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Rolex
Ref. 6611
Day-Date
An extremely rare, early and historically interesting yellow gold calendar wristwatch with centre seconds, red date, bracelet and highly unusual German script dial
- Estimate
- CHF10,000 - 20,000
CHF45,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1956
- Reference No
- 6611
- Case No
- 214'124
- Model Name
- Day-Date
- Material
- 18k yellow gold
- Calibre
- Automatic , 1055
- Bracelet/Strap
- Rolex President
- Clasp/Buckle
- Folding deployant clasp, stamped 2.57
- Dimensions
- 36mm Diameter
- Signed
- <em>Movement, dial, case and bracelet signed</em>
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
This reference 6611, from the year the Day-Date was presented to the public, is without exaggeration a true gem for the connoisseur and collector of the rarest watches in the world. It is, in so many ways, completely different from its peers of the same period that the words ‘unique’ or ‘probably unique’ can be used in full confidence.
Probably made to solicit orders for the new Day-Date in German speaking countries, the Chronometer designation below the centre is printed in German, reading “SUPERLATIVER CHRONOMETER AMTLICH GEPROFT”. Furthermore, to reinforce this theory, the calendar or week day is also printed in German. The Day Date designation is evidently oversized and the date number is throughout in red, unlike some Datejust and GMT-Master models from the same period.
The President bracelet and the clasp, stamped 1957, is one of the earliest ever made and add to the fascination and historical importance of this Day-Date. Apparently, from a few feet distance, a regular yellow gold Day-Date of some vintage, this reference 6611 reveals its massive collectors value when studied up close.
Probably made to solicit orders for the new Day-Date in German speaking countries, the Chronometer designation below the centre is printed in German, reading “SUPERLATIVER CHRONOMETER AMTLICH GEPROFT”. Furthermore, to reinforce this theory, the calendar or week day is also printed in German. The Day Date designation is evidently oversized and the date number is throughout in red, unlike some Datejust and GMT-Master models from the same period.
The President bracelet and the clasp, stamped 1957, is one of the earliest ever made and add to the fascination and historical importance of this Day-Date. Apparently, from a few feet distance, a regular yellow gold Day-Date of some vintage, this reference 6611 reveals its massive collectors value when studied up close.
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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