Rolex. A rare stainless steel automatic dual time wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, small 24 hours arrow, date, black gloss dial with gilt designations, pointed crown guards and bracelet, made for the Peruvian air force

Over the years, Rolex made special series of timepieces for various organizations, including military divisions of various countries. One of these organizations has been the Peruvian Air Force. FAP Rolexes (Acronym of Fuerza Aerea del Perú) are nowadays extremely collectible, due to their rarity and difficulty of finding well-preserved specimens. The present timepiece not only is indeed one of the fabled FAP Rolexes, but it has a number of special characteristics that make it even more desirable: it is one of the early GMTs, sporting a case with pointed crown guard - nicknamed "Cornino" by Italian collectors - and the black gloss dial with gilt writing correct for the case serial number. It is preserved in remarkable condition for a military watch over 50 years old. The 24 hours hand features the small arrow at the end ("Freccino", in the slang of the Italian rolexisti community), rather than the usual large arrow. Icing on the cake is the misspelling of the word Perú engraved in the case back: it lacks the accent on Perú". It might be a very long time before a GMT incorporating so many special traits into one case will be seen on the market again.