Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII Geneva Friday, November 3, 2023 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 2023
    Reference No: 126720VTNR
    Case No: 191S33G1
    Model Name: GMT Master II "left-handed" Sprite
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Calibre 3285
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Jubilee bracelet, max length 210mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 40mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex Guarantee card dated March 29, 2023, product literature, green document holder, hang tags, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Left-handed watches have been, for the entirety of the past century and the first decade of the present one, a niche product made in extremely small numbers in answer to an equally small demand. The consequence of such rarity is that with the blooming of watch collecting over the past decade, the few left-handed watches that came to auction became highly sought-after trophy pieces. Most notably, Rolex took the lead in that field thanks to a handful of left-handed vintage GMTs - a model that was one of the most “professional” of them all, developed for pilots, and thus comes as relatively small surprise that it features a certain number of left-handed examples: pilots necessarily demanded equipment as flawless as possible and were less prone to concessions, even one as little as a right-handed timepiece on a left-handed pilot.

    It is thus with a profound nod to its distinguished history and heritage that Rolex released last year a modern variation of those vintage precursors: ref. 126720VTNR “Sprite” featuring a black/green (a color scheme never seen before) cerachrom bezel and, most notably, a left-handed case.

    Incorporating a new spin on the hallowed GMT aesthetics and the left-handed nod to Rolex’s heritage for the most intellectual of collectors, the watch immediately climbed to the top of the “most wanted” list, a place that it did not relinquish to this day, also aided by what appears to be quite a restricted production so far.

    Offered full set and in unworn condition, still retaining the bezel plastic protection and the plastics to the left side of the case (possibly an oversight at the moment of purchase), the present example is a wonderful occasion to “jump the queue” and gift yourself one of the most demanded modern Rolex timepieces.

  • 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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1

Lot offered with No Reserve

Ref. 126720VTNR
An extremely sought-after left-handed stainless steel dual-time automatic wristwatch with center seconds, date, cerachrom black and green revolving bezel, bracelet, guarantee and presentation box

2023
40mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and clasp signed

Estimate
CHF12,000 - 24,000 
€12,500-24,900
$13,200-26,400

Sold for CHF25,400

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Deputy Chairman, Watches, Head of Watches, Europe, and Middle East

+41 79 637 17 24
AGhotbi@phillips.com

Tiffany To
Head of Sale, Geneva

+41 79 460 55 88
TiffanyTo@phillips.com

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The Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII

Geneva Auction 3 - 4 November 2023