OVERVIEW

Rarely do I care very much about box & papers for any vintage watch as long as condition and originality are apparent, but when they lead to learning a great story about the original owner’s life it’s a true delight.

This Rolex Red Submariner was originally purchased by a man named Karl Frederick Wombacher in 1975 at Saddik & Mohamed Attar Company, one of the oldest authorized Rolex dealers in Saudi Arabia. Born and raised in Proctor, Minnesota, Karl went on to join the Peace Corps in Cameroon where he met his future wife Margaret who was also in the Peace Corps and coincidentally also from Minnesota. The couple got married in Cameroon in 1964 and after the Peace Corps made a home in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia raising 3 daughters while Karl worked as an English teacher to Saudi Airlines pilots.

Sadly, Karl died way too young at 50 years old in Jeddah when he succumbed to Pancreatic Cancer on December 18th, 1985, just three days shy of the 10 year anniversary of the purchase of his trusty Rolex Red Sub.

The photos shown here also include his wedding day, a letter he wrote to Time magazine after JFK was assassinated that currently sits in the JFK Presidential Library, a photo of the couple with philosopher and Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer, a newsletter article about an important Royal dinner, and a nice pic of him wearing the watch that sits on my wrist as I write this.

Stories like this are what make collecting vintage pieces that much more exciting for me. Cheers to Karl F. Wombacher who didn’t baby his Rolex, but still knew well enough not to polish it. R.I.P. good sir.

CONDITION NOTES

CASE: Sharp, thick, and appears to be unpolished and unmolested.

DIAL: Stunning original dial with no signs of damage, abuse, or neglect. Nice creamy original lume.

HANDS: Excellent original handset with matching patina and lume.

MOVEMENT: Running optimally and in clean condition. I must confess I wear this one often and the timekeeping has been very reliable as a Rolex should be.