199
Rolex
Ref. 9287
A very rare and attractive platinum and diamond set bracelet watch with concealed dial and fitted box, retailed by Serpico y Laino
Full-Cataloguing
- Featuring a concealed dial beneath a jeweled cover
- Double-signed by Rolex and the renowned Caracas retailer Serpico y Laino
- Accompanied with fitted box
While Rolex is best known today for its Oyster sports watches, the manufacture also produced a small number of highly refined jewelry watches during the first half of the twentieth century. Created in precious metals and often adorned with diamonds, these pieces demonstrated that Rolex's expertise extended well beyond robust tool watches.
The present reference 9287 is a wonderful example of this lesser-known side of the brand. Crafted entirely in platinum, it is conceived as an elegant bracelet, with the time hidden beneath a diamond-set cover. The concealed dial transforms the watch into a jewel first and a timepiece second, reflecting the glamorous style of the 1940s while showcasing the exceptional craftsmanship involved in its construction.
Adding another layer of appeal is the Serpico y Laino signature on the dial. As Rolex's prestigious retailer in Caracas, the firm supplied some of the most desirable watches to the South American market, and examples bearing both the Rolex and Serpico y Laino signatures have long been appreciated by collectors.
Beautifully preserved, the present watch captures a rarely seen chapter of Rolex's history. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only 9287 that has ever appeared at auction.
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.