1665 Rail

[V.lats97nsx]

Hey guys I was hoping for your help on this 1665 Rail from 78. It has the correct 5.7million serial. Dial looks ok except for the blemishes on 2 plots. The case does seem to be soft. Any help with the dial? And case?. I understand these are very rare. Should I pass?

Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk

[V.lats97nsx]

Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk

[Vintage12]

Yes, the 1665 rail dial is rare. Nice to get one if you can, if not then a non-rail Great White is a very nice alternative and less expensive.

My quick assessment - Looks like a service crystal, the end links should be 585 and this one has 580. At first glance the dial looks ok but I'd want a closer look at a few things that look questionable - the plots at 4, 5, 7 look as though they touch the minute markers, although close they should be clear. The "T" in T SWISS T <25 should have a partial serif-T and not a straight top edge, the writing should clear the minute markers and plots. The coronet looks a little bloomy but this could be a trick of the light. Expected to see a flat foot R on ROLEX. Silver date wheel looks correct but check 6's/9's, flat top 3? Insert also needs inspection, take a closer look at "40", the western edge should be squared off slightly, the "0"s generally look a little wide, now wondering if the insert is the correct one - others may chime in. I wouldn't be too concerned with the blemishes, the patina on the hands match nicely with the dial.

The case looks a little rough but if you are open to a polish, it may clean up nicely especially if it has not been polished much in the past. You could also leave it as many would advise.

Good luck.

[swish77]

In addition to the good analysis above, the "2000" looks as if it's touching the "ft," which I don't think is correct. Could just be the photo/angle. Hard to tell for sure if something is off, but worth further inspection. Insert is definitely a later replacement; case is so-so. Assuming this is all authentic and not a restored dial, it would depend on price for me.

I might be in the minority, but I would never, ever pay more for a so-called rail dial over a non-rail, if everything else was equal. Such an over-hyped detail, similar to the hype over meters-first dials. It's not a visually impactful enough difference to be meaningful, IMHO. Good luck either way.

[V.lats97nsx]

Thank you both for the very informative responses. I really do not care for the nuances of the "rail" dial. But it is very rare. As we see from the earlier thread about a insert for a blueberry 1675 that brings a huge premium, also a 16610lv F serial that is also very hard to find. I guess this is the new fad for collecting rolex. I will have better pictures to come. Thank you for the 2 responses. 😆

Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk