Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1976 Reference No: 1803 Case No: 4'233'673 Model Name: Day-Date Material: 18k yellow gold Calibre: Automatic, 1056 Bracelet/Strap: Rolex Jubilee, end links stamped 53 Clasp/Buckle: Folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 36mm. Diameter Signed:Movement, dial, case and bracelet signed Literature: The present lot is illustrated in Day Date, The Presidential Rolex by Pucci Papaleo, Spin Edizioni
Catalogue Essay
The beauty of this timepiece manufactured in 1976 is due partly to its overall excellent condition, a case with full proportions, fluted bezel, but above all, to the captivating charm given by the extremely rare lilac “Stella” dial.This outstanding “Stella” dial has been realized by means of a particular lacquering process and introduced by Rolex in small numbers between the Seventies and the early Eighties.
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.