60
Rolex
Ref. 16528, caseback stamped 16500 to the inside
Cosmograph Daytona "Floating"
A very rare, early, impressive and highly collectible yellow gold automatic chronograph wristwatch with "floating" dial, bezel graduated to 200, bracelet, warranty and box
Full-Cataloguing
- Automatic movement, chronograph
- Exceedingly rare and collectible R-series example with “Floating” dial
- Accompanied by its original warranty certificate and box
Occurring usually within the R serial range, floating dials are defined by the fifth line of text at 12 o’clock featuring a markedly wider gap than the other four lines. They represent the very first iteration of ref. 16520 and are followed by 4-line dials, where the Cosmograph designation is completely absent. Interestingly, Rolex would later revert this decision and the Cosmograph designation would make its appearance once more on later dials, albeit with equal spacing as the previous lines.
What seems to be a small detail in fact has a great impact on the overall aesthetics and balance of the dial, so much so that today these specimens are extremely collectible.
The present watch not only is in excellent condition but furthermore features its original accessories. Notably, the punched Guarantee bears country code 207 - designated for Corfu, Greece - but it is stamped by an Italian retailer and dated October 3. Most likely, at the end of the summer season the unsold watch was sent to Milan, a location much more active during the fall and winter months. This adds a layer of intrigue and shows how much more flexible Rolex procedures were just a few decades ago.
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.