Rolex Vault › All references › Chronograph
Chronograph · 1940s · Discontinued · Vintage
“Monoblocco (POW)”
Not ranked: too few recorded sales
Market range: 3 public auction results (Phillips) from the last 3 years, buyer's premium included.
Average market price for an example in excellent condition. Dashed line marks the 1942 retail price.
During World War II, Rolex's founder Hans Wilsdorf offered Allied officers held in prisoner-of-war camps the chance to order a Rolex and pay after the war, a gesture of confidence that they would win and survive.
One famous order came from Corporal Clive Nutting at Stalag Luft III, the camp behind the Great Escape. He ordered a 3525 chronograph, and the story of POWs timing guard patrols with these watches has followed the reference ever since.
It was Rolex's first chronograph in a waterproof Oyster case, a direct ancestor of the Daytona.
Provenance-backed POW examples command enormous premiums; standard examples are still serious vintage grails.
Our verdict: The best story in vintage Rolex. Buy the history and the paperwork as much as the watch.
| Sizes | 35mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet | Oystersteel (stainless) |
| Factory bracelet | Leather strap or riveted Oyster |
| Factory bezels | Smooth steel |
| Notable dials | Silver or black with tachymeter scale |
| Caliber | Valjoux 23 |
| Production | 1940s (discontinued) |
| Sold | Example | Price |
|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2026 | Phillips auction · Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII ↗︎ steel · sold for CHF 40,640 | $51,850 |
| Nov 9, 2024 | Phillips auction · Geneva Watch Auction: XX ↗︎ Barilotto steel · sold for CHF 33,020 | $37,514 |
| May 11, 2024 | Phillips auction · Geneva Watch Auction: XIX ↗︎ Barilotto steel · sold for CHF 60,960 | $67,048 |
Recorded eBay completed sales, logged at our last data refresh.