Priority Bidding is here! Secure a lower Buyer’s Premium today (excludes Online Auctions and Watches). Learn More

1061

Rolex

Ref. 168000, inside caseback stamped “16800”

Submariner

An important, rare and attractive stainless steel diver’s wristwatch with date, center seconds and bracelet, made for “Phil McColl” the winner of the 1988 Maxi Yacht Championship

Read Conditions of Sale
The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is a highly prestigious event in the international yachting calendar, known for its excellence and organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) in partnership with Rolex since the mid-1980s. This long-standing partnership has contributed to the continuous evolution and maintenance of the event's high standards. Typically, the regatta attracts around 50 yachts ranging in size from 18.29 meters (60 feet) to over 40 meters (131 feet). The yachts are divided into classes based on size and performance, and crewed by top sailors from around the world. When racing, these yachts embody a captivating blend of power, speed, and elegance.

During the 1988 Maxi Yacht Championship, the yacht Il Moro di Venezia III emerged as the winner. As a gesture of recognition, Italian businessman Raul Gardini, who was sailor Phil McColl's former employer and owner of Il Moro di Venezia III, presented him with an engraved Rolex Submariner. It should be noted that the reference 168000 was produced for only nine months in 1988-89 and is considered a transitional reference as it introduced the use of a new 904L stainless steel alloy replacing the previously used 316L.

The caseback of this Rolex Submariner is engraved with Mr. McColl's name, along with the inscription "Il Moro di Venezia III World Champion 1988 maxi boat". The inner caseback also bears the engraved complete case number, a feature commonly seen in military or special occasion watches. This watch holds significant historical provenance, representing the remarkable event and the success of Il Moro di Venezia, which went on to win the 1991 IACC World Championship for Italy.

We are pleased to offer this important timepiece in the auction, recognizing its significance and unique history tied to the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the victorious Il Moro di Venezia III.

Rolex

Swiss | 1905

Founded 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