Rolex - The New York Watch Auction: NINE New York Saturday, December 9, 2023 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1954
    Reference No: 6352; inside caseback with 6350 struck out and 6532, additionally stamped 1.54 and 18
    Movement No: 46’793
    Case No: 29’307
    Model Name: Explorer
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, A296, 18 jewels
    Dimensions: 35mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, and movement signed.

  • Catalogue Essay

    The Rolex references 6350 and 6352 feature both “Pre-Explorer” and “Explorer” dials, as Rolex used these models as experimental palettes for testing the new branding. “Explorer” dials first appeared in 1953 and are most commonly seen on the reference 6350. The reference 6352, on the other hand, is most often seen with a white honeycomb dial or a smooth black dial. Hardly ever seen is the present combination – the reference 6352 paired with a luminous black waffle “Explorer” dial.

    The dial is exceptional, having been preserved in stunning condition, with the tessellated pattern remaining perfectly glossy. It is further preserved with its original luminous material and crowned by its original, rare, and early pencil-shaped hands. Phillips is excited to offer this specimen of the earliest days of Rolex sports watches, when output was not standardized and subject to changes based on market reception. Clearly, this combination proved to be a winner, as it went on to be adopted and standardized in the reference 1016 – the design codes of which live on to this day. With its extremely rare configuration and state of preservation, it is sure to impress even the most discerning of Rolex scholars and enthusiasts.

  • 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.

    View More Works

120

Ref. 6352; inside caseback with 6350 struck out and 6532, additionally stamped 1.54 and 18
An exceptionally rare and unprecedented stainless steel wristwatch with black gloss “waffle” Explorer dial

Circa 1954
35mm Diameter
Case, dial, and movement signed.

Estimate
$50,000 - 100,000 
CHF45,000-90,100
€46,800-93,600
HK$390,000-781,000
S$68,000-136,000

Sold for $69,850

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros
Deputy Chairman and 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: NINE

New York Auction 9 - 10 December 2023