104th Auction
2021/5/22
Lot 282
Rolex"Khanjar" Day-Date
An important, very fine and extremely rare vintage diamond-studded platinum wristwatch with personalized, very rare blue dial bearing the emblem of the Sultanate of Oman and sold by Asprey jewellers
This Day-Date reference 1804 was launched in 1963 together with its sister reference 1803. Both were only available in gold or platinum. The name is Day-Date is eponymous for the watch’s main functions which are identified by the date beneath the distinctive loupe and the large window for the day of the week at 12 o’clock. Reference 1804 is certainly the more glamorous of the two sisters, with diamond-studded numerals and bezel. Today the Day-Date is one of the most popular watches on the market and comes with different day-of-the-week indications in various languages and configurations.
The watch was part of a special order made by Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said of Oman, who was a watch enthusiast and avid collector. In the early 1970s he commissioned timepieces carrying his emblem from a number of Swiss brands – Rolex among them – so that he could present them as personal gifts for outstanding accomplishments. These watches were never available for sale.
This timepiece dating from 1969 is in excellent condition. The red emblem of the sultanate – the khanjar dagger – complements the magnificent diamond-studded bezel and the blue dial with the sparkling indexes of round-cut and baguette diamonds perfectly. The platinum case and bracelet show hardly any signs of wear. The so-called "Khanjar Day-Dates" almost never come up for sale and are highly sought-after on the international collector’s market.