Rolex - The Watch Auction: One Geneva Saturday, May 9, 2015 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 1984
    Reference No: 16758, stamped 16750 inside the case back
    Case No: 8'607'472
    Model Name: GMT-Master, "SARU"
    Material: 18k yellow gold, diamonds, sapphires and rubies
    Calibre: Automatic, 3075
    Bracelet/Strap: Rolex President, 18k yellow gold and diamonds
    Clasp/Buckle: Concealed folding clasp, stamped 8485
    Dimensions: 40mm. Diameter
    Signed: Movement, dial, case and bracelet signed
    Provenance: Property from an Important Private Collector
    Literature: An exampled of reference 16578 SARU is illustrated and described in 1908 - 2008 100 Years of Rolex by Franca and Guido Mondani, p. 175.

  • Provenance

    Property from an Important Private Collector

  • Catalogue Essay

    Produced in an very small number, the present ref. 16758 SARU is believed to be one of only a handful of examples of this model to appear at auction to date. Its rarity is further enhanced by its extremely well preserved original condition with very sharp lines and beveled edges to the case and green factory sticker still applied to the case back.The “SARU”, which refers to the sapphire and ruby setting is distinguished by its diamond, sapphire and ruby-set bezel. This reference is a tribute to the blue and red coloured bakelite bezel of the first GMT Master model lauded in 1954.To understand the rarity of the present watch one needs to look at the history of sports Rolex models. Since the introduction of the tool watches in the 1950’s all watches were manufactured in stainless steel. Gradually gold was introduced however the use of precious stones was not used until the Cosmography Daytona reference 6269/6270 in the 1980’s alongside the present SARU GMT-Master. The original SARU from the 1980s is one of the rarest Rolex models of all times. Examples like the present one, coming in factory-finish condition and still retaining the green sticker to the back, are seen very seldom and considered trophy watches.

  • 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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78

Ref. 16758, stamped 16750 inside the case back
A fine and very rare yellow gold, sapphire, ruby and diamond set calendar wristwatch with bracelet and second time-zone

1984
40mm. Diameter
Movement, dial, case and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF150,000 - 250,000 

Sold for CHF245,000

Contact Specialist
Nathalie Monbaron
+41 22 317 81 83

The Watch Auction: One

Geneva Auction 10 May 2015 6:30pm