ROLEX, DAY-DATE REF. 1803/8 ‘QABOOS’, A FINE AND RARE GOLD AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH WITH THE SIGNATURE OF SULTAN QABOOS BIN SAID AND RETAILED BY ASPREY

It was common practice among Gulf royalty and prominent Government establishments in the Middle East to commission watches with their names/ logos etc on the dial. These were given as State gifts or as commemorative tokens to people or diplomats or business partners.

Within the esoteric world of watch collecting, these watches with “Arab Dials” were deemed more collectible than the regular production versions.A man of undeniably exquisite taste and also a watch enthusiast, the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, owned and offered as gifts innumerable timepieces.Depending on the level and importance of the occasion, gifts of an "horological nature" vary from simple timepieces to fine Rolex watches.

The present timepiece has the ‘Asprey’ engraving on the caseback, on the inside of the caseback, in addition to the usual casemaker indication, the serial number is engraved above the reference number. This is a characteristic that is typical of special orders and was executed by prestigious London retailer Asprey.