Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: EIGHT Geneva Saturday, November 10, 2018 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1952
    Reference No: 6036
    Case No: 917'815
    Model Name: Dato Compax "Jean Claude Killy"
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 72C, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Leather
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel pin buckle
    Dimensions: 36.5mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial and movement signed

  • Catalogue Essay

    Rolex is now arguably the most well-known maker of luxury wristwatches, but - contrary to other high-end manufacturers - this market segment was not always the one Rolex focused on. Until the 1970s, Rolex was first and foremost a producer of professional, relatively simple timepieces (Submariner, GMT, Daytona, Explorer, to name a few): usually either time-only, or featuring one complication.

    Browsing the vintage offer of the brand, only two lines of wristwatches stand above this simpler production: timepieces with a triple calendar and moonphase display (ref. 6062 and 8171) and triple calendar chronographs: the so-called “Jean-Claude Killy” or Dato-Compax, epitomized by the present exquisite example.

    Five references comprise this line of wristwatches: ref. 4768 (the only non-Oyster case of the production) ref. 4767, ref. 5036, ref. 6036, and ref. 6236 - the latter being the only one to feature a three-part case. After production of reference 6236 ceased, Rolex never offered a similar complication at any point of its history.

    Beyond its complicated movement, rarity and attractiveness, the Dato Compax is to be considered a landmark model as it represents the first foray of Rolex into the market of complicated timepieces. Intriguingly, such an effort was made without sacrificing the core values of the company: while complicated and unarguably more of an evening piece than the rest of the brand’s production, it maintains an undeniably sporty vocation, notable in the Oyster waterproof case (except ref. 4768) and in the fact that it is a chronograph timepiece after all.

    The nickname “Jean-Claude Killy” comes of course from the fact that the Olympic skier used to wear one of these watches. What is interesting, however, is that Mr. Killy was one of the first brand ambassadors for the company – ironically, he appeared in advertisements wearing a different Rolex, which would later be known as the “Steve McQueen.”

  • 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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211

Ref. 6036
A fine, important and very rare yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with triple calendar

Circa 1952
36.5mm Diameter
Case, dial and movement signed

Estimate
CHF120,000 - 180,000 
€106,000-158,000
$123,000-184,000

Sold for CHF162,500

Contact Specialist
Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Sale
+41 22 317 81 89
aghotbi@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: EIGHT

Geneva Auction 10-11 November 2018