Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1957 Reference No: 9068 Movement No: 00049N Case No: 363'937 and G89 Material: 18k yellow gold Calibre: Manual, cal. 1121, 18 jewels Bracelet/Strap: 18k yellow gold Rolex integrated mesh bracelet, max length 200mm. Clasp/Buckle: Folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 36mm. Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed Literature: A similar piece is illustrated in Rolex - Collecting Wristwatches by O. Patrizzi, p. 76
Catalogue Essay
Even though Rolex is better known for its tool watches and chronographs, they are a brand that also made some extremely elegant dress watches of which the present lot is a perfect example.
This timepiece is in absolute pristine condition, with a never polished case and a perfectly crisp dial with superb dagger shaped indexes. The integrated mesh bracelet provides further sophistication.
One can only speculate how the retail price of this retail model back in the 1950s compared to other references made by Rolex at the same time, but it doesn't take much imagination to conclude that one could probably have acquired several stainless steel Submariners and GMT-masters for the price of this full gold dress watch with its highly sophisticated mesh bracelet. Consequently, one comes to realize how undervalued these elegant rarities are in today's market, and how much pleasure and exclusivity they can provide to a forward looking collector.
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.