Important Collectors' Watches, Pocket...
Geneva, Mar 16, 2008
LOT 725
Ayrton Senna?s Watch Rolex ?Oyster Perpetual Date, Submariner, 1000ft/330m, Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified?, case No. N333668, Ref. 16613. Made in 1992, sold on July 17, 1992, to Ayrton Senna da Silva. Fine, rare and important, center seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, stainless steel and 18K yellow gold wristwatch with date and a stainless steel and 18K yellow gold "Fliplock" Oyster bracelet. Accompanied by the original guarantee (now void).
C. Three-body, polished and brushed, screwed-down case back and crown, case back engraved ?GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 1992?, Triplock winding crown protected by the crown guard, graduated uni-directional revolving blue bezel for the decompression times, sapphire crystal with cyclops lens. D. Violet with luminous applied gold round, baton and triangular indexes, aperture for the date. Luminous gold skeleton hands. M. Cal. 3135, rhodium-plated, oeil-de-perdrix decoration, 31 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to temperatures and 5 positions, shock-absorber, self-compensating free-sprung Breguet balance spring, Microstella regulating screws, hack mechanism. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 40 mm. Thickness 14 mm. Approximate overall length: 190 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AAA |
Excellent |
Case: 2 |
Very good |
Movement: 2 |
Very good |
Dial: 1-34-01 |
As new Restored by the manufacture HANDS Original |
Notes
a Brazilian racing driver and triple Formula One world champion, he won the British Formula 3 championship in 1983 and made his Formula One debut with Toleman the following year. He moved to Team Lotus in 1985 and won 6 races there over 3 seasons. He joined Alain Prost at McLaren-Honda in 1988, winning the Formula One World Championship. His rivalry with Prost was one of the most bitter in F1 history. Senna won the championship in 1990 and 1991, the former decided by a collision in one of the final races with Prost, then a Ferrari driver. In the next two years with McLaren, despite driving an inferior car, Senna won 8 races and finished runner-up for the world title in 1993. He switched to the then-dominant Williams Renault team for the 1994 Formula One season, taking three poles but never finishing a race; millions of fans witnessed his death live in global TV coverage during that year's San Marino GP at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Competitive and unwilling to settle for second, he always pushed the car to its limits, in a stark contrast to the relaxed intellectual style of his nemesis Prost. Having won titles with McLaren in 1988 and 1990-91, their unreliable car which led to a dismal 1992 season had Senna almost exiting the team. He almost considered leaving F1 for CART, but McLaren convinced him to stay for 1993. Having been passed by Michael Schumacher whilst in the pits during the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix, Senna pushed too hard and stalled, causing him to retire. A poor start to the 1994 season led Senna to place utmost importance on a victory in San Marino, which was perhaps a factor in his fatal accident there. Senna's unyielding will to win on the track contrasted with his humane and compassionate nature off it. A deeply religious man, he created the "Ayrton Senna Foundation" to help young people in Brazil and around the world. Concerned with the potential dangers of his sport, he advocated the organization of a driver safety group shortly before his final race