Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 2019 Reference No: 228206 Case No: 7’6CC5’274 Model Name: Day-Date 40 Material: Platinum Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3255, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Platinum Rolex President bracelet, max length 195mm Clasp/Buckle: Platinum Rolex concealed folding clasp Dimensions: 40mm diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement, bracelet and clasp signed Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex international guarantee stamped Kooheji Store Company Bahrain and dated 1st of January 2019, instruction manual, product literature, leather card holder, hangtags, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
Rolex is known to have created some of the most interesting, beautiful and unusual Day-Dates for the Arab States in the Gulf. The manufacturer's custom pieces date back to the 1950s, when a small number of Eastern Arabic discs were incorporated into Day-Date watches encased in the most luxurious metals, notably platinum.
With the introduction of the ref. 1804, this timepiece sets itself apart from the conventional "Arabic" Day-Date the firm had ever produced. The day and date are not the only features indicated in Eastern Arabic, but the indexes are also displayed in applied Eastern Arabic Numerals. This exotic gem is nicknamed the “Scheherazade”, and is proudly illustrated in Day-Date, The Presidential Rolex by Pucci Papaleo.
Today, Rolex continues to dazzle and surprise, with its unusual and beautifully finished watches. It cultivates and sustains its successful relationship with the Arab States by producing a multitude of special-ordered watches for the region. The present model, ref. 228206, is produced in exceedingly limited numbers and is only sold by Middle Eastern retailers, paying tribute to the diamond-frosted Arabic Day-Dates of the 1970s, most notably in its applied Eastern Arabic numerals, which is almost identical in design to the beloved vintage Arabic Day-Dates of the past. The watch is cased in platinum, a further nod to the original Day-Dates made for the region.
A few updates make this watch an exceedingly modern and fresh watch. The most obvious is the ice blue dial, which Rolex exclusively uses to complement its platinum watches. A statement piece, its 40mm case has a great wrist presence and gives the watch incredible weight, truly attesting to Rolex's ingenuity. This watch is presented in "new-old-stock" condition with its original accessories.
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.
Ref. 228206 A very rare, highly attractive and “new-old-stock" platinum wristwatch with center seconds, Arabic day, date, Eastern Arabic numerals, bracelet, guarantee and presentation box
Circa 2019 40mm diameter Case, dial, movement, bracelet and clasp signed