Rolex. An extremely rare and attractive 18K white gold and diamond-set automatic wristwatch with sweep centre seconds and date
Lot 137

Rolex. An extremely rare and attractive 18K white gold and diamond-set automatic wristwatch with sweep centre seconds and date

SIGNED ROLEX, OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST, REF. 6305, CASE NO. 79'762, CIRCA 1950

Closed12 May 2014

Price Realised

CHF 56,250

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Rolex. An extremely rare and attractive 18K white gold and diamond-set automatic wristwatch with sweep centre seconds and date
Signed Rolex, Oyster Perpetual Datejust, ref. 6305, case no. 79'762, circa 1950
Cal A.296 automatic movement, 25 jewels, silvered brushed dial, applied diamond numerals, sweep centre seconds, magnified window for red and black date, tonneau-shaped water-resistant-type case, screw back, screw down crown, stainless steel Rolex buckle, case, dial and movement signed
35 mm. diam.

Specialist note

The present ref. 6305, a reference already very sought after by Rolex collectors for being one of the earliest incarnations of the iconic Datejust model, also sports one of the rarest case/dial combinations ever made for this reference. Produced during a short period of time in the mid-1950s, reference 6205 (and its /1 and /2 variants) is predominantly known in yellow gold, pink gold and stainless steel cases. White gold examples featuring diamond-set dials however are exceedingly rare. According to our research, only two other white gold ref. 6305 with diamond indexes have appeared in public to date, however both with a black dial. Consequently, the present watch is virtually unknown to the public, and may possibly be a unique piece.

Beyond its rarity, the icy beauty imparted to the watch by the white metal case, the brushed silvered dial and the diamond markers simply enthralls the beholder. The "icing on the cake" for the avid collector is the remarkable condition of the piece: the writings on the spotless dial as raised as when the watch left the factory, and the case preserving intact its original proportions.