76

Rolex

Ref. 1675

GMT-Master

Estimate
$30,000 - 60,000
$44,450

Catalogue Essay

First released in 1954, the GMT-Master reference 6542 was designed for pilots, and travellers to use while traversing the globe. With the rise of international travel in the 1940s and 1950s, Rolex and Pan American Airlines realised the need for a timepiece that would allow pilots to keep track of dual time zone while traveling and developed an ingenious design with Bakelite bezel with 24-hour luminous numerals, and secondary GMT hour hand on the dial. The reference 6542 was replaced in 1959 with the introduction of the GMT-Master reference 1675, now sporting a metal bezel replacing the fragile Bakelite bezel, and crown guards for added protection. The reference 1675 was in production until approximately 1980, with the majority produced in stainless steel. Like the reference 6542 before it, luxurious, 18 karat gold examples were produced in far smaller quantities.

The present watch is very well-preserved with crisp hallmarks, strong case proportions and well-defined lug bevels. The mahogany brown dial features applied gold, nipple-shaped luminous hour marker that beautifully complements the yellow gold case. The matching brown bezel is a perfect match to the dial and with the large, 39 mm case, provides a strong and masculine aesthetic.

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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