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

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1990
    Reference No: 16528
    Movement No: 33'491
    Case No: E322877
    Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 4030, 31 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster bracelet, max length 190mm
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Rolex deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 40mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

  • Catalogue Essay

    Rolex’s first automatic Daytona was introduced in 1988. Housing the iconic Zenith-based caliber 4030, it featured a larger case and was fitted with a sapphire crystal. The watch immediately became a cult classic and garnered an immediate waiting list at Rolex retailers. The gold version reference 16528 was a luxurious alternative to its stainless steel counterpart reference 16520.

    The present watch is a very impressive example and preserved in most probably unpolished condition. The fine bevel on the outer edge of the bezel, crisp numbers between the lugs and thick definition on the outside case back are all tell-tale signs that the watch has never seen intervention throughout its lifetime. Furthermore, all hallmarks are crisp, unrubbed and very deep. As watches from the 1980s and 19980s are increasingly considered "neo-vintage", unspoiled examples are harder and harder to come by. As such, when a watch like the present example comes on the market, it provides an incredible opportunity to acquire a rare specimen.

  • 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. 16528
An attractive and most probably unpolished yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with bracelet

Circa 1990
40mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF25,000 - 50,000 
€25,700-51,500
$25,000-50,100

Sold for CHF60,480

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