272 Rolex A valuable, well-preserved and sought after, Day Date, automatic wristwatch in yellow gold, with Khanjar logo dial, bark finish bezel and bracelet, reference 18078.

Estimate: € 25.000 –⁠ 50.000

• Model Day-Date
• Year 1980
• Reference 18078
• Case Material 18K yellow gold
• Case Number 6'267'067
• Bracelet Material 18K yellow gold Rolex bracelet, approximate length 190mm
• Movement Automatic, cal. 3055, 27 jewels
• Dimension 36mm Diameter
• Signed Case, dial and movement
• Literature This specific watch is published in Pucci Papaleo’s Book "DAY-DATE, The Presidential Rolex" at page 286-287. This specific watch was previously sold in Phillips Geneva "THE GENEVA WATCH AUCTION: XVIII" auction Nov. 4th 2023, as lot 96 for CHF 53,340.

Few Rolex Day-Dates embody the intersection of power, diplomacy and design quite as vividly as a “Royal Khanjar” dial. Reserved for presentation by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, these watches were never offered to the public, but bestowed as personal gifts upon a select circle of trusted dignitaries. The national emblem of Oman, elegantly printed on the dial and echoed again on the caseback in red lacquer, transforms this Day-Date into a quiet but unmistakable symbol of statecraft.
The present example 18078 is distinguished by its execution in 18K yellow gold with the rare “bark” finish applied not only to the bezel but also to the center links of its bracelet, lending the watch a tactile, almost architectural richness. The Arabic day and date wheels, perfectly attuned to the watch’s provenance, complete a dial that meets a uniquely Middle Eastern identity.
Preserved in highly appealing condition and illustrated in Pucci Papaleo’s Day-Date – The Presidential Rolex, this Khanjar-signed Day-Date stands as far more than a rare configuration. It is a historical artefact, a watch that carries with it the legacy of one of the twentieth century’s most influential patrons of horology, and a reminder that the most important watches were not always sold, but given.