The Rolex Masterpiece collection is comprised of watches adorned with the most luxurious and elevated of materials. The present example of the Masterpiece collection, a Day-Date in platinum, features a Pearlmaster bracelet with a bezel set with round brilliant diamonds, teardrop-shaped diamonds at 6 and 9 o’clock, and a superb meteorite dial, enhancing the diamonds on the bezel and dial. Rather than the typical 36mm diameter of Day-Dates, this Day-Date Masterpiece is 39mm diameter, allowing each element of the watch to shine in their own right.

There are several different kinds of meteorite stone that are found on Earth, and used for commerical purposes, whether industrial or ornamental. The most common type of meteorite adorning the dials of watches, particularly Rolex watches, is an iron meteorite sliced into cross-sections, revealing beautiful linear patterns known as Widmanstätten patterns. Widmanstätten patterns are long nickel-iron crystals that form a cross-hatching pattern, and revealed by the polishing, cleaning, and acid-etching of the section of meteorite. These patterns have been known since the early 19th century, and have been used as dials for Rolex watches since 1999.

The meteorite dials are known to be brittle and break easily during production, making them very rare. Rolex excels in using meteorite dials with uniformity in the cross-hatching patterns, and this example is no different. It is also complemented by its full set of original accessories and presented in superb overall condition.