97th Auction

2018/5/12

Lot 366

Rolex "Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master Superlative Chronometer officially certified", Movement No. D489326, Case No. 5420226, Ref. 1675, Cal. 1570, 39 mm, circa 1977
An extremely rare vintage automatic wristwatch with personalized dial, "Pepsi" bezel, 24h indicator and date, made for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Case: steel, screw back, turnable two-coloured bezel with radial Arabic 24 hours, screwed "Twinlock" winding crown, riveted steel "Oyster" bracelet ref. 78360 with endlinks stamped 580. Dial: black, red signature of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, luminous indexes, red 24-hour hand, luminous Mercedes hands.
This particular special edition GMT-Master is one of the rarest timepieces ever. The dial bears the red signature of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (born 15 July 1949), Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and constitutional monarch of Dubai. He has held those positions since January 2006, when he succeeded his elder brother, Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In February 2006, he became Prime Minister of the UAE.
When the federation of the United Arab Emirates was formed in 1971, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was the UAE’s first Minister of Defense. The Sheik ordered a number of different timepieces with his signature from Rolex to give away as gifts; the watches are an incredibly rare find today and highly coveted by the collectors. A little more common are Rolex watches with the Sheik’s signature in combination with the emblem of the United Arab Emirates, which were regularly given to high ranking military officers.
Its extraordinary rarity - due to the personalised dial and the royal provenance - and its outstanding original condition make this precious timepiece one of the most important GMT-Master models that came on the market in recent years - a wonderful and rare opportunity!

Sold

estimated
75.000120.000 €
Price realized
99.200 €