An automatic men’s Maximus watch from Rotary, with calendar, on the original strap and buckle. Model reference 1768.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
This watch came from a family jewellers who changed which watch brands they sold in 1975, and we bought the remaining stock from them 50 years later! It may be older than 1975, but it will not be newer and it was available to buy in 1975. We suspect this Maximus model may have been in stock for some time by 1975, as we have never seen a Maximus model from this period and the logo looks older. Founded in 1895 by Moise Dreyfuss in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, Rotary Watches Ltd. has a long history of crafting accurate and reliable timepieces, becoming an official watch supplier for the British Army in 1940.
CONDITION
This watch is New Old Stock (NOS), and as such has never been sold and has probably only been worn for our photography. There may be small marks from being stored, but otherwise the case condition is as good as you are likely to find. The shop price tag is still attached, and back in 1975 this was £45.50. The sticker on the case back says £35, which again may point to this being in stock for a long time before 1975. The stainless steel case is a unibloc design, so the movement comes out via the glass – there are some small tool marks on the case back as this is the first Maximus with a unibloc case we have had. The movement is a 25 jewel off center automatic, finished in gold plating, which is working well. The off white dial does have some patina, particularly around the edges, but also has nice broad hands. The leather strap is signed and original, and has the signed buckle still attached too. The watch is signed on the dial, buckle and strap.
This watch will be supplied with our branded presentation box and our Certificate of Authenticity.
Please see the HD video for more detail. All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned. We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.
SIZE
Width with crown 35.5 mm
Width without crown 33.6 mm
Between lugs 18 mm
Lug to lug length 39.8 mm
Case Thickness 9.3 mm
All sizes are approximate. The watch is photographed on a wrist of 190mm/7.5 inches.
Included with this watch is a 2 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
From 1st September 2021 we will be planting a tree for every watch we sell, working with the International Tree Foundation (Est 1922) to make this business positive on carbon. By buying anything pre owned you are effectively reusing what already exists, but this takes it further and makes us feel good.
