Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1963 Reference No: 1601 Movement No: D54443 Case No: 926'196 Model Name: DateJust Material: 18k white gold Calibre: Automatic, 1560, 26 jewels Bracelet/Strap: 18k white gold Rolex Jubilee bracelet, 185 mm. maximum length Clasp/Buckle: 18k white gold Rolex folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 34.5 mm. diameter Signed:Case, dial and movement signed Literature: For another example of a reference 1601, however with a lapis lazuli dial, please see 100 Superlative Rolex Wristwatches by John Goldberger, page 161.
Catalogue Essay
The DateJust reference 1601 in white gold has increased quite dramatically in popularity in the past couple of years. The present watch fitted with a 'Swiss' black lacquer dial has began to turn tropical with a nice warm brown tone to the centre. The silvered graphics further enhance the dial's beauty and further matches its white gold case and the extremely rare white gold Jubilee bracelet.
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.