Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: NINE Geneva Saturday, May 11, 2019 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1958
    Reference No: 5508
    Case No: 361'650
    Model Name: Submariner
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1530, 26 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex expandable riveted Oyster bracelet, max length 205mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp stamped 1.58
    Dimensions: 37mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex presentation box, wax tag and Rolex anchor

  • Catalogue Essay

    The Submariner is one of Rolex's most iconic models. Still in production today, it has gone through multiple incarnations throughout its 65 years history. While early generation examples notably had either a "small" or "big" crown, Rolex gradually introduced crown guards in the mid-1960s to make the model more robust and durable.
    Reference 5508 was manufactured between 1958 and 1962. This Submariner model, nicknamed “small crown” is the last one to carry a 100m depth rating and no crown guards. The present example is presented in an impressively preserved condition. It seems that the watch has spent its life securely stored away from the ocean and worn less than occasionally. The case is as crisp as it was when it left the factory and the fragile bevels that run along the lugs are crisp and sharp. Fitted with a black glossy dial with gilt printings, the watch also displays a perfectly preserved bezel with red triangle and original pearl. It further impresses with a wonderfully firm and tight expandable riveted Oyster bracelet stamped 1.58.
    Directly coming from the family of the original owner, this 60 year plus Submariner is a preserved gem that could possibly be ready for some action.

  • 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.

    View More Works

213

Ref. 5508
An early and attractive diver's wristwatch with bracelet, box, wax tag and anchor

Circa 1958
37mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF80,000 - 160,000 
€71,300-143,000
$80,600-161,000

Sold for CHF500,000

Contact Specialist
Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Sale
+ 41 79 637 1724
aghotbi@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: NINE

Geneva Auction 11-12 May 2019