Tag Archives: Rolex

Rolex Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 Mark II: Mark your dates!

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This Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 Mark II with the tropical dial is being offered for sale by Swiss Auctions on 28 November 2013 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The asking price for this piece, Lot 523, is between US$32,000 and US$38,400 or between MYR108,800 and MYR130,600 (Malaysian Ringgit) [Source: Swiss Auctions catalogue]. Photo: © Swiss Auctions

This Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 Mark II with the tropical dial is being offered for sale by Swiss Auctions on 28 November 2013 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The asking price for this piece, Lot 523, is between US$32,000 and US$38,400 or between MYR108,800 and MYR130,600 (Malaysian Ringgit) [Source: Swiss Auctions catalogue]. Photo: © Swiss Auctions

It is simply described as the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller Ref. 1665 with a brown dial powered by an automatic movement and housed in a 40mm diameter stainless steel case in the catalogue.

This is Lot 523 and it is being offered for sale by Swiss Auctions, a unit of DKSH, on 28 November 2013 during its “Important Timepieces Malaysia Auction” at the Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

What is a clear hint that this is somewhat of a collectible piece is the asking price of between US$32,000 and US$38,400. This piece, ladies and gentlemen, is actually what is known as the Rolex ref. 1665 Mark II with the double red writing (because of the words Sea-Dweller on top of Submariner 2000 with both in red) by collectors.

While the auction catalogue does not classify it as the Mark II, there are good reasons to conclude that it is. Firstly, there is the brown dial, also known as the “tropical” dial as its colour has faded from black to brown.

Secondly, take a closer look at the alphabets “D” and “W” in “SEA-DWELLER”; these two characters seem so close that they appear to be “kissing” and touching each other. This is an important clue for identification, as highlighted in the massive book, Rolex Submariner Story by Franca E Guido Mondani and Lele Ravagnani.

The asking price, based on what is stated in the catalogue, is between MYR108,800 and MYR130,600 (Malaysian Ringgit) or between US$32,000 and US$38,400. In Singapore dollars, it will be somewhere between S$43,000 and S$51,000.

Now the question on most people’s minds would typically be: is this vintage Rolex Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 Mark II reasonably priced?

Well, one Rolex Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 with the tropical dial went for 87,500 Swiss francs (US$92,000) at Christie’s May 2013 auction in Geneva. This sum was way, way above its estimated valuation of between 30,000 and 50,000 Swiss francs.

Of course, one must be mindful that the condition of the watch and many other factors also come into play in terms of valuation.

From the looks of it, this particular piece seems reasonably priced and it will be interesting to see what this piece will ultimately fetch during the Swiss Auctions’ “Important Timepieces” sale in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

For those interested in this piece and others being offered, mark your dates if you are in Southeast Asia, notably Malaysia.

The preview of the auction pieces will be on 26 and 27 November at Starhill Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The auction will be held on Thursday 28 November at the Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur.

Other Rolex articles found on timewerke.com that may be of interest:
i. Rolex Panerai 3646: Because few dared
ii. Rolex GMT Master II: Blue skies, Black nights
iii. Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Goes Platinum

Rolex Panerai 3646: Rare because few dared

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This Rolex Panerai 3646, circa 1940, is being offered for sale at Bonham’s 4 December 2013 auction in London. According to Bonhams, it was made for the German Navy and its estimated value is between £18,000 and £22,000. Photo: © Bonhams

This Rolex Panerai 3646, circa 1940, is being offered for sale at Bonham’s 4 December 2013 auction in London. According to Bonhams, it was made for the German Navy and its estimated value is between £18,000 and £22,000. Photo: © Bonhams

There is a nice history to Panerai wristwatches and it dates back to the 1930s when the company began supplying diver’s wristwatches to the Italian Royal Navy.

Among the early watches was the Rolex Panerai 3646 which is powered by the manual-winding Calibre 618 based on the Cortébert movement and cases supplied by Rolex.

The 47mm Rolex Panerai 3646 seen above was made for the German Navy and is being offered for sale by Bonhams during their 4 December 2013 auction which is being held in London.

The digits “3646” come from the case number given by Rolex, according to Mario Paci in the book Gli Orologi Panerai dal 1936 al 1997 (Panerai watches from 1936 to 1997).

Estimated at between £18,000 and £22,000, this particular diver’s watch offered by Bonhams was issued to a Kampfschwimmer or “combat diver” of the German Navy, states the auctioneer. Such watches were a vital piece of the diver’s equipment, says Paul Maudsley, head of Bonhams Watch Department.

These were produced from around 1938 onwards and only a few exist today. Of course, another reason is that not many were made for there were few such heroes (commandos) of the sea.

In his book Militäruhren (Military Timepieces), Konrad Knirim notes that Kampfschwimmers were volunteers.

Indeed, they were a rare breed of brave gentlemen who ventured where few dared.

Note: Our update on the 4 December 2013 Bonhams sale whereby we featured another auction piece, the Patek Philippe Ref. 3417, can be found in the 24 December 2013 article: Patek Philippe Ref. 3417 Amagnetic: in demand, “present tense”. The Rolex Panerai featured here was sold for £56,250, way above the estimated valuations.

Another Panerai article from timewerke.com that may be of interest:
i. Panerai Radiomir 1940 3 Days Pam 532 Paneristi Forever: when Panerai is forever