90th Auction

2014/11/15

Lot 258

Rolex Prince "Eaton 1/4 Century Club", Case No. 20177, Ref. 1490, 20 x 42 mm, circa 1937
A gentleman's rare wristwatch - especially made for Eaton Ltd. of Canada
Case: 14k gold, push back with dedication engraving: "Presented to R. S. Love to mark a quarter century of continious service with the T. Eaton Co. Ltd., 1912 - 1937", Rolex buckle. Dial: two-tone silvered, applied letters for hour indicator "1/4 Century Club", auxiliary seconds, blued alpha hands. Movm.: rectangular movement, rhodium-plated, ground, 6 adj., 17 jewels, quality "ROLEX EXTRA PRIMA", monometallic screw balance, lateral lever.
"Eaton 1/4 Century Club"
These watches were given to employees of the T. Eaton Co. (a prestigious Canadian department store) in recognition of 25 years of continuous service. Their rarity and collectability derives from the fact that almost uniquely among Rolex timepieces, the watches display no external "Rolex" branding.
Source: http://forums.watchuseek.com/f29/fs-t-rare-rolex-eatons-1-4-century-club-watch-121624.html, as of 09/19/2012
Timothy Eaton (1834-1907)
The T. Eaton Co. Ltd. had its origin in a small department store Timothy Eaton opened in Toronto in 1869. The business boomed and in the following years many more stores were opened all over Canada. Each of them published its own catalogue and by the early 20th century most families across the country had an Eaton’s catalogue in the house. By that time the T. Eaton Co. Ltd. was one of the largest retailers in Canada.

Sold

estimated
3.8004.500 €
Price realized
3.800 €