Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1951 Reference No: 6085 Movement No: 46’869 Case No: 769’632 Model Name: Oyster Perpetual Material: 18K pink gold Calibre: Automatic, 2 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: 18K pink gold Rolex pin buckle Dimensions: 33mm Diameter Signed: Dial, case, movement and buckle
Catalogue Essay
Hailing from the 1950’s, the present Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 6085 in pink gold represents the lineage of Oyster Perpetual watches which was first witnessed in 1926. Featuring an engine-turned bezel and further fitted with pink gold applied indexes and hands, the harmony of the case and dial tone matches equally and defies the aesthetics of the present watch.
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.