286
Rolex
Ref. 4500
Rolex Oyster Chronograph
A fine and rare stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with oversized subsidiary dials and bracelet
- Estimate
- CHF20,000 - 30,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1946
- Reference No
- 4500
- Case No
- 497'435
- Model Name
- Rolex Oyster Chronograph
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Calibre
- Manual, Cal 13'' VZ 23, 17 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Riveted Rolex Oyster, max. length 200mm
- Clasp/Buckle
- Folding deployant clasp
- Dimensions
- 36mm. Diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
- Accessories
- Rolex pouch
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
The reference 4500 was launched in the 1940s and was available in yellow gold, pink gold, stainless steel and in stainless steel with gold. It
is one of the very few Oyster chronograph models produced by Rolex featuring only a 30 minute counter, leaving out the 12 hours counter.
With the absence of an outer scale, the subsidiary dials become larger, thus creating a more utilitarian, military feel. With its combination of a stainless steel case, a nicely aged dial with blued steel luminous hands and very good overall condition, this watch represents a highly attractive collector's timepiece.
With the absence of an outer scale, the subsidiary dials become larger, thus creating a more utilitarian, military feel. With its combination of a stainless steel case, a nicely aged dial with blued steel luminous hands and very good overall condition, this watch represents a highly attractive collector's timepiece.
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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