Rolex - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: ONE Hong Kong Monday, November 30, 2015 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 1989
    Reference No: 16618
    Movement No: 5'262'254
    Case No: L543966
    Model Name: Submariner
    Material: 18k yellow gold
    Calibre: Automatic, 3135, 31 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: 18k yellow gold Rolex Oyster bracelet, 215 mm. maximum length, end link stamped 49B
    Clasp/Buckle: 18k yellow gold Rolex folding twinlock deployant clasp stamped Rolex SA, reference 92908
    Dimensions: 40 mm. diameter
    Signed: Case, dial and movement signed
    Literature: For another example of a gold reference 16618, please see Rolex Collecting Modern and Vintage Wristwatches Volume I by Osvaldo Patrizzi, page 360.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Reference 16618 was introduced to the market in the mid-1980s. This all-gold Submariner was available with a wide variety of dials and the present watch is fitted with the sought-after cobalt blue dial and matching bezel insert. The watch is powered by the calibre 3135 with quick-set calendar functions.

    Offered in very attractive and original condition with sharp case lines and factory finishes, it is a striking example of a all-gold sports watch made by Rolex.

  • 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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167

Ref. 16618
A fine yellow gold wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, date and bracelet

1989
40 mm. diameter
Case, dial and movement signed

Estimate
HK$80,000 - 120,000 

Sold for HK$150,000

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001
thomasperazzi@phillips.com

Ziyong Ho
Specialist
+852 9386 2032
ziyongho@phillips.com

Jill Chen
Specialist
+852 2318 2033
jillchen@phillips.com

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: ONE

Hong Kong Auction 1 December 2015 11am