Rolex - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: ONE Hong Kong Monday, November 30, 2015 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 1972
    Reference No: 1601
    Movement No: D252490
    Case No: 3'213'768
    Model Name: DateJust
    Material: 18k white gold and diamonds
    Calibre: Automatic, 1570, 26 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: 18k white gold Rolex Jubilee bracelet, 195 mm. maximum length, end link stamped 53
    Clasp/Buckle: 18k white gold Rolex folding deployant clasp stamped Rolex SA 3.70
    Dimensions: 36 mm. diameter
    Signed: Case, dial and movement signed
    Accessories: With Rolex service receipt.
    Literature: For another example of a reference 1601 in white gold with Jubilee bracelet, please see 100 Superlative Rolex Watches by John Goldberger, page 161.

  • Catalogue Essay

    The present DateJust is a fabulous example. Manufactured in 1972, the watch looks like it left the factory yesterday. The case, unpolished, still retains all factory finishes including the satin finish to the top of the lugs. The gold marks are untouched, likewise the milled band to the case back. The dial, fitted with diamond-set numerals and white graphics, is extremely charismatic and in excellent condition. The luminous dots are still perfectly formed and are all consistent in their size and aging. The white gold Jubilee bracelet from the same period is equally as rare and in equally untouched condition as the rest of the watch.

    Reference 1601 is very rare to be found in white gold retaining its white gold Jubilee bracelet. Without exaggeration, thanks to its untouched white gold case, stunning blue dial and extremely crisp white gold Jubilee bracelet, it can be considered one of the most collectable examples of this landmark model.

  • Artist Biography

    Rolex

    Swiss • 1905

    Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.

    One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.

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Ref. 1601
An extremely fine, rare and almost mint white gold and diamond-set wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, date and bracelet

1972
36 mm. diameter
Case, dial and movement signed

Estimate
HK$200,000 - 300,000 

Sold for HK$275,000

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001
thomasperazzi@phillips.com

Ziyong Ho
Specialist
+852 9386 2032
ziyongho@phillips.com

Jill Chen
Specialist
+852 2318 2033
jillchen@phillips.com

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: ONE

Hong Kong Auction 1 December 2015 11am