Phillips Split Chronograph Poster

...Rolex Studio Shot of The Day...

Phillips Split Chronograph Poster

44MM 1942 Split Chronograph

I can't seem to stop staring at this MAGNIFICENT piece of Rolex art. Phillips Auction House created this AMAZING illustration with radical artist @guy.allen of the oversized 1942 Rolex Reference 4113 split chronograph from their auction back in early 2020. This is a really STUNNING piece of art!

Hard To Believe!?!? Another Rolex Reference 4113 from John Goldberger The Most Beautiful 4113 In The World!

Hard To Believe!?!?

Another Rolex Reference 4113 from John Goldberger

"The Most Beautiful 4113 In The World!"

Two days ago, a new auction record was set by Christie's Auction House in Geneva when they sold a 1942 Rolex Split-Seconds Chronograph for $1.16 Million.

This watch is very rare and there are only 8 known examples in existence. Back in 2008, I showcased another example of the elusive Rolex Reference 4113 owned by John Goldberger, and just yesterday, John Goldberger sent me and email and said:

Hi Jake!

I just thought I would show you the most beautiful Rolex Reference 4113 in the World! My friend bought it one month ago.

Ciao John

Record Setting Rolex Auction Price $1.16 Million 1942 Rolex Split-Seconds Chronograph [44mm: Reference 4113]

Record Setting Rolex Auction Price: $1.16 Million

1942 Rolex Split-Seconds Chronograph

[Stainless Steel 44mm: Reference 4113]

On May 16, 2011, Christie's Auction House in Geneva set an all-time record for the selling price of a Rolex when they successfully auctioned a very rare 1942 Rolex Chronograph [Reference 4113] for $1.16 Million. As legend has it, Rolex made 12 of these watches, and there are only 8 known to exist today.

The ethos of this model is shrouded in mystery. As a matter of fact, Rolex never showcased or made this model available to the public, and it was never documented or illustrated in any Rolex collateral material. Christie's suggested it was possible these watches were made as gifts to famous race car drivers and team owners during the early 1940s. Others speculate these watches were made for the Italian Army during World War II.

One of the very interesting features of this rare model it that it is a whopping 44mm, which means it is not quite as large as the 47mm Panerai watches Rolex made during the same era (for the Italian Royal Navy) but pretty large. The Rolex Reference 4113 remains to this day the only split-seconds chronograph Rolex has ever made.

Back in 2008, I showcased another known example of the Rolex 4113.

Here is the Christie's Auction House video of the Rolex Reference 4113

The Rarest Rolex from John Goldberger...

The Rarest Rolex In The World

John Goldberger is a Rolex connoisseur/collector. His passion for excellent, beautiful and rare Rolex watches is both intoxicating and awe-inspiring at the same time.

John is from Italy, and he recently wrote an amazing Rolex book named 100 Superlative Rolex Watches which contains Rolex watches from the top 5 Rolex connoisseur's on earth–including his own magnificent collection. You can read the review and also listen to the detailed podcast interview by clicking here.

Last year, John took this photo of what he refers to as the rarest Rolex, a Reference 4113, split-chronograph. Rolex only made 12 of these watches in 1943 for the Italian Army. 

The watch came from the Mondani collection and was originally auctioned by Antiquorum in 2006. John also owns another one of the 12 which you can find in his book on page 62. 

Click on image for great detail

John Goldberger took this stunning photograph of his prized possession split-chronometer next to jumbo stone crab claws at Garcia's Restaurant in Miami, Florida. Those claws are really jumbo because the Rolex Reference 4413 split-chronograph is a whopping 44mm.

The Rolex split-chronographs have a Valjoux 55 caliber movement. John mentioned in his email to me that "This caliber was used in other split chronographs like the 24h. Chronograph by Universal (made also for Italian military supplier Cairelli in Rome.)"

The Rolex has a matt silvered dial with pink gold relief Arabic and Baton indexes, with an outer 1/5 seconds division, outer black tachometer scale along with a blue inner telemeter scale. The watch also has pink gold Baton hands and a subsidiary seconds and 30-minute register dial.

In the future we are going to do a detailed story on this watch.