147
Rolex
Ref. 1803
Day-Date
A fine, unusual and very rare yellow gold calendar wristwatch with center seconds, day and date in Arabic, Eastern Arabic numerals, blue dial and bracelet
- Estimate
- CHF12,000 - 18,000€10,300 - 15,400$12,700 - 19,100
CHF40,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- Circa 1970
- Reference No
- 1803
- Case No
- 2'512'X80
- Model Name
- Day-Date
- Material
- 18K yellow gold
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 1556, 26 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Leather
- Clasp/Buckle
- 18K yellow gold Rolex deployant clasp stamped 2 66
- Dimensions
- 36mm Diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
- Accessories
- Accompanied by an additional 18K yellow gold Rolex Jubilee bracelet, max length 210mm.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
The Middle East has proven itself to be a source of truly remarkable timepieces. The florid financial situation of most Middle-Eastern countries combined with the thirst for fine and unusual pieces shown by some local collectors allowed this market to be the birthplace of some of the most unusual and collectible creations ever devised in watchmaking. The field of Middle-Eastern timepieces spans from royal requests with signed dials or engraved backs, to enameled pieces featuring royal portraits to custom modifications of some dial details. The present piece is indeed an example of the former case. Not only the calendar discs are in Arabic, already a very unusual and interesting feature, but the applied gold numerals are featured in Middle-Eastern script.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded 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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