Rolex - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XIII Hong Kong Thursday, November 25, 2021 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1982
    Reference No: 18038
    Movement No: 0’659’004
    Case No: 7’155’840 ; inside caseback stamped 18000
    Model Name: Day-Date
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3055, 27 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Leather
    Clasp/Buckle: Gold plated Rolex pin buckle
    Dimensions: 36mm diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by associated Rolex guarantee stamped Ancarani, Italy dated 24th December 1982, leather holder, hang tag and fitted presentation box.

  • Catalogue Essay

    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.

  • 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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1090

Ref. 18038
A fine and rare yellow gold wristwatch with diamond-set indexes, center seconds, day, date, no-lume blue degradé Stella dial and presentation box

Circa 1982
36mm diameter
Case, dial, movement and buckle signed

Estimate
HK$180,000 - 280,000 
€20,000-31,100
$23,100-35,900

Sold for HK$226,800

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001
WatchesHK@phillips.com

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XIII

Hong Kong Auctions 25-26 November 2021