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

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 2022
    Reference No: 116595RBOW
    Movement No: 67'G63'480
    Case No: 40’2T8’885
    Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona “Rainbow”
    Material: 18K pink gold, baguette-cut multi-color sapphires, brilliant-cut diamonds
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 4130, 44 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: 18K pink gold Rolex Oyster bracelet, approx. internal circumference 210mm length
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K pink gold Rolex deployant clasp, stamped A7F
    Dimensions: 40mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed.
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex International Guarantee card dated 26 August 2022; guarantee card; service manual; product literature; leather wallet; wax seal; hang tag; fitted presentation box; and outer box.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Rolex makes durable, reliable watches. Whether it’s a Submariner or a Day-Date, a Rolex watch is meant to be a dependable timekeeper that can be worn all day, every day – even if it’s coated in gems and jewels. Yes, Rolex determined decades ago that there was a market for bejeweled versions of its legendary sport watch designs, but they wouldn’t commit to it unless they could confirm their approach to gem-setting could handle the bumps and bruises of daily life.

    Surprise, surprise – Rolex figured it out. The Geneva-based watchmaking monolith is now considered amongst the very best in the world in the craft of gem-setting, and the uncontested market leader in secure setting.

    The first gem-set Daytona chronographs appeared in the 1980s, with the ref. 6269 and ref. 6270, and things have only escalated since. The current generation of gem-set Daytonas is led by the “Rainbow,” a six-digit reference that first appeared in 2012 in 18k white or yellow gold featuring a ring of bright, multi-colored genuine sapphires on the bezel. Production was highly restricted on those first “Rainbow” examples due to the difficulty in sourcing the appropriate quality stones, and the original “Rainbow” was discontinued in 2017.

    Finally, at Baselworld 2018, the “Rainbow” returned. Rolex called on its proprietary pink gold alloy, Everose, to create one of its most breathtaking Daytonas ever. It featured 36 multi-color baguette-cut sapphires set on the bezel in a rainbow gradation, and the lugs and crown guards were set with 56 brilliant-cut diamonds. Each sapphire is IF-quality (Internally Flawless) and is perfectly cut to fit the bezel without prongs. The sapphires themselves are only selected if they have the right color to serve as a transition to each stone on the adjacent sides, so that rather than appearing like there are 36 individual stones, they all blend in with one another. The dial itself is coated in vibrant black lacquer with sub-dials made of literal pink gold crystals. Of course, it goes without saying that the hands themselves are also solid pink gold.

    The pink-gold “Rainbow” has been a complete sensation since it was released five years ago. It has appeared on the wrists of professional athletes, Wall Street executives, dyed-in-the-wool watch collectors, fashion gurus, musicians, and many others. Well, not too many others. Production of the "Rainbow” is once again extremely limited due to the difficulty in both sourcing the stones and in setting them. Nearly impossible to acquire through a traditional retail outlet, even for longstanding Rolex customers, the present “Rainbow” Rolex Daytona is virtually unworn with a production date of 2022. There are even factory stickers still present on the underside of the lugs.

  • 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. 116595RBOW
A like new, visually striking, and utterly sensational pink gold, diamond and sapphire-set automatic chronograph wristwatch with bracelet, guarantee, and presentation box

2022
40mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed.

Estimate
$250,000 - 500,000 
CHF225,000-450,000
€231,000-462,000
HK$1,950,000-3,910,000
S$336,000-672,000

Sold for $444,500

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