Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: XII Geneva Saturday, November 7, 2020 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1996
    Reference No: 16520
    Movement No: 117'412
    Case No: T'209'362
    Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 4030, 31 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, max length 195mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 40mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex guarantee dated November 27, 1996, product literature and tag.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Reference 16520 is among Rolex's most innovative models ever produced. Housing the iconic Zenith-based caliber 4030 mechanism, the model was fitted with the first automatic chronograph movement in the firm's history. At the time of launch in 1988, it quickly became a cult classic and garnered an immediate waiting list at Rolex retailers. Today, the Zenith Daytona has become an even more collectible watch due to its rarity, good looks and importance within the history of Rolex.

    The present example is preserved in excellent condition with charismatic subsidiary registers that have turned "tropical" over time. This "tropical" effect mainly occurs on Cosmograph dials produced during the early to mid-1990s. This example furthermore retains its original guarantee stating that the watch was sold in Frankfurt - fitting, as the guarantee is stamped "100" for Germany.

  • 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. 16520
A rare and attractive stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with "tropical" registers, bracelet and guarantee

Circa 1996
40mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF25,000 - 45,000 
€23,200-41,700
$27,200-49,000

Sold for CHF37,800

Contact Specialist

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

41 79 637 1724
aghotbi@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: XII

Geneva Auction 6 - 7 November 2020