291
Rolex
Ref. 6542
GMT-Master
A rare and attractive stainless steel wristwatch with bracelet, centre seconds, dual time and bakelite bezel
- Estimate
- CHF50,000 - 80,000
CHF65,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1959
- Reference No
- 6542
- Movement No
- n809'780
- Case No
- 482'208
- Model Name
- GMT-Master
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 1030, 25 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Stainless steel Rolex Oyster, stamped 2.59, max. length 200mm, end links stamped 64
- Clasp/Buckle
- Stainless steel folding deployant clasp
- Dimensions
- 38 mm. Diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed, case back stamped III.59
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
The reference 6542 is the first version of Rolex's iconic GMT-Master model. It was made famous when seen on the wrist of “Pussy Galore” in the 1964 James Bond movie "Goldfinger", leading to its amusing nickname in the collector community.
The GMT-Master's history began with Pan Am commissioning Rolex to develop a watch for their pilots. Due to the increasing flying distance traveled by pilots in the 1940s and 1950s, the need to keep time in multiple zones had grown in importance. And, the GMT-Master is therefore born with its typical Bakelite bezel and a fourth hand, which allowed pilots to use this second hour hand to display the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
The present watch is a charismatic and rare example of the reference 6542. The watch is furthermore preserved in overall good original condition. It retains the original Bakelite bezel in good condition, correct hands and crown, magnified lens for the date and the expandable Oyster bracelet from the same period. The caseback is stamped 3.59 for the third quarter of 1959, corresponding to the 2.59 date code found on the bracelet clasp. The original bracelet is fitted with the desirable "big logo" clasp that correctly matches the era of the watch.
The GMT-Master's history began with Pan Am commissioning Rolex to develop a watch for their pilots. Due to the increasing flying distance traveled by pilots in the 1940s and 1950s, the need to keep time in multiple zones had grown in importance. And, the GMT-Master is therefore born with its typical Bakelite bezel and a fourth hand, which allowed pilots to use this second hour hand to display the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
The present watch is a charismatic and rare example of the reference 6542. The watch is furthermore preserved in overall good original condition. It retains the original Bakelite bezel in good condition, correct hands and crown, magnified lens for the date and the expandable Oyster bracelet from the same period. The caseback is stamped 3.59 for the third quarter of 1959, corresponding to the 2.59 date code found on the bracelet clasp. The original bracelet is fitted with the desirable "big logo" clasp that correctly matches the era of the watch.
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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