873
Rolex
Ref. 116568
Cosmograph Daytona
A fine, very attractive and extremely rare yellow gold and diamond-set automatic chronograph wristwatch with black mother-of-pearl dial, bracelet, Warranty and box
Full-Cataloguing
However, it is during the late 1990s and early 200s that the company created possibly the rarest variations of gem-set: true test series made to test the bejeweled chronograph market. The present piece is indeed a highly collectible and extremely attractive result of such experimenting. As confirmed on the original Warranty, the watch is fitted not only with a baguette-cut diamond-set bezel, but it also features a black mother-of-pearl dial with Roman numeral. Even in the already very sparsely populated landscape of bejeweled Daytona timepieces, the present configuration is to be considered on a superior tier of rarity. In fact, most examples of the model feature a standard mother-of -pearl dial, usually with diamond-set numerals. The black/Roman numeral variation appears the be extremely difficult to find.
Notwithstanding its rarity, the looks of the watch would be enough to have collectors' heads swiftly turn: the black dial contrasts with the sparkling diamond-set bezel and complements the warmth of the gold case for an enormously impressive final result.
Last, but not least, the piece is offered in extremely well preserved condition an in fact complete of its original warranty detailing this precise dial configuration: BLACK MOTHER PRL ROM, indeed black mother-of-pearl and Roman numerals
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded 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.