Rolex. An extremely rare and highly attractive stainless steel and pink gold chronograph wristwatch with bracelet
Rolex. An extremely rare and highly attractive stainless steel and pink gold chronograph wristwatch with bracelet
Rolex. An extremely rare and highly attractive stainless steel and pink gold chronograph wristwatch with bracelet
5 More
Rolex. An extremely rare and highly attractive stainless steel and pink gold chronograph wristwatch with bracelet
8 More
On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT wil… Read more ROLEXStainless Steel and Pink Gold Ref. 3525 Formerly the Property of the Late Andy WarholThe Property of an Important Private Italian Collector
Rolex. An extremely rare and highly attractive stainless steel and pink gold chronograph wristwatch with bracelet

Signed Rolex, Oyster Chronographe, Anti-Magnetique, ref. 3525, case no. 262'191, circa 1943

Details
Rolex. An extremely rare and highly attractive stainless steel and pink gold chronograph wristwatch with bracelet
Signed Rolex, Oyster Chronographe, Anti-Magnetique, ref. 3525, case no. 262'191, circa 1943
Movement: cal. 13''' 23 VZ, manual, 17 jewels, signed
Dial: signed
Case: screw back and screw down “Oyster Patent” crown, 35 mm. diam., signed
With: stainless steel and pink gold expanding riveted Oyster bracelet and deployant clasp, overall length approx. 170 mm., original catalogue of Sotheby’s, The Andy Warhol Collection, Jewelry and Watches, Part II, New York, 4 December 1988

Provenance
The Andy Warhol Collection, Jewelry and Watches, Part II, Sold for the Benefit of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Sotheby's New York, 4 December 1988, lot 250.

Andy Warhol (1928-1987)
The American artist is one of the most recognisable figures of the 20th century and is perhaps even more famous today than during his lifetime.

A leading figure in the art movement known as “pop art”, Warhol’s work combined artistic expression with celebrity culture and advertising of the 1960s. Some of his best known works include the silkscreen paintings “Campbell's Soup Cans” (1962), "Marilyn” (1962) and “Reigning Queens” (1985). Warhol’s New York studio, The Factory, became a well-known gathering place that brought together intellectuals, drag queens, Bohemian street people and Hollywood celebrities.

He surrounded himself with an assortment of personalities known as the “Warhol superstars” and is credited with coining the expression "15 minutes of fame." He authored several books, including “The Philosophy of Andy Warhol” and “Popism: The Warhol Sixties”.

An inveterate collector, Warhol amassed a huge collection of Objects and artworks of all kinds, known to his friends as “Andy’s stuff”. The collection was sold after his death in a mammoth 10-day auction held by Sotheby’s New York between 23 April and 3 May 1988. A further sale of Warhol’s jewellery and watches, including the present ref. 3525, was held on 4 December 1988.

Literature
The present watch is prominently illustrated in: 100 Superlative Rolex Watches, John Goldberger, 2008, p. 84.
Special notice
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

Not only is the present watch a very rare and highly desirable vintage wristwatch in its own right but it also has the distinction of once being the personal property of one of the most famous and enduring artists of the 20th century, Andy Warhol, an obsessive collector renowned for his excellent taste in fine watches, perfectly reflected in this Rolex reference 3525 with timeless appeal. It was sold as lot 250 during the sale of his extensive jewellery and watch collections in New York on 4 December 1988, then fitted with a leather strap which was replaced to a later date by the present, perfectly matching stainless steel and pink gold version.

The rarest variant of the celebrated model, featuring a stainless steel case with pink gold bezel, this ref. 3525 is doubtlessly also one of the most appealing and attractive examples. It impresses with a superb multi-scale dial with both tachymeter and telemeter scales and raised gilt numerals and indexes, showing a gently aged, extremely beautiful and soft patina, free of any cosmetic enhancements.

The Oyster case has retained excellent proportions, the numbers are crisp and clearly readable, the original Oyster Patent crown is still present. Made during the intermediate production of the reference, the serial number is stamped on the outside of the case back and the reference number inside, as opposed to between the lugs, a feature of later models.

Presented with an equally rare steel and gold riveted expanding bracelet, this ref. 3525 chronograph offers collectors truly a rare opportunity to acquire an already serious vintage Rolex further imbued with the inestimable cachet of once belonging to Andy Warhol, undoubtedly a great addition to any watch collection.

Reference 3525
Introduced to the market in 1939, reference 3525 was made for the duration of the Second World War with production ending in 1945. Available in pink gold, yellow gold, stainless steel or steel and gold it was an important landmark model for Rolex, the reference being the very first chronograph wristwatch to be fitted with a water-resistant “Oyster” case with screw down crown.

Reference 3525 has the further distinction of being known as the “POW” or prisoner of war watch since it was the model supplied directly by Rolex to captured Western Allied airmen incarcerated in German camps, including Stalag Luft III made famous by the movie “Great Escape”.

More from Rare Watches

View All
View All