Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1955 Reference No: 6144 Movement No: 98'743 Case No: 808'698 Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Manual, cal. 710, 15 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel pin buckle Dimensions: 32mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial and movement signed, back of the dial stamped with Stern Frères numbers
Catalogue Essay
The present timepiece is a superlative example. It is not only fitted with a vibrant emerald-green enamel dial, but also features numerals in Arabic script. The dial is most notably created by Stern Frères. Founded in 1868 by brothers Charles and Jean Stern, Stern Frères is best known for creating beautiful and intricate dials for watchmakers such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Rolex and Omega. The back of the dial is numbered with the dial maker's internal code. The first three numbers, 103, denote the watchmaker's reference. In this instance, it would be Rolex. The star represents the maker, Stern Frères, and the following numbers are the job reference.
The quality of this hard enamel dial is outstanding. The colors appear bright yet translucent, and have an even richer tone. Every detail is taken into account, and each Arabic numeral is created with precision, attesting to the dial maker's superiority.
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.