Rolex - STYLED. Timeless Watches & How to Wear Them New York Wednesday, December 5, 2018 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1977
    Reference No: 1803
    Movement No: DD'258'491
    Case No: 5’056’042
    Model Name: Day-Date, "Stella"
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1556, 26 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Leather
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold-plated Rolex buckle
    Dimensions: 36mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement, buckle signed.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Since its inception in 1956, the Day-Date has been associated with luxury, privilege, and success. It has adorned the wrists of presidents and dignitaries, been worn in board rooms and galas around the world, always faithfully serving the men and women who chose to wear it. The Day-Date is still in production today, and many vintage varieties have acquired their own collecting categories, including those fitted with so-called “Stella” dials, a gleaming and colorful lacquered dial style produced by Rolex in the 1970s and 1980s.

    Today, scholars infer that its name derives from the dazzling multi-layered lacquer coating, which displays vibrant and rich colors that glimmer like stars, hence the name "Stella". While the horological community hypothesizes that the model was originally intended for import to the Middle Eastern market, "Stella" dials have gained international recognition due to their many vividly colored iterations and delicate appearance.

    This green "Stella" Day-Date is preserved in remarkable condition. The dial is pristine, and the lacquer exhibits an exquisitely rich leafy green tone. The luminous hour markers have aged evenly with the hands taking on a warm yellow patina, and each luminous dot is perfectly preserved. Most impressive are the edges around the day and date apertures, as the lacquer is smoothly and precisely applied, attesting to Rolex's stringent standards in quality.

  • 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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Ref. 1803
A rare and very attractive yellow gold calendar wristwatch with green lacquer “Stella” dial

Circa 1977
36mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement, buckle signed.

Estimate
$12,000 - 18,000 
CHF12,000-17,900
€10,400-15,600
HK$94,100-141,000

Sold for $32,500

Contact Specialist
Paul Boutros
Head of Watches, Americas
+1 212 940 1293
pboutros@phillips.com

STYLED. Timeless Watches & How to Wear Them

New York Auction 5 December 2018