From SwissWatchExpo… Spotlight on: Rare and unique Rolex watches…
you’ve probably never seen before.
Rolex is one of the world’s most coveted brands. An instant communicator of status
and success.
It’s design DNA is so strong, its most popular designs can be easily recognized even from
afar. Of course, it took generations to create the iconic watches we know and love today.
The result is an amazing archive of timepieces – ones that you’ve probably never seen
before. Let’s check out some of Rolex’s unique, archival pieces.
The Rolex Zerographe from 1937. If we are to trace the provenance of Rolex’s most
important features, we’ll find many in the Zerographe.
It’s astonishing in many respects: it was created before World War II, is the first
Rolex chronograph to feature an in-house movement, and the first Rolex to feature a rotating
bezel.
It was never produced commercially, however, and is more of a final design.
It is estimated that Rolex made up to twelve pieces, with only four known to be in existence
today. It looks most like the Rolex Turn-o-graph, which also featured many firsts in Rolex history.
The Rolex Padellone of 1949. Rolex has always been focused on robust tool watches — so
this triple calendar moonphase is quite special.
The Padellone’s 38mm dial was large for the time, so it got its name from the Italian
word for ‘big frying pan’. There are only about 1,000 of these special watches
ever made.
Rolex would wait until 2017 to bring back the moonphase complication in one of their
watches - this time in the Rolex Cellini Moonphase.
Unlike other models on this list, the Space Dweller looks very familiar. It is a special
edition of the Rolex Explorer I made especially for the Japanese market.
In 1963, the astronauts of Project Mercury, the United States’ first man-in-space program,
were so well-received during their visit to Japan, that Rolex decided to capitalize on
their popularity.
Rolex replaced the dial of the Rolex Explorer ref 1016 with one that says “Space Dweller”.
Released in limited quantities and only in Japan, this is a rarity among Rolex timepieces.
Here’s another Rolex that was never offered to the public. The Yachtmaster Daytona of
1965 – a prototype of today’sYachtmaster.
The actual Rolex Yacht-Master would not be introduced until 1992, but thirty years before
that, the company had already been experimenting with this 39mm nautical watch.
This prototype has been dubbed as the “Yachtmaster Daytona” by watch circles, as it looks more
like the Daytona. There are only three pieces known in existence, one of which was owned
by Grammy-winning artist Eric Clapton.
And finally we have the Rolex Submariner Prototype from the 1970s, with only three pieces known
to exist.
This very interesting looking timepiece created a lot of interest in 2017, and ended up becoming
the most expensive Rolex Submariner sold publicly.
Its bezel is knurled in two opposing directions and features a blue nipple dial with gold
markers and hands. It looks very much like the present day Rolex Yacht Master, doesn't
it?
Fascinating, and even mind boggling, Rolex has a rich history of unique timepieces.
Which design was your favorite? Tell us in the comments section.
Want to learn more about Rolex? Click on the upper right screen, for our All About Rolex
playlist.
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