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Rolex
Ref. 3525
Oyster Chronographe Antimagnetique
A very rare and attractive yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with bracelet
- Estimate
- CHF100,000 - 150,000
CHF305,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1945
- Reference No
- 3525
- Case No
- 386'541
- Model Name
- Oyster Chronographe Antimagnetique
- Material
- 18k yellow gold
- Calibre
- Manual
- Bracelet/Strap
- 18k gold Rolex Oyster stretch bracelet, end links stamped 57
- Clasp/Buckle
- Folding clasp, stamped 3.57
- Dimensions
- 35mm. Diameter
- Signed
- <em>Case, dial and movement signed </em>
- Accessories
- None
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
The present lot is a stunning example of reference 3525 launched by Rolex in 1939. The model was made in stainless steel, yellow and pink gold as well as steel and gold (yellow and pink). Made in 1945, it is from the last series of this reference with the engraved reference and serial numbers between the lugs.The astoundingly crisp and unpolished case and the sharp edges of the lugs render this watch one of the best preserved examples to have appeared at auction in recent years.Its value to collectors is underlined by the untouched grain finish in between the lugs and the very crisp, probably never touched, serial numbers.The silvered dial is free of any signs of restoration.The accompanied flexible Rolex Oyster bracelet was purchased by the first owner from the Rolex retailer in Catania, Sicily, in 1957.
Literature
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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