An automatic Rolex -from the 50’s- that “ticks” all the boxes. Won’t you help me Doctor Beat?

We’re thrilled to bring you this unusual Rolex model: the Tru-Beat, carrying reference 6556. This awesome and rare piece dates back to the year 1955 and was made to help doctors measure hart beat. The watch’s name comes from true beat, which is also known as dead beats or dead seconds. Thanks to the legendary caliber 1040, the one that terrifies every watchmaker due to its complexity, this watch doesn’t have the famous sweeping seconds. As a matter of fact, this watch ticks like a quartz, which makes it easier for doctors to precisely measure a patient's hart beat. People in the '50s weren’t convinced by the Tru-Beat’s ticking seconds and as a result sales were disappointing and Rolex stopped the production after 5 years. Due to the lack of spare parts, many of the 1040 calibers were replaced by caliber 1030. This makes it very hard to find an all-original, ticking Rolex Tru-Beat nowadays.

But we managed to find one, and not just any. As far as we know this is the only 6556 with the text "Superlative chronometer by official test". This chronometer specification was only used for a very limited amount of time and there are only a handful of other models known that cary this lay-out. The cross-hair dial aged beautifully and the original radium hands are still mounted, matching the lumeplots. The ticking second hand is blued steel.

The extendable Gay Freres riveted Oyster with straight-end links completes this rare 34mm measuring package.