Gem-set timepieces are without a doubt one of the pinnacles of the field. Representing the merging of watchmaking with the hallowed field of high-end jewellery, they are also extremely rare. While nowadays, when the collectors’ community has recognized the scarcity, aesthetic impact and overall importance of these items, such rarity is the direct result of the output limitations imposed by the highly labor-intensive production process of these pieces, in less recent times the motivation was different.
Bejeweled timepieces have historically been relegated to the compartment of ladies’ pieces, and consequently for most of the past century they were small, refined creations. Virtually no watchmaking company produced gentlemen pieces with diamond set cases. At most, we can find refined tuxedo creations with white cases and subtle diamond-set markers.
Rolex was in fact one of the first to break the taboo and fit a professional watch with gems: in the 1980s, they produced two extremely limited series of diamond-set Daytona: reference 6269 and reference 6270 - both series thought to be a commission from the Sultan of Oman.
In the 1990s they decided to keep on experimenting with gem-set pieces, with reference 16599 being one of their most appealing and collectible results. Sporting hooded, gem-set lugs, a completely diamond pavé dial with sapphire markers, and bezel set with 36 baguette-cut sapphires, the timepiece is a hymn to exclusivity and craftsmanship. Not only the setting is - as expected by Rolex - superbly well executed, but furthermore the contrasting white/blue color scheme manages to imbue such a suave and elegant creation with a somewhat sporty vibe, true to the vocation of the Cosmograph line.
The 1990s, however, were still the “dawn of collecting” intended in the modern sense, and the public had yet to recognise the importance and appeal of this kind of timepieces. This, combined with the hefty price tag of the items, resulted in an absurdly limited output for such objects, which are today counted among Rolex’s most elusive creations. It is speculated that about 5 pieces such as the present watch ever left Rolex’s workshop.
Having resided in an important Italian collection since the late 1990s, the present watch is offered in unpolished condition. This W example is one of the earliest specimen of the reference to be produced, and as such it correctly features silver subsidiary counters, instead of the golden ones sometimes found on late production pieces. A final details which will appeal to the purist collector, is the presence of the green Rolex sticker to the back. While mostly faded, the reference number 16599 is still unmistakably distinguishable.
