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Lot 279 PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR
Rolex. A very rare and important stainless steel automatic wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, date, gas escape valve, bracelet and box, made for Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said
SIGNED ROLEX, OYSTER PERPETUAL DATE, RETAILED BY ASPREY, REF. 1665, CASE NO. 3'566'927, MANUFACTURED IN 1973
Closed11 May 2015
Price Realised
CHF 197,000
More Information
Specialist note
With Rolex green presentation box, the top printed with the Oman national emblem consisting of two crossed swords and the khanjar, the traditional Oman dagger.
The present watch is one of the exceedingly rare examples of a Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 made to special order for the Royal household of the Sultanate of Oman, or more precisely for the Sultan of Oman (1970 - Present): Qaboos bin Said Al Said. The collaboration between Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and Rolex started in the early 1970s with the Sultan's wish to show his gratitude to the members of the British Special Forces, SAS, who had successfully assisted him in his fight against rebels from 1970 to 1976. It is believed that he ordered less than 100 examples of the Sea-Dweller ref. 1665, the dial featuring either the red Khanjar symbol or his signature, the serial numbers ranging from 3'566'9xx to 3'567'0xx. The watches were retailed by Asprey London, the case backs engraved "Asprey" on the opposite side of the Rolex logo. All inside case backs featured the relevant serial number.
Only a small number of these "Qaboos" Sea-Dwellers have resurfaced in public, rendering them extremely sought after trophies in today's collectors market.
Qaboos bin Said (born 18 November 1940, Muscat and Oman), Sultan of Oman
The 14th-generation descendant of the founder of the Al Bu Sa'idi dynasty, Qaboos bin Said Al Said was educated at Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk, England, and at Sandhurst, the Royal Military Academy, in Berkshire. He was called home in 1965 by his father, Said ibn Taymur, who kept his son a virtual prisoner for six years while maintaining his subjects in a state of relative underdevelopment despite the country's growing oil revenues.
In 1970 Qaboos took over the palace in a coup with British support and exiled his father. He immediately undertook a range of ambitious modernization projects, including constructing roads, hospitals, schools, communications systems, and industrial and port facilities. He abrogated his father's moralistic laws and established a Council of Ministers (cabinet) and first one and later two consultative bodies. Political power, however, remained concentrated in the royal family, although Qaboos's regime gradually allowed other Omanis (including women) to participate in the government. He also made considerable progress in ending Oman's isolation by joining the Arab League and the United Nations, aligning his country with the moderate Arab powers.
The present watch is one of the exceedingly rare examples of a Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 made to special order for the Royal household of the Sultanate of Oman, or more precisely for the Sultan of Oman (1970 - Present): Qaboos bin Said Al Said. The collaboration between Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and Rolex started in the early 1970s with the Sultan's wish to show his gratitude to the members of the British Special Forces, SAS, who had successfully assisted him in his fight against rebels from 1970 to 1976. It is believed that he ordered less than 100 examples of the Sea-Dweller ref. 1665, the dial featuring either the red Khanjar symbol or his signature, the serial numbers ranging from 3'566'9xx to 3'567'0xx. The watches were retailed by Asprey London, the case backs engraved "Asprey" on the opposite side of the Rolex logo. All inside case backs featured the relevant serial number.
Only a small number of these "Qaboos" Sea-Dwellers have resurfaced in public, rendering them extremely sought after trophies in today's collectors market.
Qaboos bin Said (born 18 November 1940, Muscat and Oman), Sultan of Oman
The 14th-generation descendant of the founder of the Al Bu Sa'idi dynasty, Qaboos bin Said Al Said was educated at Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk, England, and at Sandhurst, the Royal Military Academy, in Berkshire. He was called home in 1965 by his father, Said ibn Taymur, who kept his son a virtual prisoner for six years while maintaining his subjects in a state of relative underdevelopment despite the country's growing oil revenues.
In 1970 Qaboos took over the palace in a coup with British support and exiled his father. He immediately undertook a range of ambitious modernization projects, including constructing roads, hospitals, schools, communications systems, and industrial and port facilities. He abrogated his father's moralistic laws and established a Council of Ministers (cabinet) and first one and later two consultative bodies. Political power, however, remained concentrated in the royal family, although Qaboos's regime gradually allowed other Omanis (including women) to participate in the government. He also made considerable progress in ending Oman's isolation by joining the Arab League and the United Nations, aligning his country with the moderate Arab powers.