Rolex - The 2021 New York Watch Auction New York Saturday, December 11, 2021 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 1991
    Reference No: 16700
    Case No: X830’504
    Model Name: GMT-Master
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3175, 31 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, stamped 93150, endlinks stamped 51B, overall length 210mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp stamped 93150, S5
    Dimensions: 40mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex guarantee stamped Tiffany & Co, presentation box with outer blue Tiffany & Co. packaging, two Rolex service warranties dated 2002 and 2006, and product literature

  • Catalogue Essay

    Rolex tool watches are some of the most collectible and sought after timepieces today, and the GMT-Master, first released in 1955, has been part of the Rolex collection ever since. At the dawn of the Jet Age, Rolex developed this dual time zone watch in conjunction with Pan American airways so their personnel could tell both “local” and “home” time while traveling. Rolex created an ingenious method using a rotating bezel, which worked in conjunction with a fourth, 24-hour center hand permitting the wearer to clearly keep track of two time zones. The first model, reference 6542 had a robust, masculine appeal with highly legible dial and blue and red Bakelite bezel, however always looking to improve upon design and precision mechanics, the GMT-Master has continuously evolved its nearly 70 years on the market.

    Introduced in 1988, the Rolex GMT-Master reference 16700 featured modern aesthetics and technical upgrades during a transitional period for the brand. Featuring a sapphire crystal for the first time on the model, it provided enhanced robustness and improved water resistance.

    Retailed by Tiffany & Co., the present watch is a wonderful, extremely rare, and superbly complete example of this transitional reference. Stamped prominently with the prestigious retailer’s signature at 6 o’clock, the watch comes accompanied by the original guarantee stamped ‘Tiffany & Co’, along with two Rolex service warranties dated from 2002 and 2006, as well as the original blue Tiffany &Co. outer packaging.

  • 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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119

Ref. 16700
A very rare stainless steel dual time wristwatch with bracelet, original guarantee, service warranty, and presentation boxes, retailed by Tiffany & Co.

1991
40mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and clasp signed

Estimate
$25,000 - 50,000 
CHF23,100-46,300
€22,200-44,300
HK$195,000-390,000

Sold for $107,100

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros

Head of Watches, Americas

+1 (212) 940-1293

WatchesNY@Phillips.com

 

The 2021 New York Watch Auction

New York Auction 11 - 12 December 2021