Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: XVI Geneva Saturday, November 5, 2022 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 1988
    Reference No: 16520
    Movement No: 10'996
    Case No: R884515
    Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 4030, 31 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, max length 185mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 40mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex guarantee dated 1989, numbered hang tag, product literature, presentation box and outer packaging.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Reference 16520 was Rolex’s first Daytona to house an automatic movement. 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.

    While reference 16520’s popularity has increased dramatically in the past few years, few automatic Cosmograph Daytonas are as beloved as the ‘R Series’. Preserved in excellent condition, this reference 16520 features a so-called ‘porcelain’ dial displaying the “Cosmograph” script floating below the text at 12 o’clock. Made of lacquer, “porcelain” dials were only fitted to the earliest 16520s. The black graphics were printed on top of the dial, giving it a three-dimensional effect. Of particular note is the “inverted 6” on the lowest subsidiary register, a detail that is particularly beloved by collectors today. Furthermore, all details are correct such as the early chronometer number, and satin finished bracelet.

    Impressively, this watch is accompanied by its original guarantee, hang tag, presentation box and outer packaging.

  • 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 highly rare and attractive stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with so-called "porcelain" dial displaying "floating" logo, bracelet and guarantee

1988
40mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF60,000 - 120,000 
€61,800-124,000
$60,100-120,000

Sold for CHF163,800

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: XVI

Geneva Auction 5 - 6 November 2022