825
Rolex
Ref. 1675
GMT-Master
An attractive and rare stainless steel dual time wristwatch with date, sweep center seconds, bracelet, guarantee, box, hang tags and original invoice from a Hong Kong retailer
- Estimate
- HK$120,000 - 240,000€13,800 - 27,600$15,000 - 30,000
HK$312,500
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1978
- Reference No
- 1675
- Movement No
- D432’231
- Case No
- 5’223’707
- Model Name
- GMT-Master
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, stamped 580 and 78360, max length 190 mm
- Clasp/Buckle
- Stainless steel Rolex Oyster deployant clasp
- Dimensions
- 39.5 mm diameter
- Signed
- Dial, case, movement and bracelet signed
- Accessories
- Accompanied by original punched Rolex guarantee stamped by King Ngai Jewellery & Watch Co., original invoice, Rolex hangs tags, leather wallet and Rolex green fitted presentation box
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
The Rolex GMT-Master was an ingenious innovation which epitomizes the golden age of air travel. The present lot was purchased by its original owner from a now defunct retailer called “King Ngai Jewellery & Watch Co.” in Nathan Road, Hong Kong in the late-1970s, when Hong Kong's economy was vigorously accelerating amidst increased capital flows, commercial opportunities and business investment. With the economic boom, more and more Hong Kongers were able to travel the world, and for them a robust and reliable dual-time wristwatch was by all means essential.
Imaginably, the original owner wore the piece with extra care as the watch was preserved in excellent condition. The two-tone “Pepsi” bezel has aged beautifully into the wondrous hues of azure and light crimson, bestowing a unique aura onto the watch. The watch was accompanied with a punched Rolex guarantee, green leather box and hang tags. Most impressively, the original invoice dated in 1978 was also retained. Intriguingly, the original owner made a partial payment of $1,500 when he acquired the watch, with $420 to be paid later.
Imaginably, the original owner wore the piece with extra care as the watch was preserved in excellent condition. The two-tone “Pepsi” bezel has aged beautifully into the wondrous hues of azure and light crimson, bestowing a unique aura onto the watch. The watch was accompanied with a punched Rolex guarantee, green leather box and hang tags. Most impressively, the original invoice dated in 1978 was also retained. Intriguingly, the original owner made a partial payment of $1,500 when he acquired the watch, with $420 to be paid later.
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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