33
Rolex
Ref. 8171
“Padellone”
A rare, attractive and well-preserved triple calendar wristwatch with moon phase and Gay Frères bracelet
- Estimate
- $100,000 - 200,000
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- Circa 1953
- Reference No
- 8171
- Movement No
- 67’133
- Case No
- 820’744
- Model Name
- “Padellone”
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 10’’’ ½ , 18 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Riveted stainless steel Gay Frères bracelet, max overall length 210mm
- Clasp/Buckle
- Stainless steel Gay Frères deployant clasp, stamped 3.53
- Dimensions
- 38mm Diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement, and clasp signed
Catalogue Essay
8171s are a curious group of watches – because there are so few of them, results are hard to predict. And the defining trait of the 8171, in my opinion, is the large oversized case, with *what should* be very sharp lugs, and finely detailed rear caseback engravings. Now the vast majority of 8171s you see in the market have rounded lugs, and in many cases, barely, if at all visible rear engravings. But I’m me, and that simply wouldn’t do. So in 2017, when my old Hodinkee contributor and pal Eric Wind was working at another auction house in New York – he told me to have a look at a particular 8171 that had a lot going for it. The case is completely mint – crisp and beautiful, in its original proportions. The caseback engravings crisp as can be. The dial, which features yellow gold hands and hour markers – was starting to age in the way that I like my old watches to look – so that, they, you know, look old. What’s more, it was consigned by the original owner. I saw the watch in person, was blown away by it, and decided to bid. Sadly for me, so did a good friend of mine ended up taking it home for a bit more than what I was prepared to spend. I told him if he ever wanted to move this particular 8171 on, I would love to take it off his hands – and one day, not long after, that’s exactly what happened.
This particular 8171 is, to me, what vintage watch collecting is all about. Wonderful, original condition but not void of personality. The dial has some aging, the case a nick or two, but this watch is so remarkably honest. I quickly found an original Gay Freres Oyster style bracelet – period correct, of course – to put on the watch and I wore it, very carefully, for years and years, to many important events. The 8171 is to me an all time great, and this particular example, coming from the original owner in 2017, is the perfect one to have great pride in its quality and originality, but also wear without concern.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded 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.