Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1993 Reference No: 18238 Case No: S359'141 Model Name: Day-Date Material: 18k yellow gold and diamonds Calibre: Automatic, 3155 Bracelet/Strap:Rolex President, end links stamped 55B Clasp/Buckle: Concealed deployant clasp Dimensions: 36mm. Diameter Signed:Movement, dial, case and bracelet signed Provenance: Property from An Important Asian Collector
Provenance
Property from An Important Asian Collector
Catalogue Essay
The Rolex Day-Date is one of the very rare watch models that has been able to surprise the market more than most other wristwatches thanks to its nearly unlimited number of case and dial variations. The present reference 18238 features one of the most loved and rarest dial versions carved from a petrified fossil. The result is simply stunning and its fascination stems from two facts. First it is easy to understand how incredibly difficult it must be for the dial maker to carve a thin slice of fossil then add 10 diamond settings, the gold frames for the apertures and the coronet, add the printing and finish to it, all without cracking the surface. Secondly, the appeal this watch has to its wearer is every time when he (or she…) is reading the time and is reminded of how time is all relative. A millions of years old fossil from the past, traversed by the hour, minute and seconds hands of the present timed by the observatory tested Day-Date.
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.