807
Rolex
Ref. 116680
Yacht-Master II
A fine and attractive limited edition stainless steel wristwatch with Regatta countdown timer, ceramic active bezel, bracelet, guarantee and presentation box, one of a limited edition of 150 pieces made for the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal
Full-Cataloguing
While it is uncommon for Rolex to create limited edition timepieces, when they do it is always special. On the 15th of August 1914, the Panama Canal was officially opened to traffic allowing international trade by the US. In 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian dictator Omar Torrijos signed a treaty to run over the canal to Panama by the end of the century. August 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal, and to celebrate the momentous event, Rolex issued a limited edition series of 150 pieces of the Yacht-Master II ref. 116680 through Panamanian retailer Mercurio S.A. each with a laser inscribed caseback commemorating the event.
The present example Rolex Yacht-Master II ref. 116680 is of an example hailing from the rare limited edition series. With an inscribed caseback and complete with its full set of accessories including a guarantee card stamped by Mercurio S.A., the watch is offered in well-preserved overall condition.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded 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.