8010
Rolex
Ref. 16800
Submariner
A fine and attractive stainless steel diver’s wristwatch with date, center seconds, bracelet, guarantee and presentation box
Full-Cataloguing
To the new owners of the watches in the sale: The Armoury will custom-make the winner one of The Armoury’s signature garments as a gift. For further details please visit the link below.
More Details: https://www.thearmoury.com/the-beauty-in-everything-gifts
- Following the success of the ref. 1680, launched in 1967, the ref. 16800 enjoyed instant recognition as soon as it was unveiled in 1979 for being the first Submariner to be fitted with a sapphire crystal. Framed with a redesigned bezel, the update significantly elevated the model’s resistance to water, rising from a depth rating of 200 meters to 300. Integrating a matte dial into a modern case, this “Transitional Submariner” was the last of its kind to be fitted with a vintage façade. While earlier iterations of the ref. 16800 are graced with matte dials and luminous markers, such as the present lot, later variations are fitted with glossy dials with luminous, white gold markers.
- Well-preserved with a desirable vintage appeal, the luminous plots on the dial have aged gracefully into a warm cream hue. Accompanied by its original guarantee, hang tag and presentation box, the present “Transitional Submariner” is true time capsule piece, bearing an 8.06 million serial from circa 1983.
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.