197
Rolex
Ref. 3372
'Bubble back'
An exceptional and very rare pink gold and stainless steel wristwatch with 24 hours and two-tone dial
- Estimate
- HK$80,000 - 120,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1944
- Reference No
- 3372
- Movement No
- 3'219
- Case No
- 301'690
- Model Name
- 'Bubble back'
- Material
- 18k pink gold and stainless steel
- Calibre
- Automatic
- Bracelet/Strap
- Brown leather strap
- Dimensions
- 32 mm. diameter
- Signed
- <em>Case, dial and movement signed</em>
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
Rolex first introduced the reference 3372 in 1940. It featured a 'machined' bezel with double baton at 12 'clock, single baton at the other quarters and dots at every other hour. The case was constructed from three pieces that screwed together: the bezel, case and case back.
The present watch is a terrific example of the reference 3372, which truly stands out with its incredibly crisp case, sharp milled band to the case back and original factory finishes to the 'machine' bezel, making us realize that it has never been polished.
The dial perfectly matching the case in terms of condition, is finished with large luminous Arabic and baton numerals. The inner circle features the 24 hours and the hands, constructed from blued steel are filled with luminous material which perfectly matches the aging to the numerals.
The present watch is a terrific example of the reference 3372, which truly stands out with its incredibly crisp case, sharp milled band to the case back and original factory finishes to the 'machine' bezel, making us realize that it has never been polished.
The dial perfectly matching the case in terms of condition, is finished with large luminous Arabic and baton numerals. The inner circle features the 24 hours and the hands, constructed from blued steel are filled with luminous material which perfectly matches the aging to the numerals.
Provenance
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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