Rolex - Glamorous Day-Date Geneva Friday, May 8, 2015 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 1978
    Reference No: 18048, stamped 18000 inside the case back
    Case No: 5'588'325
    Model Name: Day-Date
    Material: 18k yellow gold and diamonds
    Calibre: Automatic, 3055
    Bracelet/Strap: Rolex President, end links stamped 55
    Clasp/Buckle: Concealed deployment clasp
    Dimensions: 36mm Diameter
    Signed: Movement, dial, case and bracelet signed, dial further stamped with the national emblem of the Sultanate of Oman printed in red
    Accessories: Punched Rolex guarantee and Day-Date presentation box

  • Catalogue Essay

    When a timepiece features a variety of highly collectable elements, we experience what we could call "collectors’ ecstasy". This sensation is perfectly exemplified by this gorgeous Day-Date, manufactured in 1978, which showcases a lavish green Lacquered Stella dial bearing the red printed Omani emblem and enriched with diamond hour markers. These customizations, currently so beloved by collectors throughout the world, were requested by emirs and sultans who nearly always attended British schools. At the beginning, the London jeweller Asprey was the Middle East representative and was directly in touch with those wealthy and demanding customers. Subsequently, Asprey sent both orders and graphic drafts to Rolex, the company in charge to put into practice the crafting of these objects. The reference 18048 sports an 18 karat yellow gold case and bracelet, and it is fitted with a white gold bezel adorned with 46 round cut diamonds. The use of white gold gold further enhances the shimmer and sparkle of the gemstones.

  • Artist Biography

    Rolex

    Swiss • 1905

    Founded 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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Ref. 18048, stamped 18000 inside the case back
A very rare and attractive yellow gold and diamond-set calendar wristwatch with bracelet, centre seconds and green lacquered “Stella” dial, made for the Sultanate of Oman with original guarantee

1978
36mm Diameter
Movement, dial, case and bracelet signed, dial further stamped with the national emblem of the Sultanate of Oman printed in red

Estimate
CHF35,000 - 70,000 

Sold for CHF62,500

Contact Specialist
Livia Russo
+41 22 317 81 86

Glamorous Day-Date

Geneva Auction 9 May 2015 7pm