Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Ultra-Rare Rolex Custom Enamel Watch...


Questionable Authenticity

Alert: It has come to our attention after publishing this story that the authenticity of the enameled dial on this watch is questionable. This information comes from one of our resident experts, and author of 100 Superlative Rolex Watches, John Goldberger who said:

"This dial was manufactured in the 1990's in Switzerland and the original cloisonné dial was supplied in the 1950's from Cadran Stern Frerés company and they never manufactured a dial with the American Eagle. I think also there is a mistake in the Latin "motto" on the dial! A few of these watches appared in some European Auctions, one of these had a letter from Rolex , but the truth is Rolex doesn't know anything about the provenance of the dial. The quality of the dial is very good but it's 100% fake."

John Goldberger is one of the foremost experts on vintage Rolex watches on planet earth and I trust his evaluation. I did notice the misspelling of "E Pluribus Unum" with the second "U" in "Unum" being an "I" but I assumed it was because the enamel had fallen off.

American Eagle Rolex

I have never been a big fan of watches with hand enameled dials, but I must say this Rolex completely blew me away when I first saw it. According to the owner "It is a super rare Eagle Logo made for a U.S. General and it has all the paperwork and provenance from Rolex."

Many years ago Rolex used to do custom work, but I don't think they offer custom services anymore. The watch was probably made before 1956 because the watch has the Seal of the United States that says, "E Pluribus Unum" which means "Out of Many, One." The reason it must be pre-1956 is because the U.S. changed the seal in 1956 to say "In God We Trust."

The design of this Rolex is very interesting because it has a definite 1950s Populux vibe, with the unusually interesting dauphin hands with the missing lume. I assume the lume disintegrated over the years, but it makes the hands look even cooler.

Also, the juxtaposition between the eagle and the Rolex crown is fascinating because they are both internationally renowned symbols of distinction.

What an amazingly masterpiece!!!


Photo Credit: Tuscanyrose