製造商: Rolex 年份: Circa 1990 型號: 18349 機芯編號: 5’498’900 錶殼號碼: E200’916, inside caseback stamped 18200 型號名稱: Day-Date 材料: 18K white gold and diamonds 機芯: Automatic, cal. 3155, 31 jewels 錶帶/ 錶鏈: 18K white gold and 18K yellow gold diamond-set Rolex Jubilee bracelet, max length 180mm 錶扣: 18K white gold Rolex concealed folding clasp stamped "8486" 尺寸: 36mm diameter 簽名: Case, dial, movement, bracelet and clasp signed 配件: Accompanied by Rolex leather notepad, pen, purchase invoice, instruction manual and fitted presentation box.
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Hailing from the family of the Day-Date ref. 18200s, the ref. 18349 examples were best known for their fruitful offering of gem-set variants on the dial and bezel as well as some rare examples with bracelets. Powered by the cal. 3155, the reference features the firm’s newly innovated double quickset function providing a practical and easy adjustment of the day and date.
While most examples of the model featured a white gold case with a yellow gold bezel and a Tridor bracelet, some rare examples were fitted with a two-tone 18K white gold and yellow gold Jubilee bracelet with diamond-set center links, making these examples of the ref. 18349 one of the only few two-tone Day-Date’s ever produced by Rolex. While most were paired with either a mother-of-pearl dial or sunburst dials with diamond-set indexes, only a handful of extremely rare iterations featured the unusual and seldomly seen “half-pleiade” diamond-set dials. Instead of the common Pavé diamond-set dial, the pleiade features a setting whereby each individual diamonds are set apart from one another giving the aesthetic of a constellation. Further adorned by two cabochon ruby-set indexes on the dial, the rarity is elevated to new heights.
A rare gem that was offered to the original owner at a VIP event hosted by a well-known Hong Kong retailer, the present example Rolex Day-Date ref. 18349 from circa 1990 is indeed one of those rare birds. Well-preserved in condition with its caseback retaining its green sticker with the reference number still clearly visible and intact. The Day-Date collector will notice that the present example features a rather unsual feat, not your everyday President bracelet, but a Jubilee styled one. The 8486 solid linked Jubilee bracelet with 3 small diamonds on each central links, it is known as the Jubilee Karat in the Rolex catalogue. Only a handful of examples with such combination has ever appeared in the market on the ref. 18349, let alone a Day-Date that is paired with this rarely seen dial configuration, it is a true sight to behold. With the combination of such, the present example will surely impress dedicated Day-Date collectors who are seeking for something truly exciting and in both its rarity and state of preservation.
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.