Rolex released this magnificent bejeweled at Basel World 2019 and I have to say it is a really stunning work of art. The level of detail and craftsmanship is awe-inspiring!!!
It never ceases to amaze me how many unusual Rolex watches have been made over the past 120 years, and this beauty takes my breath away. It was just auctioned by Joopiter on July 29, for $162,000, which is not surprising.
Joopiter Described the watch:
An ultimate spec Day-Date, the reference 18366 is incredibly rare in any configuration, impossibly so when fitted with a lapis lazuli stone dial.
The true archetype for a luxury sports watch, the model was born in 1956, ever since ingrained itself within the fabric of modern culture. Nicknamed the “Presidential” or simply “Presi” — a misnomer, in fact, as the Day-Date’s standard bracelet bears the official name President, though the watch itself does not — Day-Dates have graced the wrists of figures like Martin Luther King, Gerald Ford, Jack Nicklaus, and even Tony Soprano.
None of those men had a Day-Date quite like this. The ref. 18366 is believed to have begun production in 1989, upon the release of the Rolex caliber 3155 — a “double quickset” movement with day and date adjustment via the crown. This style of baguette diamond setting on the bezel was introduced in the mid-1980s with the yellow gold ref. 18168, but this watch is one of the first crafted in platinum. 24 baguette-cut diamonds, two for each hour segment, are set lengthwise in the bezel. Thicker platinum bars denote each hour, especially useful with this dial.
Lapis lazuli dials are among the most sought-after hard-stone variations from The Crown. Beyond the incredibly rare lacquered “Stella” dials, these stone dials add a pop of color to the Day-Date, a usually austere model. Lapis lazuli features a deep blue look with unique flecks of metallic sparkle throughout — no two are the same, due to the organic nature of the stone. Due to the inherent fragility and high manufacturing cost of hard-stone dials, these are highly collectible in today’s market and likely to increase in rarity in the years to come. The dial of this ref. 18366 is notably free of cracks throughout and preserved in outstanding condition.
Conclusion
This is one seriously cool looking Rolex watch, and if you look closely at the box and papers that came with the watch, you will notice the ROLEX DAY-DATE instruction manual features a photo of then Rolex CEO, André-Jean Heiniger's Rolls Royce, which was also super cool...
The Antiquorum Auction house in Switzerland set an auction record in April of 2009, when the price realized for an 18kt gold Rolex Daytona was auctioned for $315,000.00 (U.S. dollars). Of course, the record has been broken many times since then, but I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at this Rolex auction record from 16 years ago.
This very interesting looking Daytona [Reference 6270/6263] was made in 1985 and has 28 baguettes surrounding the bezel along with 240 diamonds and 9 sapphire indices on the bezel. I believe this one of a kind Rolex watch was custom made for the Sultan Of Oman.
Rolex introduced this all new bejeweled Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in 18CT Yellow Gold, which is AMAZING!!!!!!! I am not really into bejeweled Rolex watches, but some of them are incredibly beautiful, including this MAGNIFICENT DAYTONA!!!!
This is kind of funny. I am not clowning on Steven Tyler when I say "Dude Looks Like A Lady" which is a 1987 Aerosmith song title, but I will point out it is ironic, that it is very typical for women to wear men's Rolex watches, but here we seem to have a Dude wearing a woman's Rolex ;-) Steven Tyler is picture below sporting his trademark bejeweled yellow gold leopard Rolex Daytona.
The photo below is of the yellow gold Rolex Leopard Daytona, and yes it comes from Rolex exactly as you see it. As a matter of fact, that is a Rolex photo.
C'mon and sing it with me now, "Dude, looks like a lady!!!! Dude, Dude, Dude. Dude Looks like a lady." He was a lady...I'm not too sure what this song is about, but it sure is catchy ;-)
Update: It turns out that Steven Tyler ran into Vince Neil of Motley Crue and said "Damn, that dude looks like a lady."
It's funny, because when I look at Steven Tyler, he looks like a morph of Warren Beatty, Carly Simon and Mick Jagger, all mixed into one dude ;-)
Vanessa Bryant, who is Kobe Bryant's wife is picture below sporting a yellow gold Leopard Rolex Daytona. I think this watch looks sexy on the ladies, but few dudes can pull it, and I think it works with Steven Tyler. B.T.W., when I first saw Vanessa Bryant in this photo, I thought she looked like Kim Kardashian or one of her sisters.
These Rolex GMT's are over the top with precious stones on the bezels, lugs and crown guard. I kind of like them because they leave the 5 minutes indices standard with the Maxi Markers and of course I digg the Super Case...
This is a beautiful Ladies Masterpiece Datejust with Pink Sapphires. Very, very rare watch. You and I will probably never see one of these in our lifetime on a woman's wrist.
This Ladies Rolex Masterpiece watch has always been one of my favorites with its stunning array of rubies and diamonds and mother of pearl dial. Granted this watch is over the top and not for every woman, but it is stunningly beautiful.
Historically Rolex has always been extremely secretive and discreet, and no journalists in the past have ever been invited "INSIDE ROLEX" to explore and report on all four Rolex Manufacturing faclities in Switzerland.
In November 2013, this changed when Rolex invited Jake to take an unprecdented journey into the heart of Rolex to learn and report on everything he witnessed and learned.
This Super-Detailed 3 Part Story is a "MUST READ" story for anybody who wants to understand what really makes Rolex tick.
