Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1990 Reference No: 18346 Movement No: 5'611'453 Case No: E'254'601 Model Name: Day-Date Material: Platinum and diamonds Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3155, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Platinum Rolex President bracelet, max length 190mm Clasp/Buckle: Platinum Rolex deployant clasp Dimensions: 36mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex guarantee, service paper and tag.
Catalogue Essay
Cased in platinum, reference 18346 most notably features a diamond-set bezel and sapphire crystal. The last digit "6" represents Rolex's use of platinum.
Heavy, lavish and luxurious, platinum is known as the noblest of all metals. Displaying a light caramel dial featuring brilliant diamonds, as well as a diamond bezel, this timepiece is completely dazzling. Platinum is the rarest case metal for serially produced Day-Date models, and this particular watch, preserved in excellent and most probably unpolished condition, is nothing short of spectacular. It is furthermore accompanied by its original guarantee and sales tag, further adding to its collectibility.
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.