1940 Rolex introduces a new Oyster chronograph in stainless steel, steel/gold and 18 ct gold with ref. 3525, called by collectors “BARILETTO” or “MONOBLOCCO”
From a 1942 print advert we can read: “THE OYSTER CHRONOGRAPH Scientifically hermetic, antimagnetic, two buttons and with 17 jewels. Guaranteed waterproof at a pressure of 6 atmospheres (60 meters below sea level)”.
Marketed for a long time, over 10 years, it seems to have been produced in about 1400 examples. Among these, there are the “POW” (Prisoners of war) models, chronographs which Rolex supplied to the British Officers (free of charge), who were prisoners in the German war camps during the Second World War.
Two of these chronographs were sold at the Antiquorum’s auction of May 2007, in Geneva. One of them belonged to the Major R.J. Henderson from the Royal Canadian Air Force, the other one belonged to Clive Nutting, enrolled among the reservists of the British Royal Signal Corps and taken prisoner on 28th March 1940 by the Nazis. There are also traces of an automatic watch, an “OVETTO/BUBBLE-BACK” in stainless steel, given to prisoners at the front: the ref. 3372 with graduated bezel and center seconds.
The ref. 3525 (Ø 35 mm) has the caliber: 13”
