1094
Rolex
Ref. 1680/8, inside caseback stamped 1680
Submariner
A very fine and rare yellow gold diver’s wristwatch with date, center seconds, bracelet, guarantee and fitted presentation box.
- Estimate
- HK$300,000 - 500,000€34,200 - 57,000$38,500 - 64,100
HK$350,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- Circa 1975
- Reference No
- 1680/8, inside caseback stamped 1680
- Movement No
- D'991'868
- Case No
- 4’198’671
- Model Name
- Submariner
- Material
- 18K yellow gold
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster bracelet, endlinks stamped “86”, max length 190mm
- Clasp/Buckle
- 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster deployant clasp
- Dimensions
- 40mm Diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
- Accessories
- Further accompanied by Rolex Guarantee stamped S.C. Vaharis Athens Greece dated 25 September 1982, original invoice, service slip and Rolex fitted presentation box.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
The reference 1680 was released in 1966 and was the first Rolex dive watch to feature a date wheel in stainless steel. Following the feat, Rolex introduced the reference 1680/8 in 1969, the first Submariner to be produced in 18K yellow gold. It was introduced with an option of either a blue dial with blue bezel insert or black dial with black bezel insert.
The dial witnessed on the reference differs from its stainless steel examples as it features never seen before "nipple" indexes. Furthermore, early examples featured Mark I "meters first" depth rating with later examples with "feet first" depth rating signifying it as a Mark II example.
With a certificate stamped by a Greek retailer and dated 1982, the present example corresponding to circa 1975 as its production date, one may wondered why it took 7 years to sell the watch. During the period, Greece was undergoing political turmoil that would witness the Greek monarchy abolished in 1974 following the horrific events of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. With the New Democracy party establishing a new constitution, it was not until 1981 that Greece was announced as the 10th country to be part of the European Union.
The lot offered, an exquisite Rolex Submariner ref. 1680/8 fitted with a Mark II black dial is offered with the original certificate and original presentation box is a temperament of the hard fought freedom that was only accomplished by the citizens of Greece in the early 1980s.
The dial witnessed on the reference differs from its stainless steel examples as it features never seen before "nipple" indexes. Furthermore, early examples featured Mark I "meters first" depth rating with later examples with "feet first" depth rating signifying it as a Mark II example.
With a certificate stamped by a Greek retailer and dated 1982, the present example corresponding to circa 1975 as its production date, one may wondered why it took 7 years to sell the watch. During the period, Greece was undergoing political turmoil that would witness the Greek monarchy abolished in 1974 following the horrific events of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. With the New Democracy party establishing a new constitution, it was not until 1981 that Greece was announced as the 10th country to be part of the European Union.
The lot offered, an exquisite Rolex Submariner ref. 1680/8 fitted with a Mark II black dial is offered with the original certificate and original presentation box is a temperament of the hard fought freedom that was only accomplished by the citizens of Greece in the early 1980s.
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.
Browse Maker