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Rolex

Ref. 3525

Oyster Chronograph “Bariletto”

An extremely rare and highly attractive stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with salmon dial, tachymeter, telemeter scales and bracelet

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A milestone wristwatch within Rolex's storied legacy of chronographs, the reference 3525 was launched in 1939 and remained in production for less than 10 years. Produced in yellow gold, pink gold, stainless steel, or the combination of stainless steel and yellow gold, the reference 3525 was Rolex's very first chronograph wristwatch to be housed in an Oyster case - equipped with a water resistant screw down case back along with screw down crown.

This late-production example, evidenced by the serial number between the lugs, retains its original 'Brevet' Oyster crown and is in overall wonderful condition. The dial in particular attracts attention, with a rosé hue - not quite pink, not quite champagne, but some sublime shade in between. The case is exceptional in its own right and in our view may have never been polished, which is quite a feat considering its age.The brushed finishing of the stainless steel case, with its wide, flat bezel, harmonizes well with the color of the dial and the contrasting, bold hands and numerals. The multi-scale dial, with black print for the minute track, sub-dials ,and tachymeter scale, and blue for the telemeter scale, remains sharp and legible. A remarkably well-preserved example for the connoisseur.

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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