Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: EIGHT Geneva Saturday, November 10, 2018 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 1952
    Reference No: 6034
    Case No: 847'505
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 72, 17 jewels, stamped ROW
    Bracelet/Strap: Leather
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel pin buckle
    Dimensions: 36mm Diameter
    Signed: Case dial and movement signed

  • Catalogue Essay

    If the so-called “Pre-Daytona” reference 6238 can be considered the father of the Cosmograph, that makes the reference 6034 its grandfather, as it is one of the closest relatives of the Daytona in the panorama of the evolution of the Rolex chronograph. Already sporting an Oyster case - although of course without the screw chronograph pushers which will be introduced with Daytona reference 6240 - the model can be seen as a hybrid between a dress and a sports chronograph. It incorporates elements which will be the foundation of the Rolex sports chronograph but at the same time it maintains an elegance and finesse much closer to those of a dress chronograph from the 1940s.

    The dial of this example most noticeably features applied solid gold numerals and gold hands. The aesthetic flair imparted by such detail is only part of their appeal; they also make the present piece even more collectible. Gold indexes and hands were in fact mounted as a luxury option only on few watches. The regular version instead features stamped indexes and steel hands.

  • 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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Ref. 6034
A fine and attractive stainless steel chronograph wristwatch

1952
36mm Diameter
Case dial and movement signed

Estimate
CHF50,000 - 80,000 
€44,000-70,400
$51,200-81,900

Sold for CHF56,250

Contact Specialist
Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Sale
+41 22 317 81 89
aghotbi@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: EIGHT

Geneva Auction 10-11 November 2018