Press Release


FR / IT / ES
ANTIQUORUM AUCTIONEERS Press Contact: Michelle Halpern Tel. +1 212 750 1103 pressusa@antiquorum.com


For Immediate Release Antiquorum Celebrates a Century of Rolex Watches with a Thematic Sale New York, January 22, 2008. - The year 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of Rolex. Antiquorum Auctioneers, the world’s leading auction house for timepieces, will celebrate this important event with the exceptional sale “Revolution: The Evolution of the Rolex Sport Watch” on April 17th at Antiquorum’s US headquarters located at 595 Madison Avenue in New York City. History Rolex revolutionized the concept of the sport watch with the invention of the Rolex “Oyster”, the first water-proof and air tight wristwatch that survived Mercedes Gleitze’s swim across the English Channel lasting 15 hours, after which the watch functioned perfectly; thus marking the true birth of the sport watch. Following this great invention were many subsequent developments including the Explorer, the Turn-o-Graph, the Submariner, the Cosmograph, the Milgauss, the Sea-Dweller, and the Explorer II. These Rolex watches were among the first to be created for use in specific professions or recreational pursuits. Rolex’s 100 year history is a testament to its constant evolution and product development. The sport watches that we wear today are products of this dedication to progress. Antiquorum’s upcoming April 17th sale will offer a glimpse into this evolution of the Rolex sport watch and the impact the revolutionary “Oyster” case has had on the entire industry. We have selected - with care and great enthusiasm - the best available examples to represent the historical development of these important timepieces.

Highlights
		Prototye Rolex “Sea Dweller” Ref. 1665 Extremely rare prototype Ref. 1665 without a gas escape valve. Made in 1967.Oyster Perpetual Date rated to 2000 ft (610 meters). Center - seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, stainless steel wristwatch. Estimate: $100,000 – $ 150,000


		Rolex Comex Ref. 168000 Rolex Comex “ Submariner 1000 ft = 300m” Ref 168000. Made for Comex in 1988. Center- seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, stainless steel diver’s wristwatch without helium escape valve and gloss dial. It is believed 100 examples of this reference were made for Comex. Estimate: $ 90,000 - $ 100,000


		Rolex “SBS” Submariner Ref. 5517 Oyster Perpetual, Submariner, 660 ft= 2oo m”. Made in 1972 for the British Special Boat Service and issued in 1978. Center-seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, stainless steel military diver’s wristwatch with black bezel with 60- minute divisions and fixed bar lugs. Estimate: $ 80,000 - $ 100,000


		Rolex Comex “Submariner 660ft = 200m” – Ref. 5513/5514. Made for Comex in the 1970’s. Center - seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, stainless steel diver’s wristwatch with helium escape valve. Estimate: $ 70,000 – $ 90,000


		Rolex Milgauss Ref 6541- Rolex Oyster- Perpetual “ Milgauss” Ref 6541. Made in 1958. Antimagnetic, water-resistant, center- seconds, self-winding, stainless steel gentleman’s wristwatch “lightning flash” seconds hand and “honeycomb” dial. Estimate: $ 50,000 – $ 70,000

		Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6239 So-called “Paul Newman”. Made in 1969. A stainless steel, water-resistant, gentleman’s wristwatch with round button chronograph, registers, and tachometer. Estimate: $ 50,000 - $ 70,000


		Rolex Submariner Ref. 6538 Rolex Submariner so-called James Bond Ref. 6538. Production of this reference started circa 1954. A stainless steel, water-resistant, gentleman’s wristwatch with depth indication. It is thought that Sean Connery in 1962 wore this watch in his role as James Bond in“Dr No”. Estimate: $ 40,000 – $ 60,000


		Rolex GMT Master Ref. 6542 Produced in 1958. Center-seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, stainless steel gentleman’s wristwatch, Perspex bezel, two-time zone indication, and date. The Ref. 6542 is the first version of the GMT models without the crown-guard system. Estimate: $ 35,000 – $ 45,000


		Rolex “Turn-O-Graph” Ref. 6202 – “Turn-O-Graph” with white honeycomb dial and revolving bezel. Made in 1953, sold in 1954. Estimate: $ 30,000 - $ 50,000.


		Rolex “Milgauss” Ref. 1019 Made in 1970. Antimagnetic, water- resistant to 50 m, center- seconds, self-winding, stainless steel gentleman’s wristwatch. Estimate: $ 25,000 - $ 35,000

		Rolex “Blackout” Submariner Ref. 6204 Made in 1954. Center-seconds, self-winding, stainless steel gentleman’s wristwatch with black graduated bezel. Estimate: $ 20,000 - $ 30,000

		Rolex “Space Dweller” Ref. 1016 Extremely rare, first introduced to the Japanese market in 1963, just after a visit to Japan by the Mercury astronauts. Estimate: $ 20,000 -$ 30,000.

		Rolex GMT Ref. 1675 Extremely rare and possibly unique Ref 1675 with display back. Sold on March 2, 1962.Superlative Chronometer officially certified two-time-zone, center-seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, stainless steel wristwatch with date and special 24 hour bezel. Estimate: $ 20,000 – $ 30,000.


		Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6265 Sold in 1981. A stainless steel, water-resistant, gentleman’s wristwatch with round button chronograph, registers, and tachometer. Estimate: $ 20,000 – $ 25,000

		Rolex Explorer II Ref. 1655 So called “Steve McQueen” or “Freccione”. Made in 1981. Center- seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, stainless steel wristwatch with date, special 24 hour bezel and large orange hand. Estimate: $ 20,000 -$25,000

		Rolex Submariner “Panama Canal” Ref 16610 Rare center-seconds, self-winding, water-resistant to 330 meters stainless steel gentleman’s wristwatch. Made by Rolex to commemorate the transfer of the Panama Canal from the US to the republic of Panama on Dec. 31, 1999. Only 75 examples have been produced and sold worldwide. Estimate: $ 10,000 – $ 15,000.


Auction: April 17 Antiquorum Auctioneers The New York TimeZone, 595 Madison Avenue, 5th floor New York City World Tour Preview Dates: Hong Kong - March 29 & 30 Antiquorum Auctioneers 9 Queens Rd, suite 1405 Central, Hong Kong 11am - 7pm Beijing - April 1 & 2 Solomon Club Tourneau 1F01, No.A2, Kun Lun Gallery Xinyuan South Road Chaoyang District, Beijing 11am - 7pm Tokyo – April 4 & 5 Rodeo Drive - Jiyugaoka Yakumo 3-24-9 Yakumo Meguro-ku, Tokyo April 4:11am-6pm, 7pm-9pm(cocktail) April 5: 11am-6pm Geneva - April 7 & 8 Antiquorum Auctioneers 2 Rue du Mont-Blanc, Geneva 10am - 6pm Los Angeles - April 10 Hours Minutes Seconds The Beverly Hilton 9876 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90210 11am-6pm Thousand Oaks – April 11 Sherwood Country Club The Fairway Room 320 West Stafford Road Thousand Oaks Ca. 91361 4pm-8pm Mandatory RSVP: Please call the concierge at 805-496-3036 Fee: $50 (cocktails & horsdeuvres will be served) Please note as this is a private club there is a no denim or cell phone policy. Please also remember to bring driver’s license for id purposes. New York* – April 13 -16 Antiquorum Auctioneers The New York TimeZone 595 Madison Avenue, 5th floor April 13: 2pm -7pm April 14: 10 am – 7pm April 15: 10 am -7pm April 16: 10 am – 7pm April 17: from 9 am For more information, please click on the below link to our website: http://www.antiquorum-japan.com/rolex/about.html

Antiquorum is, unquestionably, the world’s leading watch auctioneer; Of the 62 watches ever sold publicly by major auction houses above SFR. 1,000,000, Antiquorum claims an impressive 44 . In 2002, Antiquorum established the all-time world record price for a wristwatch at auction when it sold a platinum Patek Phililppe World Time Ref. 1415 from 1939 for an astounding CHF 6,603,500 (US$ 4,026,524). This record-breaking price more than doubled the previous world record price for a wrist watch at auction. Another record price for a modern watch was achieved in 2004, the unique white gold Calibre 89, also by Patek Phlipe, was sold for SFr. 6,603,500 (US$ 5,002,652).


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