970
Rolex
Ref. 18038
Day-Date
A fine and attractive yellow gold wristwatch with center seconds, day, date, onyx dial, bracelet, guarantee and presentation box
- Estimate
- HK$273,000 - 430,000€31,500 - 49,700$35,000 - 55,100
HK$355,600
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- Circa 1988
- Reference No
- 18038
- Movement No
- 1’854’159
- Case No
- 9’823’588, inside caseback stamped 18000
- Model Name
- Day-Date
- Material
- 18K yellow gold
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 3055, 27 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- 18K yellow gold Rolex President bracelet, max length 190mm
- Clasp/Buckle
- 18K yellow gold Rolex President concealed folding clasp
- Dimensions
- 36mm diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement, bracelet and clasp signed
- Accessories
- Accompanied by Rolex guarantee stamped Geneva Watch Co. Hong Kong and dated 1st February 1988, 1987-1988 calendar card, instruction manual, product literature, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
Rolex is best known for their practical unitarian watches and is not one to focus on clean, sleek, minimalist designs. The present Day-Date ref. 18038 is however a rare exception. Fitted with a fluted bezel, this yellow gold example steers away from traditional dial configurations and bears a naked onyx dial, allowing the hardstone to be fully admired with an unobstructed view. Hardstone dials have soared in popularity in recent years, largely thanks to the combined action of the public discovering their intrinsic rarity due to their painstakingly difficult extraction process, along with their unique organic beauty.
The atramentous sheen of the onyx dial not only creates the perfect contrast to the gilt text but is also the ideal match with its luscious case, giving the present timepiece a distinctly discreet appeal.
Offered in excellent overall condition with stately and balanced proportions, the present timepiece is one of those rare collector’s watches destined to be shown off on any occasion, from a casual family luncheon to the most prestigious event.
The atramentous sheen of the onyx dial not only creates the perfect contrast to the gilt text but is also the ideal match with its luscious case, giving the present timepiece a distinctly discreet appeal.
Offered in excellent overall condition with stately and balanced proportions, the present timepiece is one of those rare collector’s watches destined to be shown off on any occasion, from a casual family luncheon to the most prestigious event.
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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