered if anyone could help...

Basically, I've always loved watches, but never had the money to fund a collection (I'm a postgraduate student who owns a CW C7 rapide and not much else...) so this prompted me to search my parents house for any old watches etc I could find.

I came across the Rotary shown below in a sock drawer...

I love it, however I want to know more about it and wondered if anyone could shed some light/point me in the right direction?

There is no serial number that I can find on the piece - also, if the pictures are unsatisfactory (taken on my phone) I can upload some more later.

Thanks in advance,

Jack.


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## mel

Dress Watch, mid 60-ish maybe earlier, Goldtone or plated, standard generic Swiss movement 17 jewels, Inabloc shock protected - - Google "incabloc" if that means nowt! 

Nice with a suit, at a guess about 35mm diameter. Wear and enjoy,

Welcome to :rltb: - it's a good place to be!

:weed:


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## wakojako99

Mel - thanks very much for your response! Very informative.

I'd googled incabloc as soon as I found the watch - fascinating stuff :smartass:

So does the watch not have a model name?

Thanks for welcoming me to RLT.


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## mel

Not all watch manufacturers use "model names", sometimes it's a reference number, like Seiko 6139 xxxx where 6139 is generic type, and xxxx varies with dial colours and so on. - - put seiko 6139 into ebay and you'll see how that works. 

TIMEX used model names plus a catalogue number, like "Mercury" plus a reference. Vostok used names like "kommanderski" - it all depends on the maker. Rotary probably did have model names, but tracing them would have a job laid out for an expert Rotary collector :lol:

That could be you - - your task, should you choose to accept (cue Mission Impossible music :lol: )

:weed:


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## Sam echlin

Hello can someone help me on how old my rotary automatic Swiss

skeleton watch is ,model number 77965


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## Ugg10

@Sam echlin quick google - Seems to be a fairly new watch. One sold recently on Shpock for £50.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/rotary-automatic-skeleton-case-gents-1777257727


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## Hunicorn101

Hi I have a vintage type ladies gold rotary watch with a gold back plate. It has SD, GP, and 2764 on the inside of the case.

Any help would be much appreciated


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## Eaglegale

Hunicorn101 said:


> Hi I have a vintage type ladies gold rotary watch with a gold back plate. It has SD, GP, and 2764 on the inside of the case.
> 
> Any help would be much appreciated


 It would be great if you could post some images of the watch. You can use the free gallery trial on this on forum or use image posting sites such as postimages.org


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## Hunicorn101

Thanks so much for your help

Thanks so much for your help

https://postimg.cc/ZC1WzWqg


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## spinynorman

Hunicorn101 said:


> Hi I have a vintage type ladies gold rotary watch with a gold back plate. It has SD, GP, and 2764 on the inside of the case.
> 
> Any help would be much appreciated


 From the style, with the integrated forest bark bracelet, I would expect this to be mid 1970s. "SD" is the makers mark used by Rotary and GP suggests a gold plated case, confirmed by the absence of hallmarks. 2764 could be the model number. The movement looks like an AS (A. Schild) 1997, (though with a higher jewel count than listed on the Ranfft database) which is good quality and dates to early 1970s. The 73 on the clasp could even be the year of production, but that may be a coincidence. I hope that helps.


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## Hunicorn101

I thought it odd as it has the gold back plate rather than the stainless steel, I have never seen it before. Thanks very much for your help. I really appreciate it.


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## spinynorman

Hunicorn101 said:


> I thought it odd as it has the gold back plate rather than the stainless steel, I have never seen it before. Thanks very much for your help. I really appreciate it.


 Gold-plated back is unusual, but it looks like they wanted to keep the look even from the back. Interestingly I found a very similar watch in a 1979 Argos catalogue, this one branded Ogival and with a 17 jewel movement. Ogival was another old Swiss brand that was harnessed for the mass market in the 1970s, but not connected to Rotary.


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## Hunicorn101

I thought maybe as it was marked sylvain dreyfuss, it may of been a really early watch, when he was about so to speak what with the back plate too. I have been looking inside the casing to see if I can find any hallmarks of such. Clasps and backings in jewellery tends to be plated, but I feel it is in such a beautiful condition of colour that maybe the strap is of a real gold, either that or it has barely been worn so in a excellent condition. Hopeful is the word lol


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## tall_tim

spinynorman said:


> Gold-plated back is unusual, but it looks like they wanted to keep the look even from the back. Interestingly I found a very similar watch in a 1979 Argos catalogue, this one branded Ogival and with a 17 jewel movement. Ogival was another old Swiss brand that was harnessed for the mass market in the 1970s, but not connected to Rotary.
> 
> 
> View attachment 50113


 Sorry for quick change of subject - but ... Just had to look up that Argos catalogue - the £79.99 Omega F300 caught my eye - some great looking watches in that particular edition - the Sandoz for instance too!


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## spinynorman

tall_tim said:


> Sorry for quick change of subject - but ... Just had to look up that Argos catalogue - the £79.99 Omega F300 caught my eye - some great looking watches in that particular edition - the Sandoz for instance too!


 Yes, I do that too. It's amazing what was in some of the mail order catalogues too. I didn't realize till I started looking at Talis watches that Great Universal Stores bought a watch wholesaler and had their own Watch and Clock Division bringing in imports. This is the Empire Stores catalogue from 1976.











Hunicorn101 said:


> I thought maybe as it was marked sylvain dreyfuss, it may of been a really early watch, when he was about so to speak what with the back plate too. I have been looking inside the casing to see if I can find any hallmarks of such. Clasps and backings in jewellery tends to be plated, but I feel it is in such a beautiful condition of colour that maybe the strap is of a real gold, either that or it has barely been worn so in a excellent condition. Hopeful is the word lol


 I think it would be more prominently hallmarked on the watch case if it was gold, that's not something you're too modest about as a watch manufacturer. You're right SD was the mark of one of Rotary's founders, but they carried on using it long after. That style of bracelet just screams 1970s at me.


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## Eaglegale

Hunicorn101 said:


> maybe the strap is of a real gold


 I'm with @spinynormanhere in saying that "GP" means "Gold Plated". I have a few vintage watches that are marked "EGP", which means it's "Electro Gold Plated", so it's logical that GP means "Gold Plated". Those watches are also in very good cosmetic despite their age. My one solid gold watch has very clear hallmarks, and I recently sold a 9ct gold chain that despite being quite thin still had clear hallmarks.


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## Hunicorn101

Thanks everyone. Really appreciate your help.


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