119
Rolex
Ref. 6085
"The Dragon"
A extremely attractive and very important yellow gold automatic wristwatch with center seconds, cloisonné enamel dial by Nelly Richard depicting a dragon, and bracelet
Full-Cataloguing
- Incredibly rare and attractive Rolex cloisonné enamel dial; one of five known Dragons
- Enamelwork realized by Nelly Richard, one of the best enamelers of the past century
Vintage cloisonné enamel dials are nowadays considered one of the pinnacles of watch decoration and collecting. Not only are they intrinsically rare due to their high cost and fragility, but furthermore can boast something few other - if any - decorative techniques can claim: vintage pieces are indisputably more attractive than modern creations. This is because many of the chemical components used at the time today have been deemed too unsafe for the enamelers to work with. Consequently, modern enamels lack the ineffable glossiness, depth and nuances found on vintage pieces.
This concept is apparent when looking at the present Dragon: the way its dark back subtly fades to a semitransparent, iridescent blue on the belly - perfectly mimicking the iridescence of the scales of the mythical beast - is absolutely breathtaking.
While any vintage cloisonné dial is considered a masterpiece, those found on Rolex pieces are particularly sought-after by virtue of their beauty and scarcity: it’s worth keeping in mind that in the 50s, Rolex was focused on tool watches: such refined and costly creations as the present piece fell well outside of their “comfort zone”.
And yet, even within these exquisitely rare and highly sought-after watches there are tiers, and watches depicting a dragon are considered by many if not all collectors as belonging in highest one.
The present reference 6085 is an important Rolex wristwatch fitted with a spectacular cloisonné dial depicting the coveted dragon. The records of the legendary dial makers Stern Frères show that this dial — with client number 103 (Rolex code at Stern), * (meaning made by Stern), and 770 (order number) on the back of the dial — was made by one of Geneva's most acclaimed enamelers, Mrs. Nelly Richard, who worked with Stern to produce the dials of some of the most sought-after Rolex watches to date. The dragon is notable among mythical creatures for its ubiquity across cultures — appearing in one form or another throughout the world — and is best known, particularly in the East, for its benevolent qualities: bringing prosperity, health, and bountiful crops, granting wishes, and more.
Fabricating such a polychrome cloisonné enamel dial is among the most painstakingly difficult and labor-intensive processes in watchmaking. The artist first marks out the outline of the motifs using fine gold wire to separate the various enamel regions. Multiple enamel layers are applied depending on the desired colors, followed by numerous successive firing operations in a kiln, which serve to intensify the color and light effects as well as the gradation of the enamel. This is a dangerous process: at each firing the dial may crack or the enamel may react unpredictably to the heat, resulting in high rejection rates.
The colors of the dragon are vibrant, radiating brightly with hues of orange, green, blue, and black that blend into a powerful representation of this legendary creature. Such exquisite dials were only fitted on Rolex's most important watches. Scholarship indicates that only six Dragon dial models are known to date, each housed in a different reference, making this example — reference 6085 — most likely unique.
The present lot’s stunning beauty, uniqueness, and exceptional craftsmanship clearly demonstrate in every way that this was a true Rolex masterpiece when made in 1952. Over 70 years later, it remains a treasure worthy of crowning the world’s finest collections.
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.