119 Rolex A spectacular, rare and supremely elegant, Explorer, automatic wristwatch in steel, with black honeycomb dial, reference 6098.
Estimate: Fr. 15'000 – 30'000
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- Model Oyster Perpetual Ovettone
- Year Circa 1951
- Reference 6098
- Case Material Stainless steel
- Case Number 725'612
- Bracelet Material Leather strap
- Movement Automatic, cal. A296, 18 jewels
- Dimension 36mm Diameter
- Signed Case, dial and movement
The reference 6098 belongs to that formative moment, when Rolex was refining what would eventually become one of its most enduring lines: the Explorer. Produced in the early 1950s, the 6098 is often associated with the era of great expeditions. Larger than many of its contemporaries, it introduced a more assertive case size and improved legibility, features that would prove essential in extreme environments. It is within this context that the Explorer identity was taking shape, even before the name itself was fully standardized. Yet what truly sets this example apart is its dial. The so-called “honeycomb” texture gives the surface a remarkable depth, catching the light in a way that flat dials simply cannot. Over time, these dials age with tremendous character, developing warm tones that soften the originally stark contrast of black and gilt, yet here the quality of the black is impressively high. The configuration itself remains beautifully restrained: Arabic numerals at 3, 6, and 9, the iconic Explorer configuration, and the characteristic Mercedes hands, establishing a visual language that would later become iconic. This is not yet the Explorer as most know it. It is something earlier, more exploratory in spirit, a watch that captures Rolex at a moment of transition, where function, form, and identity were still being defined. And perhaps that is precisely why it resonates so strongly today.
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LUGANO
Villa Principe Leopoldo, Via Montalbano 5
3 June - From 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
GENEVA
Beau-Rivage, Quai du Mont-Blanc 13
9 May - From 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
10 May - From 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM