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1090

Rolex

Ref. 18038

Day-Date

A fine and rare yellow gold wristwatch with diamond-set indexes, center seconds, day, date, no-lume blue degradé Stella dial and presentation box

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Beloved and sought-after by collectors for their spectrum of colourways, the Rolex Stella Day-Date offers a luxurious appeal compared to the brand’s rugged utilitarian models, and is one of the most precious models under the coronet brand. The name actually came from a company called Stella based in Châtelaine and Geneva which supplied Rolex’s dial makers with the special lacquer and bright pigments during the 1970s.

The present Day-Date ref. 18038 in 18K yellow gold features an attractive Prussian blue degrade or vignette dial adorned with diamond-set indexes that contrast beautifully with the cool hues from the dial. Interestingly, the connoisseurs with an eye for detail will notice the unusual configuration by the absence of lume plots running on the edge of the dial.

Presented in excellent overall condition with a well-preserved dial and Italian day disc, the present ref. 18038 bears a 7’15X’XXX serial dated circa 1982, and is offered with its associated Rolex guarantee stamped by Italian retailer. Definitely a playful and desirable combination, the present rare example will sure impress the enthusiast who is looking to add some colour to his or her collection.

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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