Rolex. A very fine, rare and attractive 18K gold automatic wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, date and bronze-coloured dial, made for the Sultanate of Oman
On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT wil… Read more
Rolex. A very fine, rare and attractive 18K gold automatic wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, date and bronze-coloured dial, made for the Sultanate of Oman

Signed Rolex, Oyster Perpetual, Datejust, Ref. 1601, Case No. 3’295’628, circa 1973

Details
Rolex. A very fine, rare and attractive 18K gold automatic wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, date and bronze-coloured dial, made for the Sultanate of Oman
Signed Rolex, Oyster Perpetual, Datejust, Ref. 1601, Case No. 3’295’628, circa 1973
Movement: cal. 1570, automatic, 26 jewels, signed
Dial: red Khanjar, signed
Case: screw back, inside case back stamped 1601, 35 mm. diam., signed
With: 18K gold Rolex buckle
Special notice
On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT will be charged at 8% on both the premium as well as the hammer price. Many of the watches offered for sale in this catalogue are pictured with straps made of endangered or protected animal materials such as alligator or crocodile. These endangered species straps are shown for display purposes only and are not for sale. Christie’s will remove and retain the strap prior to shipment from the sale site. At some sale sites, Christie’s may, at its discretion, make the displayed endangered species strap available to the buyer of the lot free of charge if collected in person from the sale site within 1 year of the date of the sale. Please check with the department for details on a particular lot. On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT will be charged at 7.7% on both the premium as well as the hammer price.

Lot Essay

Part of an exceedingly rare series made especially for His Majesty Qaboos Bin Said Al Said, Sultan of Oman, the present Rolex Datejust is bestowed with the rare and desirable red Khanjar to its dial, further distinguished by its unusual bronze-colour.

With an increasing appeal from astute collectors, timepieces featuring such emblems to their dials are set apart from their contemporaries. A noticeable peculiarity, the present timepiece further distinguishes itself through the placement of the Khanjar at 9 o’clock instead of the more common location at 6 o’clock.

The Khanjar
Stability came to Oman only after the end of the Dhofar rebellion in 1976 with the help of Iranian, Jordanian and British forces. It was leading up to and during this period that Sultan Qaboos was ordering watches from Patek Philippe, Rolex and Audemars Piguet via Asprey in London who, having direct access to him, coordinated the commissions and supplied the final purchases. Naturally these special watches were personalized with Oman’s “Khanjar” emblem making them very special and highly prized gifts for those lucky enough to receive them.

More from Rare Watches

View All
View All