297
Rolex
Ref. 18039 stamped 18000 Inside the case back
Day-Date "Tears in Heaven"
A very fine and rare white gold calendar wristwatch with centre seconds, bracelet, azure colored enamel lacquered "Stella" dial and diamond-set hour markers
- Estimate
- CHF20,000 - 40,000
CHF35,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1982
- Reference No
- 18039 stamped 18000 Inside the case back
- Movement No
- 1'623'147
- Case No
- 7'617'362
- Model Name
- Day-Date "Tears in Heaven"
- Material
- 18k white gold
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 3055, 27 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- 18k white gold Rolex President, reference 6305, end links stamped 55, max length 195mm
- Clasp/Buckle
- Folding clasp
- Dimensions
- 36mm. Diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
The Rolex Day-Date reference 18039 was in production between 1977 and 1988. The fifth number of the reference number, which in this case is 9 – indicated the metal of the case: 18-karat white gold.
The rare and eye-catching azure colored “Stella” dial found in this Day-Date is further enhanced with 8 round cut and 2 baguette-cut diamond hour markers.
Since 1977, Day-Date models beginning with reference 18000 are fitted with sapphire crystals, which replaced the traditional Esalite glass crystals. The bezel was redesigned to accommodate the new sapphire crystal, resulting in a screw down case back and screw down crown, water-resistant to 100 meters equivalent to 330 feet.
The current example is extremely well preserved, and kept in overall excellent condition. The rarity of the “Stella” colored dial combined with the diamond hour markers, silvered text and the condition of the white gold case and bracelet results in an extraordinarily striking, yet elegant look.
The rare and eye-catching azure colored “Stella” dial found in this Day-Date is further enhanced with 8 round cut and 2 baguette-cut diamond hour markers.
Since 1977, Day-Date models beginning with reference 18000 are fitted with sapphire crystals, which replaced the traditional Esalite glass crystals. The bezel was redesigned to accommodate the new sapphire crystal, resulting in a screw down case back and screw down crown, water-resistant to 100 meters equivalent to 330 feet.
The current example is extremely well preserved, and kept in overall excellent condition. The rarity of the “Stella” colored dial combined with the diamond hour markers, silvered text and the condition of the white gold case and bracelet results in an extraordinarily striking, yet elegant look.
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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