Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: XIX featuring the Guido Mondani Collection Geneva Saturday, May 11, 2024 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1992
    Reference No: 16700
    Case No: N472340
    Model Name: GMT-Master
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3175, 31 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, max length 205mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 40mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex guarantee dated February 24, 1993, bezel protector, product literature, calendar, presentation box and outer packaging.
    Literature: The present watch is illustrated in Rolex GMT-Master Story Volume II by Guido Mondani Editore, pages 186-187.

  • Catalogue Essay

    In production from 1988 to 1999, reference 16700 is a classic GMT-Master. The model most notably featured a sapphire crystal, which was a new introduction to the GMT-Master line at the time. Fitted with an aluminum bezel, it was a decidedly more modern and heftier version of the iconic model.

    The present timepiece is distinguished by its impeccable state of preservation. Displaying a beautiful and untouched tritium dial, the present watch is preserved in excellent and crisp condition, with razor sharp edges and crisp bevels. It even retains its original green factory caseback sticker. The numbers between the lugs are crisp, and have never seen intervention before. The bracelet is furthermore incredibly rigid and tight, showing how little (if any) wear the watch has seen throughout its lifespan. Furthermore, the original seal on the clasp remains intact. The present watch is accompanied by its Rolex guarantee, product literature, calendar, presentation box and outer packaging.

  • 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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From the Guido Mondani Collection

118

Ref. 16700
A highly rare and almost new-old-stock stainless steel dual time wristwatch with caseback sticker, guarantee and presentation box

Circa 1992
40mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF10,000 - 20,000 
€10,200-20,400
$10,900-21,900

Sold for CHF21,590

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Deputy Chairman, Watches, Head of Watches, Europe, and Middle East

+41 79 637 17 24
AGhotbi@phillips.com

Tiffany To
Head of Sale, Geneva

+41 79 460 55 88
TiffanyTo@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: XIX featuring the Guido Mondani Collection

Geneva Auction 11 - 12 May 2024