Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: XV Geneva Saturday, May 7, 2022 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1951
    Reference No: 6098
    Movement No: 43'331
    Case No: 725'450
    Model Name: "Ovettone Stelline"
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. A260, 18 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex bracelet, max length 180mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 35.5mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

  • Catalogue Essay

    During the 1950s, Rolex produced a variety of time-only wristwatches to cater to the tastes and whims of the period. Fitted with a round automatic movement, these watches featured a larger case diameter than the fashionable "bubble backs" of the 1930s and 1940s, thus having a greater presence on the wrist. Rolex arguably produced some of the most creative and attractive watches during the postwar period - while some were fitted with a honeycomb dial, others featured applied Arabic numerals and even cloisonné enamel works of art. The possibilities and combinations were endless.

    Among those produced, one of the most exclusive and desirable variants of the time-only wristwatch featured a dial with eight faceted stars in lieu of numerals, such as the present watch. While black dial examples are known as the "Galaxy" from advertising of the period, this model recalls the configuration of the famous "Stelline" reference 6062 by the Bao Dai. The present version with ivory white dial is preserved in excellent and impressive condition with hardly any sings of aging. The luminous dots and hands have aged similarly together and now display warm patina.

  • 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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199

Ref. 6098
A rare and attractive stainless steel wristwatch with center seconds, star-set numerals and bracelet

Circa 1951
35.5mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF100,000 - 200,000 
€98,200-196,000
$106,000-212,000

Sold for CHF126,000

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Watches, Continental Europe and the Middle East

+41 22 317 81 81
AGhotbi@phillips.com

Tiffany To
Head of Sale, Geneva

+41 22 317 96 63
TiffanyTo@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: XV

Geneva Auction 7 - 8 May 2022