The Vintage Rolex Field Guide: A survival manual for the adventure that is vintage Rolex: 1

Very very informative- brilliant book for anyone into Rolex vintage watches

Excellent book for anyone interested in Rolex. Well worth the money for me. Sure there are a few spelling mistakes but so what the detailed content is first class and very useful indeed.

While this is a great and affordable book, it's a softcover edition, which might be handy for quick dips searching for information. However only 4 stars as the book could be better illustrated with watch dials and have some intresting stories about each Rolex model (e.g. Paul Newman Daytona and the amazing stories in Rolex booklet Every Rolex tells a story). As a booklover I wished for a hardcover version!

a good book for us nerds

Wow what a find, the perfect gift for my husband who's a novice collector!

Having read the previous reviews I knew the print quality wasn’t great and that there was a lack of photographs, however if the rest of the information was as indepth as promised that wouldn’t be an issue. Thing is, it isn’t. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of reference numbers in lists, many of which are badly printed, and unreadable (see pic), however there’s nothing about case variations or which movement should be with which dial or hands at a certain age, which is the information you need to check whether a watch is correct. The reference charts are also patchy, with incomplete data and no years given. Out of interest I decided to use the book to decode one of my own watches, a late 90s Datejust, reference 16220, a fairly common model - the book doesn’t even list it, and if the author has missed out such a common model I’m not confident the book would be of any use to authenticate or check anything vintage. Returned.

Rather disappointing as “vintage” begins about 1960 - and he has only patchy data on calibers. I realise Rolex don’t actually make or assemble movements - they’re more about marketing and style. But a watch, for me, is more than a fashion statement.

I recently bought this book and found it very disappointing. The paper quality and photo quality are very poor. I have just spent £80 on the Rolex field manual by the same author hoping that would be better, it isn’t. For the price they’re asking this is a disgrace. How can you study the details with what looks like photocopies done at the local library?? Embarrassing.

Starts with basic principles such as authenticity, originality & correctness + condition + where / how to buy. Also provides a good overview of antique, vintage and certain modern Rolexes. You will need to supplement this with more in-depth resources before diving (pun intended) into certain models. But a great first reference and one that helps build a firm foundation.

A very comprehensive reference for collecting Vintage Rolex. Lots of details on how to identify variations and some background history. A must have book for any Rolex collector.

I’ve been using this book over the past month to evaluate watches for myself and other collectors. While not a flashy coffee table sized tome, it is well organized, easy to use and packed with valuable information. Its also a fun overview of the brand and its history. If you are a Rolex collector or contemplating diving into collecting, this book is a must. Combined with some of the excellent websites, this book is a powerful tool.

Good overview with serial numbers - the rest is experience...

Super livre pour les fans de Rolex (vintage et modernes). Le livre est bien organisé, précis. Super !