I can guarantee that some of you reading this article or watching our video have never heard of Sir Malcolm Campbell. Not that it is a bad thing, but even for Rolex fans, knowing someone like Paul Newman, or even Roger Federer and their association with the brand is far easier.

So who is Sir Malcolm Campbell? We will get back to the reference 6430, but it will be helpful to understand who this gentleman was. Sir Campbell was a British racing motorist and journalist. He was born in Kent, and was educated in Germany where he became interested in motorbikes and racing. He returned to England and participated in motor racing, even racing in the Grand Prix and winning in 1927 and 1928 in France driving a Bugatti T37A.

He first broke the land speed record in 1924 by driving 235.22 km/h, or 146.16 mph. He continued to break records up until his final land record that he set at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA in 1935 where he was the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph, or 484.955 km/h.

Now with all of these incredible accolades, Sir Malcolm Campbell earned himself the nickname ‘King of Speed’, and rightfully so. Even cooler, he was a huge Rolex fan. Famously, he was wearing a Rolex Oyster when he set the record speed of 300 mph in Utah. This was documented by Rolex in their advertisements and was an attempt to demonstrated the technology that Rolex offered in their watches.

So to commemorate the incredible achievements of the King of Speed and also capitalize on a great marketing opportunity, Rolex named one of their models the Speedking. These watches were first launched in the middle of the 1930s, and had every bit of watchmaking technology one could imagine. Precision movements and Oyster cases for a watertight and dustproof seal.

This version of the Speedking is the reference 6430 and dates to 1954 based on the serial number between the lugs of the watch. As mentioned, the watch has a 30mm stainless steel, oyster case and is in overall good condition, with signs of wear. The watch has a steel, smooth bezel that is in good condition and gives the watch a much more tool-inspired aesthetic. The lugs are sharp, with signs of polishing, and holes, making it easy to switch out straps or bracelets. At 30mm, the watch is definitely small for todays standards and not something everyone can wear. Luckily for those with smaller wrists, the watch can be enjoyed.

The dial of the watch is a white colour, with applied hour markers and Rolex crown at 12 o’clock. There are a few versions of the Speedking dials that can be found on the market. This version has Rolex, Oyster, and Speedking on separate lines (going forward will be referred to as a three-liner). But there are some that could be described as a two-liner, where Oyster Speedking are written below the Rolex name. One could posture that the two-liners came after the three-liner, based on many of the watches found online, although there does seem to be some overlap where in the 1950’s, one can find both versions of the dial configuration. The dial and crystal do have some signs of age, especially given the tool-nature of this watch, it was likely worn and loved by its previous owners.

The watch runs on the caliber 1210 manual wind movement. The movement was launched in 1954 and was Rolex’s basic manual wind movement, modified off of the Rolex 1200. The caliber 1210 has a center seconds, while the 1215, a modified version of the movement, had a date complication. The movement is 10.5 lignes, oscillates at a frequency of 18000 vph and has 58 hours of power reserve which is quite substantial when thinking about the size of the movement.

With the caseback off, one can see the inside caseback for more information about the watch. One will see the typical Rolex stamp, and the case metal which is stainless steel. One will also see the reference number 6430, which matches the reference number found between the lugs. Below the reference number one will see a stamp that says III. 63. This is an additional indication for when the the case was manufactured. The roman numerals described the quarter the watch was made in, in this case, the third quarter, and the two digits describe the year, in this case it is describing 1963. This system was used between the 1950s and 1970s. Now here we have a mis-match. The case serial numbers describe the watch being produced in 1954, and the caseback describes it being produced in 1963. There are a few explanations; the easiest is that the caseback could come from a different watch. The other possibility, which has been seen as very common with Rolex watches, is that a service caseback could have been mixed up with its original.

The history of Rolex is wrapped up in incredible technology and important marketing efforts. It is, in some way, what made Rolex stand out from other brands and also gave it a lot of the success it had over the multiple years it has been in operation. The 6430 is no exception and is a great way to experience what makes Rolex special.

Enjoy!