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Rolex
Ref. 18038, stamped 18000 inside the case back
Day-Date
A very rare and unusual yellow gold calendar wristwatch with centre seconds, bracelet and jasper hard stone dial
- Estimate
- CHF15,000 - 30,000
CHF68,750
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1979
- Reference No
- 18038, stamped 18000 inside the case back
- Case No
- 5'802'147
- Model Name
- Day-Date
- Material
- 18k yellow gold
- Calibre
- Automatic, 3055
- Bracelet/Strap
- Rolex President, end links stamped 49, 53
- Clasp/Buckle
- Concealed deployant clasp
- Dimensions
- 36mm Diameter
- Signed
- <em>Movement, dial, case and bracelet signed</em>
- Accessories
- None
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
The natural stone-made dials were named by Rolex ‘special dials’ and were part of a small series not listed in their ‘Master Catalogue’. During the Eighties, this selection of dials was proposed to retailers who wanted to offer a more exclusive and elite Day-Date version to their clients. The dial of this incredible timepiece is made of jasper. Further notice must be given to the absence of hour markers. Besides what could appear simply a matter of style, it was rather the need to restrict as much as possible the workings on the dial in order to preserve its integrity.This 18038 reference dazzles us with its magnificent state of conservation. The metal displays perfectly shaped bevels as well as mint brush finished surfaces, rendering the watch in extremely well preserved original condition.
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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