Rolex and The Real McCoy's. A very rare stainless steel automatic dual time wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, bracelet, original The Real McCoy's guarantee and box
Lot 245

Rolex and The Real McCoy's. A very rare stainless steel automatic dual time wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, bracelet, original The Real McCoy's guarantee and box

SIGNED ROLEX, OYSTER PERPETUAL DATE, CHUCK YEAGER, GMT-MASTER II, THE REAL MCCOY'S, REF. 16710, CASE NO. U280780, CIRCA 1998

Closed10 November 2014

Price Realised

CHF 12,500

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Rolex and The Real McCoy's. A very rare stainless steel automatic dual time wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, bracelet, original The Real McCoy's guarantee and box
Signed Rolex, Oyster Perpetual Date, Chuck Yeager, GMT-Master II, The Real McCoy's, ref. 16710, case no. U280780, circa 1998
Cal. 3185 automatic movement, 31 jewels, steel rotor, black gloss dial, luminous dot, baton and dagger numerals, luminous mercedes hands, central hand for the second time zone, sweep centre seconds, magnified window for date, tonneau-shaped water-resistant-type case, bi-directional revolving blue and red bezel calibrated for 24 hours, engraved screw back, screw down crown, stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, deployant clasp, case, dial and movement signed by maker, case and dial further signed by retailer
40 mm. diam.

Specialist note

With Original The Real McCoy's guarantee, instruction booklet, Rolex presentation box and outer packaging.

US army Brigadier General Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager is the first man to break the sound barrier. He achieved this feat on board of an X-1 aircraft in 1947, and he did so with a Rolex on his wrist. Consequently, he later became a prominent Rolex spokesman.
In the late '90s, a Japanese company, the real McCoy's, decided to celebrate general Yeager by customizing an extremely limited number of Rolex timepieces. These so-called "Chuck Yeager" are now extremely sought-after collectibles and can be considered the first serially customized wristwatches, years before the fashion of customized timepieces, such as Bamford watches, came to prominence.

The present watch is an example from that production, enthralling with its wonderful condition and with the presence of the original The Real McCoy's guarantee. Scholars agree that there are two different case engravings for the "Chuck Yeager": this lot features the numerated one, with the side view of Yeager's X-1, and the historical date October 14, 1947 below it. It is furthermore engraved 2/50, making this watch one of the very first "Chuck Yeager" ever produced.