Various Properties
1103
Rolex
Ref. 1675, inside case back stamped IV.60
GMT-Master
A fine and rare stainless steel dual time wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, bracelet, black lacquer dial and pointed crown guards
- Estimate
- HK$170,000 - 300,000€20,500 - 36,100$22,000 - 38,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- Circa 1960
- Reference No
- 1675, inside case back stamped IV.60
- Movement No
- D31338
- Case No
- 622'994
- Model Name
- GMT-Master
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Calibre
- Automatic, 1560, 25 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Stainless steel<em> Rolex Jubilee </em>bracelet, 180 mm. maximum length
- Clasp/Buckle
- Stainless steel <em>Rolex </em>folding deployant clasp stamped 1.69
- Dimensions
- 39.5 mm. diameter
- Signed
- <em>Case, dial and movement signed</em>
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
Reference 1675 was introduced in 1959 as the successor of the reference 6542. Early examples, such as the present watch, featured pointed crown guards. The steel insert did not carry radium, which by then was considered a health hazard.
The present watch is a beautiful example of an early reference 1675. Manufactured only one year after the launch of the model, this example features a black lacquer dial that is still incredibly glossy, and mirror-like in its finish. It furthermore features a chapter ring on the dial, which was only fitted to the earliest examples and is especially desirable today.
All other details are correct, including the pointed crown guards and small-tipped 24 hour hand. The inside case back is also stamped for the fourth quarter of 1960. These attributes are very popular with collectors, especially when one considers the strict standards in watch collecting today.
The case is preserved in excellent condition and still displays its bevels. The slightest polishing would have dulled the facets on the crown guards, yet this example remains crisp and and sharp to the touch.
The present watch is a beautiful example of an early reference 1675. Manufactured only one year after the launch of the model, this example features a black lacquer dial that is still incredibly glossy, and mirror-like in its finish. It furthermore features a chapter ring on the dial, which was only fitted to the earliest examples and is especially desirable today.
All other details are correct, including the pointed crown guards and small-tipped 24 hour hand. The inside case back is also stamped for the fourth quarter of 1960. These attributes are very popular with collectors, especially when one considers the strict standards in watch collecting today.
The case is preserved in excellent condition and still displays its bevels. The slightest polishing would have dulled the facets on the crown guards, yet this example remains crisp and and sharp to the touch.
Literature
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.
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