303
Rolex
Ref. 18238
Day-Date
A fine and very rare yellow gold and diamond-set calendar wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, lapis lazuli dial and bracelet
- Estimate
- HK$120,000 - 180,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1996
- Reference No
- 18238
- Movement No
- 7'104'107
- Case No
- W369745
- Model Name
- Day-Date
- Material
- 18k yellow gold, diamonds, lapis lazuli
- Calibre
- Automatic, 3155, 31 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- 18k yellow gold <em>Rolex President</em> bracelet, 180 mm. maximum length, end link stamped 55B
- Clasp/Buckle
- 18k yellow gold <em>Rolex </em>concealed folding deployant clasp
- Dimensions
- 36 mm. diameter
- Signed
- <em>Case, dial and movement signed</em>
- Accessories
- With <em>Rolex</em> Guarantee dated 12 March 1996, product literature, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
The present reference 18238 wristwatch features a very rare lapis lazuli hardstone dial, showcasing a rich blue tone. This is an extremely rare variant of a hardstone dial Day-Date and the exceptional condition of the watch further deepens its rarity. The dial is further enhanced with diamond-set hour markers framed within its gold chatons. The present example, manufactured in 1996, is complete with original Guarantee and offered in excellent overall condition.
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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