26
Rolex
Ref. 1680
Submariner
A rare stainless steel wristwatch with sweep center seconds, date, 'tropical' dial, bracelet and guarantee
- Estimate
- HK$80,000 - 120,000
HK$225,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1970
- Reference No
- 1680
- Movement No
- D184419
- Case No
- 2'216'296
- Model Name
- Submariner
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Calibre
- Automatic, 1570, 26 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Stainless steel<em> Rolex Oyster </em>bracelet, 200 mm. maximum length, end link stamped 380
- Clasp/Buckle
- Stainless steel <em>Rolex</em> folding twinlock deployant clasp stamped 3.72
- Dimensions
- 39 mm. diameter
- Signed
- <em>Case, dial and movement signed </em>
- Accessories
- With <em>Rolex</em> Guarantee dated 4 July 1970, Official Chronometer Certification, product literature and wallet.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
Launched circa 1967, reference 1680 was the first Submariner model to be fitted with a date function. Examples fitted with a red Submariner signature are very rare and hard to come by.
The present watch is fitted with a rare Mk 2 dial, evidenced by the 'meters first' depth rating and very thin script. The dial has aged to a very warm and beautiful brown tone, giving it a 'tropical' look. The patina has spread in a very attractive way, with the center of the watch an impressive chocolate color. The numerals, hands and pearl has aged to an attractive and even ivory color which gives the watch a very charismatic look. The watch is furthermore accompanied with a bracelet from the same period and stamped for the third quarter of 1972, further enhancing its appeal. The case still retains original beveled edges, giving the watch a very appealing look.
The present watch is fitted with a rare Mk 2 dial, evidenced by the 'meters first' depth rating and very thin script. The dial has aged to a very warm and beautiful brown tone, giving it a 'tropical' look. The patina has spread in a very attractive way, with the center of the watch an impressive chocolate color. The numerals, hands and pearl has aged to an attractive and even ivory color which gives the watch a very charismatic look. The watch is furthermore accompanied with a bracelet from the same period and stamped for the third quarter of 1972, further enhancing its appeal. The case still retains original beveled edges, giving the watch a very appealing look.
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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