Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1953 Reference No: 6062 Movement No: N32'696 Case No: 911'096 Material: 18k yellow gold Calibre: Automatic, SuperBalance, 9 3/4''' Bracelet/Strap: Hermes Leather Clasp/Buckle: gold plated buckle, signed Rolex Dimensions: 37mm. Diameter Signed:Case, dial and movement signed
Catalogue Essay
Amongst collectors and scholars, reference 6062 is one of Rolex’s most important and beautiful models ever created and, being one of only two models in the firm’s history to feature a full calendar and phases of the moon, also one of the rarest. Often called “Stelline”, the yellow gold version is known with a variety of dial designs and different shapes of numerals. The present example has a wonderfully warm, light beige-coloured dial featuring pyramid-shaped gold numerals and luminous markers and hands.Examples like the present one, in absolutely all original condition and without any signs of cosmetic enhancements, are however the rarest species within the refetene 6062 family, regardless of the dial version. In the years to come, purists and collectors will struggle to locate and acquire such “sleeping beauties”, worthy a place on the podium of the preservation class category.
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.