Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: THREE Geneva Saturday, May 14, 2016 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 1983
    Reference No: 16014, stamped 16000 inside the caseback
    Movement No: 314'679
    Case No: 8'007'649
    Model Name: Datejust
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal.3035, 27 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Jubilee, reference 62510H, end links stamped 555, max length 205mm.
    Clasp/Buckle: Folding deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 36mm. Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

  • Catalogue Essay

    Certainly an overachiever in terms of practicality, the Rolex Datejust stands out by its superlative legibility and elegance. Displaying just the date along with the time, this watch was far ahead of its time when Rolex launched the line in 1945 to celebrate the 40 years of the company.

    The present example features a rarely used so-called “boiler gauge” dial with unusual, stylized Arabic numerals. Completed with a Jubilee bracelet, the white dial, with its mirror-polished numerals, perfectly complements the bracelet’s polished center links. The condition of this watch is remarkable, as it seems to have never been worn, evidenced by the still intact factory sticker found on the caseback.

  • Artist Biography

    Rolex

    Swiss • 1905

    Founded 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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Ref. 16014, stamped 16000 inside the caseback
A very rare and attractive stainless steel wristwatch with white enamel coated dial, date, and bracelet

1983
36mm. Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF3,000 - 5,000 
€2,800-4,600
$3,100-5,200

Sold for CHF12,500

Contact Specialist
Nathalie Monbaron
+41 22 317 81 83

The Geneva Watch Auction: THREE

Geneva Auction 15 May 2016