Rolex - The New York Watch Auction: EIGHT New York Saturday, June 10, 2023 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 1967
    Reference No: 1675
    Movement No: D157’107, case interior stamped iv.67
    Case No: 1’826’658
    Model Name: GMT-Master “Fuchsia”
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet stamped 78360, endlinks stamped 580, overall length 190mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp stamped 78360 G
    Dimensions: 39.5mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed

  • Catalogue Essay

    Reference 1675 was the successor to Rolex’s first GMT tool watch the reference 6542. Launched in 1959, the 1675'smost recognizable new attribute was the addition of the crown guards, a feature appearing at the time on most Rolex professional timepieces - with the notable exception of the Daytona. The overall case construction was slightly different, sporting a more robust, thicker design, and a 24 hours bezel made from aluminium rather than bakelite. The earliest examples of the model featured early production details like the “roulette” date wheel and OCC designation on the dial, however later examples, like the present watch had a monochrome black date disc and marked Superlative Chronometer/Officially Certified on the dial.

    The present example from 1967 displays many desirable traits including a Mark 1, ‘Long E’ matte dial configuration, which is well preserved with luminous hour markers and hands that have aged to a light mocha color. The metallic insert remains vibrant, but has changed color from red to a vivid and consistent fuchsia hue highly prized by collectors, while the original blue side has faded to a lighter shade. The caseback, engraved 3MSFC and B-36, strongly suggests it may have been owned and worn by a member of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Mobile Strike Force Command – Detachment B-36 - a special operations unit formed in 1965 to perform reconnaissance missions during the Vietnam War.

    The GMT-Master is a highly collectible Rolex tool watch, and the present model exemplifies a wonderful vintage appeal.

  • 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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Ref. 1675
A striking and well-preserved stainless steel dual time wristwatch with “Long E” dial, fuchsia bezel, date, and bracelet

1967
39.5mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and clasp signed

Estimate
$12,000 - 24,000 
CHF10,800-21,600
€11,100-22,200
HK$93,800-188,000
S$16,100-32,300

Sold for $40,640

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros
Head of Watches, Americas
+1 (212) 940-1293
WatchesNY@Phillips.com
 
Isabella Proia
Head of Sale, New York
+1 (212) 940 1285
iproia@phillips.com

The New York Watch Auction: EIGHT

New York Auction 10 - 11 June 2023