1029 Rolex Zephyr

This is a Zephyr, a watch which Rolex themselves once described in an ad as, ‘possibly the handsomest watch in the world.’ You can think of it as an Oyster Perpetual that got dressed up to go to the Opera. The Zephyr has a rather bizarre history that involves motorsport and aviation. It’s not a Calatrava, no. But it might be as close as vintage Rolex ever came to attempting that angle. It’s the grandfather to the 1908, but those handsome genes didn’t cross the generational divide. It was also the Rolex of choice for one Carroll Shelby. 

We all talk about four-digit sport Rolex as if it is its own language, but the Zephyr is often left out of that conversation. But this was the dressiest sport watch Rolex made, truly the start of the yacht-to-boardroom attitude. It was as simple as Oyster case with crosshair dial at its heart, but the execution in advertising was strong. Scholarship around the Zephyr is scarce. Though the start was the 6582, followed by the 1008 & 1009, there are more unusual and scarcely seen iterations than the mainline executions above. The 1029 here has a Morellis bezel with divisions polished, a finish close to (yet larger than) Florentine. And the dial has wider, fully demarcated long minute divisions which most don’t. It is, in a word, magnificent. In theory, the Zephyr was named after the Greek God of West winds and spring. In actuality, it was a watch born of massive expansion of sport Rolex, before the brand really knew what would work.  

Cool oddball OPs are a brilliant, approachable way to get to know the core of what Rolex is built around. But the Zephyr is elevated a bit above your normal OP for its refined dial and appearing many times on the wrist of Carroll Shelby. He was wearing it after his 1959 Le Mans win. Interestingly, and this story is less well told, it then became a NASCAR favorite. Edward Glenn ‘Fireball’ Roberts also wore one. Cale Yarborough too. Look those gentlemen up. They were characters. You wouldn’t expect this semi-dress OP to become the watch of good old boys racing V8s, but it did.

This example sports a great dial, non-luminous, with no deterioration or visible damage. The case has seen a light polish, but nothing remotely aggressive and it's honest. It comes from a well-regarded Dutch retailer, watch only.