Rolex - Phillips & Blackbird: SPORTS Hong Kong Sunday, May 26, 2019 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1951
    Reference No: 6036, repeated inside caseback
    Case No: 685’523
    Model Name: Oyster Chronograph, "Jean-Claude Killy"
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 72C, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster riveted bracelet, endlinks stamped 57, max length 190 mm
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Rolex deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 37.5 mm diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
    Accessories: With Rolex guarantee stamped with matching number, Rolex green decorated presentation box, paper hang tag, additional crystal and leather holder
    Literature: For another example of reference 6036, please see 100 Superlative Rolex Watches by John Goldberger, p. 154

  • Catalogue Essay

    The only vintage Rolex series to feature a triple calendar and chronograph complication, the ref. 6036 is named after the legendary three-time Olympic ski champion and Rolex ambassador Jean- Claude Killy, who was often seen sporting the watch. Ever since its debut in 1951, the “Jean-Claude Killy” ref. 6036 has been considered an icon by collectors around the world.

    Donning a clean white dial with gold indexes and blue calendar, this timepiece was one of the most luxurious complex wristwatch available on the market in the early 1950s. The reference was typically cased in stainless steel. Yet, for their most prominent clients, Rolex also offered the model in gold, such as the present example. Exuding an aura of grandeur and lavishness, it would not be an overstatement to call the present watch an excellent artwork for the wrist.

    One of the most technically complex vintage Rolex models ever created, the present lot is preserved in remarkable condition, accompanied by its original riveted, expandable bracelet, also in excellent condition, and a hardly ever seen dial featuring yellow gold indexes and hands that contrast beautifully against the white dial. Showing the passage of time, parts of the case have gorgeously developed a fine layer of patina, giving a unique personality to the watch. This exceptional example is a must have trophy watch for the discerning connoisseur seeking to own one of Rolex’s rarest and most prestigious complicated watches of its history.

  • 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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842

Ref. 6036, repeated inside caseback
An exceedingly rare, highly attractive and important yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with triple calendar, bracelet, guarantee and presentation box

Circa 1951
37.5 mm diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
HK$2,000,000 - 4,000,000 
€230,000-461,000
$250,000-500,000

Sold for HK$3,093,750

Contact Specialist

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

Phillips & Blackbird: SPORTS

Hong Kong Auction 27 May 2019