Outstanding Rolex Lots from the Upcoming Geneva Watch Auctions

With the November watch auctions in Geneva coming up in just a few days, I can’t help but be reminded that, sometimes, acquiring a Rolex at auction can be a kind of super-delayed retail experience. This is because auction houses often feature younger, crowd-pleasing models that may have been, shall we say, a bit difficult to acquire when they first hit the market.

Don’t get me wrong: this practice is all well and good. After all, getting a watch you’ve been after for years is always a satisfying achievement. And you will, of course, see plenty of those types of Rolex lots in the catalogs of the major Geneva auction houses we are reviewing this week – Christie’s, Phillips, Antiquorum, and Sotheby’s.

But for our lot selections, we’ve gone past the more recent crowd-pleasers to locate outstanding, singular Rolex examples that have a little bit more oomph to them. And most are estimated to be priced accordingly.

After its debut in 1963, the manual-wind Daytona had a successful 25-year run for Rolex, with about 20,000 units produced. That said, only about 10% of those were rendered in 18-karat (or 14-karat) yellow gold.
 

However, even fewer of the Ref. 6263, with its distinctive black acrylic bezel that helped balance out the flowing 18-karat yellow gold presentation, were made. And lot 305 from Antiquorum’s Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces auction is one of them.

This beautiful Cosmograph from 1978 is among the last of the manual-wind Daytonas, which were produced from 1970 to 1987.
 

Estimate: $174,000 to $290,000
Auction Date: November 9th & 10th, 2024

The anti-magnetic Rolex Milgauss might be considered a bit of an outlier to the Rolex-collecting community, and auction prices of typical models can still represent a solid value. But add a whiff of something special, and the value can soar. To wit, lot 137 of Sotheby’s Important Watches: Part 1 auction on November 10th.
 

This Milgauss Ref. 6541, released in 1958 (two years after the model’s inaugural year of 1956), bears a much more sophisticated look than the modern, colorful, almost sci-fi Milgauss executions we associate with later years.

Its 39mm stainless case (with some welcome patina and color fade to the bezel) frames an elegant tropical honeycomb dial. If you breeze past the dial badging and signature “lightning bolt” seconds hands (which was expertly restored by the Rolex Atelier of Restoration), this stealthy vintage beauty could easily be mistaken for a less out-lying vintage Rolex timepiece.
 

Estimate: CHF 150,000 and CHF 250,000
Auction Date: November 10, 2024

Of course, Rolex Submariners are a staple of nearly every watch auction. And per the super-delayed retail effect that I mentioned above, you can usually find several more recent Submariner models (along with various other permutations and executions of the storied dive watch) every auction season. But there are Subs, and then there are SUBS.
 

Lot 133 in Christie’s Rare Watches Including Watches for ELA auction, this 37mm steel Ref. 6200 “Big Crown” from 1954 was born on the cusp of the Rolex Explorer’s intersection with the Submariner’s production, and, as such, technically carries a black 3-6-9 “Explorer” style dial.

Nicknamed the “King Sub,” only 300 were ever made (making it one of the rarest Submariner examples ever), and scholars estimate that only 30 might still be floating around today. This compelling and unique “discovery” is coming to auction for the very first time – an added bonus to the lucky buyer’s story.
 

Estimate: CHF 150,000 and CHF 400,000
Auction Date: November 11, 2024

A great deal of attention will be focused on Phillips’ Rolex mega-showpiece for this year: A bejeweled, one-of-a-kind “Rainbow Zenith Daytona” that should go for in excess of $3.5 million from its Reloaded: The Rebirth of Mechanical Watchmaking, 1980-1999 auction on November 8th.
 

But we beg to draw your attention to Phillips’ other auction, The Geneva Watch Auction: XX, because it has a lot that constitutes an object lesson in how some telling details on an otherwise fairly common Rolex sports watch can jack up its auction value.
 

Yet another vintage steel Submariner, this time a 38mm Ref. 5510 from 1958, lot 220 makes its mark by going BIG with its so-called “Big Crown,” which has an oversized 8mm Brevet crown and no crown guards. However, add to that its “Big Logo” bracelet and clasp and the near-original condition of its inky black dial, and this lot is easily the most valuable Submariner in the auction.
 

Estimate: CHF 120,000 to CHF 240,000
Auction Date: November 9th & 10th, 2024

Good luck!