Tropical 1958 Rolex Precision (Ref. 9083) "UFO"

In the midst of the mid-century era, Rolex delivered one of the most appropriate watches for the time period, even though its design is rather obscure for the brand. The Rolex Precision ref. 9083's unique case shape is the reason for its nickname the "UFO", as a nod to the flying saucers that were common depictions of extraterrestrial aircraft during this era.

What makes the ref. 9083 so unique is that it shares very few parts with other Rolex watches from this era. Aside from the movement and bracelet buckle, essentially every component was designed specifically for this watch and is so different than anything else Rolex was designing during this era. And for that reason, only very few were made.

The oversized flying saucer case emanates a perfect mid-century aesthetic, the integrated rivet bracelet is both ahead of its time and helps accentuate the case even further, the enormous honeycomb dial adds to the overall obscurity of this watch and is an excellent display of the quality of Rolex dials from the 1950s. Even though the ref. 9083 is an oddity in the Rolex history books, it makes for a damn good-looking wristwatch that remains very collectible to this day.