Rolex - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: X Hong Kong Friday, July 10, 2020 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1956
    Reference No: 6610
    Movement No: 579’616
    Case No: 114’429, further stamped i.56 inside caseback
    Model Name: Explorer
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal 1030, 25 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel riveted Rolex Oyster bracelet stamped "7206", end links stamped "80", max length 185mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp, stamped "4.61"
    Dimensions: 36mm diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

  • Catalogue Essay

    A very rare, highly alluring, and an early variant of the iconic Rolex Explorer model. The reference 6610 most prominent feature is a coveted depth rating in gilt print instead of red print, found beneath the Explorer print which is extremely rare to come across. A feature is rarely seen on the dial of an Explorer 6610.

    Topping it off with is the galvanized black dial with gilt lettering and minute track that has aged in a consistent and attractive manner over the course of six decades. Furthermore retaining the rare and original, elongated gilt hour and minute hands, and gilt seconds hand that make it even more desirable.

    This is one of the most astonishing and spectacular examples to appear in auction presented with a nice and original dial with strong radium readings with the use of a Geiger counter. An extraordinary opportunity for any Rolex sports watch collector.

  • 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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Property of a Japanese collector

987

Ref. 6610
A very rare stainless steel wristwatch with center seconds, bracelet and gilt depth rating

Circa 1956
36mm diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
HK$150,000 - 300,000 
€16,400-32,700
$19,200-38,500

Sold for HK$212,500

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi

Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001

WatchesHK@phillips.com

 

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: X

Hong Kong Auction 10 July 2020