192 Rolex An extremely rare and significant, manual wristwatch in stainless steel, small seconds at six o'clock and "KEW-A" signature, reference 5056.

Estimate: € 4.000 –⁠ 8.000

NO RESERVE

This Rolex Speedking reference 5056 is a fascinating chapter in the story of Rolex’s rise as the premier maker of rugged tool watches. Even in the 1940s, Rolex was already famed for the waterproof Oyster case, but with models like the reference 5056, it took precision to the next level. By submitting a small series of these compact 30mm manual-wind Speedkings to the legendary KEW Observatory in England, Rolex sought to prove that wristwatches could match, even surpass, the standards long reserved for marine chronometers. And, indeed, early tool watches like the 5056 are among the most important and rare references in Rolex history. The present stainless‑steel reference 5056 is remarkable in every detail and beautifully preserved. The 30mm Oyster case, with screw‑down crown and caseback, hugs the wrist with unassuming elegance. Its warmy patinated dial is beautifully detailed: classic Arabic numerals, small seconds subdial at six, and slender blued-steel hands. But the true distinction lies in the subtle inscription above the subdial: “KEW-A Certificate". Rolex’s specially developed caliber (based on a 700-series), was fitted with a precision-enhanced escapement, later named Glucydur balance, and passed Kew Observatory’s rigorous 45‑day, five‑position, multi-temperature chronometer trials. Only about 136 watches earned this elite designation and even fewer bore the "especially good" classification making any reference 5056 with KEW A text one of the rarest and most historically significant Rolexes ever made.