956
Rolex
Ref. 1680
Submariner
A very rare and highly attractive yellow gold wristwatch with date, "Khanjar" dial, and bracelet, made for the Sultanate of Oman
- Estimate
- HK$1,200,000 - 2,400,000€132,000 - 264,000$154,000 - 308,000
HK$2,312,500
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- Circa 1974
- Reference No
- 1680
- Movement No
- D0167'744
- Case No
- 4’212’981, inside caseback stamped with the repeated case number 4’212’981
- Model Name
- Submariner
- Material
- 18K yellow gold
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels.
- Bracelet/Strap
- 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster bracelet, max length 200mm.
- Clasp/Buckle
- 18K yellow gold Rolex deployant clasp with diver extension
- Dimensions
- 39.5mm. Diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
Rolex first introduced the Submariner watch in 1953 with the references 6204 and 6205 and over the next 65 years it has become one of the most recognizable tool watches on the market. The watch evolved and Rolex made both technical and stylistic changes with one of the most revolutionary in 1966 and the introduction of the reference 1680 with a date function. It was also with this reference that Rolex made the first Submariner in 18k gold.
The present example from the 1970s features the rare and coveted “Khanjar” daggers, the national emblem of Oman. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Sultan of Oman commissioned these watches, which were given as gifts to dignitaries and servants. In lovely overall condition, the watch ticks all the boxes passionate collectors seek. The case serial number is recorded a second time on the inside case back, a special feature of these Submariners. The “Khanjar” dial enhances its exclusivity, and with so few available to the market, this watch be attractive to all collectors.
Bespoken Submariner watches bearing the Khanjar are known to have been produced starting from serial number circa 3.65 million. Khanjar-bearing 1680 are known in steel and gold, with green, gold or red Khanjar located in different areas of the dial (at 12, at 9, at 6).
According to our researches, present configuration would appear to be so far unknown: gold case, red Khanjar, location at 6 o’ clock. Another example in gold with red Khanjar is known with serial number 4.1 million (thus produced around the same time of this watch) but that example features the Khanjar at 9 o’ clock. It is interesting to note how all these timepieces bear no Asprey stamp to the case back, as at the time the watches were delivered from Rolex directly to the Sultan, without passing through Asprey (as it happened for earlier Omani timepieces) or Khimji Ramdas (as it happened for later Omani timepieces).
In lovely overall condition, the watch ticks all the boxes passionate collectors seek. The case serial number is recorded a second time on the inside case back, a special feature of these bespoken timepieces which links case back and case body together.
The present example from the 1970s features the rare and coveted “Khanjar” daggers, the national emblem of Oman. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Sultan of Oman commissioned these watches, which were given as gifts to dignitaries and servants. In lovely overall condition, the watch ticks all the boxes passionate collectors seek. The case serial number is recorded a second time on the inside case back, a special feature of these Submariners. The “Khanjar” dial enhances its exclusivity, and with so few available to the market, this watch be attractive to all collectors.
Bespoken Submariner watches bearing the Khanjar are known to have been produced starting from serial number circa 3.65 million. Khanjar-bearing 1680 are known in steel and gold, with green, gold or red Khanjar located in different areas of the dial (at 12, at 9, at 6).
According to our researches, present configuration would appear to be so far unknown: gold case, red Khanjar, location at 6 o’ clock. Another example in gold with red Khanjar is known with serial number 4.1 million (thus produced around the same time of this watch) but that example features the Khanjar at 9 o’ clock. It is interesting to note how all these timepieces bear no Asprey stamp to the case back, as at the time the watches were delivered from Rolex directly to the Sultan, without passing through Asprey (as it happened for earlier Omani timepieces) or Khimji Ramdas (as it happened for later Omani timepieces).
In lovely overall condition, the watch ticks all the boxes passionate collectors seek. The case serial number is recorded a second time on the inside case back, a special feature of these bespoken timepieces which links case back and case body together.
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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