Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: THREE Geneva Saturday, May 14, 2016 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 1972
    Reference No: 1675
    Movement No: D698'356
    Case No: 3'580'894
    Model Name: GMT-Master
    Material: 18k yellow gold
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: 18k yellow gold, Rolex President, end links stamped 54, max length 195mm.
    Clasp/Buckle: Concealed deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 39mm. Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

  • Catalogue Essay

    With the GMT-Master, Rolex introduced a totally new style by surprising the public with one of the first sports watch ever produced in gold. This unusual association between a tool watch and such a precious metal helped to establish Rolex as the sporty, yet prestigious brand of excellence it is still today.

    Reference 1675 was the second generation of the GMT-Master, produced between 1959 and 1980 and was available in stainless steel, stainless steel and gold or all gold. The successor of reference 6542, the 1675 introduced crown guards and the famous “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” printing on the dial, proudly describing the precision timekeeper housed within.

    The present example features a brown dial with nipple-shaped, luminous hour markers and a matching brown bezel that provide a warm harmony of color together with the gold case. This watch is presented with an original Rolex President bracelet – highly unusual for a GMT-Master – that has aged beautifully. Combined with its overall excellent condition, it’s a versatile watch offering great wearability and style for a collector of vintage Rolex sport watches.

  • 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. 1675
An attractive and rare yellow gold dual time zone wristwatch with date and rare President bracelet

1972
39mm. Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF12,000 - 18,000 
€11,000-16,500
$12,400-18,600

Sold for CHF32,500

Contact Specialist
Nathalie Monbaron
+41 22 317 81 83

The Geneva Watch Auction: THREE

Geneva Auction 15 May 2016