821
Rolex
Ref. 18388
Day-Date
A very fine, attractive and rare yellow gold and diamond-set wristwatch with center seconds, day, date and “coral” dial
- Estimate
- HK$320,000 - 420,000€35,300 - 46,300$41,000 - 53,800
HK$1,953,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- Circa 1994
- Reference No
- 18388
- Movement No
- 6’913’988
- Case No
- S935’375
- Model Name
- Day-Date
- Material
- 18K yellow gold and diamonds
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 3135, 31 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Leather
- Clasp/Buckle
- 18K yellow gold Rolex pin buckle
- Dimensions
- 36mm diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
Natural materials including hardstones, wood, mother of pearl and others have always been an interesting sector to the fruitful heritage and innovative feature to Rolex timepieces and even more so when it is seen on the iconic Day-Date. With various natural hardstones each with its own distinct colour, texture and patterns, every single example is unique. While hardstones vary in hardness, the skills and techniques required to execute such a dial are formidable and often with a very high percentage of wastage.
The present example Rolex Day-Date ref. 18388 from circa 1994 featuring a diamond-set case including the lugs displays a beautiful coral dial. A very rarely seen configuration, the combination of the bedazzled case against its orangey-pink coral dial with the absence of any indexes and outer tracks certainly brings out the beauty of the dial.
The present example Rolex Day-Date ref. 18388 from circa 1994 featuring a diamond-set case including the lugs displays a beautiful coral dial. A very rarely seen configuration, the combination of the bedazzled case against its orangey-pink coral dial with the absence of any indexes and outer tracks certainly brings out the beauty of the dial.
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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