Posts by Erik Gustafson
16808 Rolex Submariner, Yellow Gold
It only took two short decades for the Submariner to rise from utilitarian instrument to object of desire. The Submariner was first made in gold in 1969, with the 1680/8. This was the very start of the premiumisation Rolex is built on today. And yet, that very genesis of Rolex-as-luxury has never looked better than…
Read MoreTropical Dial 6265 Rolex Daytona
In vintage and particularly Rolex, the name of the game is rarely determined by the reference number alone. Unless very rare, it’s about the dial, condition, and life it has lived. The 6265 is not a rare watch. It was produced, and it’s also mega-desirable. It’s also the last of the manual Daytonas and that,…
Read MoreFirst Series 3941J Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar
There may never be a Patek Philippe this beautiful again. To those paying close attention, this era (Philippe Stern’s) is really having a moment. 3940, 3970, and 5004: they may as well be their own ‘holy trinity’ within the brand and there really is a magic about each that is beginning to be fully appreciated…
Read MoreMark 2 ‘Freccione’ 1655 Rolex Explorer II
The 1655 is one of the strangest anachronisms of the Rolex four-digit. By comparison to a GMT or Sub, it takes a very specific kind of collector: one who appreciates the start of a story, how a case wears, and dial beauty to exclusion of utility. We usually think of the Explorer II today as…
Read More‘Piano’ Dial 5711/1A-011 Patek Philippe Nautilus
I know, a 5711 isn’t our usual fare. But we bring this example up in Finds because there’s a very interesting historic footnote to the ‘Piano’ dial, as the 5711/1A-011 is known, that is never talked about. Now, there’s no scenario in which this would be a first round pick ahead of any 3700 for…
Read MoreTropical Dial ‘Monoblocco’ 3525 Rolex Chronograph, Yellow Gold
Every Daytona we love, if you go back far enough, can trace its origin here. But particularly to the JPS and Lemon dials of our world, this is grandfather. This is the ref. 3525, not the first Rolex chronograph, but likely the first Oyster-cased Rolex chronograph. It goes by ‘Monoblocco’, ‘Barilotto’, and ‘Prisoner of War’…
Read More425.050 A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold
(A special note for today’s Find, the actual example being sold at K2 Luxury is pictured last, other photography is of a separate example sold last year by our friends at Perpetual, who captured it perfectly at that time.) Before the Datograph Honey-Lumen or Handwerkskunt, there was this. It doesn’t fall neatly into any normal…
Read More‘Doorstop’ Dial 1803 Rolex Day-Date, Pink Gold
Doorstops aren’t cool. But they’re insanely cool when placed on dials as indices. This is a pink gold 1803, which is a pretty sick thing in itself. But the two angled markers at 6 and 9 make it something I can get really excited about. Pink gold really isn’t a normal thing, most who know…
Read MoreFirst Generation 403.035 A. Lange & Söhne Datograph
If there is such a thing as a modern classic of watchmaking, the Datograph is it. We all know, we all adore, the first L951.1 Datograph ref. 403.035. But they’re not all quite the same. This is a first generation dial, which although very minutely differs from the Datographs which followed, is meaningfully different even…
Read More6262 Rolex Daytona
The ref. 6262 is known as the transitional Daytona, only in production for around one year. It featured the upgraded high-beat Valjoux 727 with pump pushers, but was quickly replaced by the 6265 with Oyster pushers only. The 6262 (metal bezel) & 6264 (acrylic) were the bridge to the better-known Oyster pusher 6265 (metal) and…
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