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Rolex

Ref. 18079

Day-Date

A highly attractive white gold calendar wristwatch with center seconds, black gloss diamond-set dial, bark-finished bezel, and bark-finished bracelet

Estimate
$15,000 - 30,000
Lot Details
Manufacturer
Rolex
Year
1979
Reference No
18079
Movement No
2’190’207
Case No
6’043’469; interior caseback stamped 18000
Model Name
Day-Date
Material
18K white gold
Calibre
Automatic, cal. 3055, 27 jewels
Bracelet/Strap
18K white gold Rolex President bark-finished bracelet, max length 200mm
Clasp/Buckle
18K white gold Rolex deployant clasp, stamped 18000 and D
Dimensions
36mm Diameter
Signed
Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed.

Catalogue Essay

• In 1977, Rolex introduced the Day-Date reference 18000 series fitted with an upgraded caliber 3055 beating at 28800 beats per hour, enhancing its accuracy and precision, as well as a quickset date function improving the ease of setting the time. The present 18079 reference indicates ‘7’ for the bark finish and ‘9’ identifying the case material as white gold.

• This highly attractive Day-Date is fitted with a glossy black diamond dial that perfectly harmonizes with the elegant white gold case. An ultra luxurious, refined pairing, it is set apart by its lovely state of preservation. This combination, combined with the German date wheel, is seldom-seen and an exciting opportunity for the collector.

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.

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