Important Collectors Watches, Pocket ...

New York, Dec 11, 2008

LOT 63

Ref. 3330, Stainless Steel Rolex, Chronograph, Antimagnetic, Ref. 3330. Made in the early 1940?s. Very fine and extremely rare stainless steel wristwatch with square button chronograph, registers, tachometer and a stainless steel Rolex buckle.

USD 60,000 - 90,000

EUR 47,000 - 70,000 / CHF 70,000 - 105,000

Sold: USD 48,000

C. Three-body, polished and brushed, flat bezel, concave lugs, snap-on case back. D. Matte silver with luminous Arabic numerals, outer minute and 1/5th second track with 5-minute Arabic markers, most outer tachometer scale, subsidiary dials for the seconds, the 30-minute and 12-hour registers. Luminous blued steel baton hands. M. Cal. 14???, rhodium-plated, 17 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, self-compensating blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 38 mm. Thickness 14 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3-6

Good

Slightly oxidized
Movement: 3-6*

Good

Slightly oxidized

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-6-01

Good

Slightly oxidized

HANDS Original

Notes

The Rolex Reference 3330 is probably one of the most attractive and rarest early steel chronographs produced. Its design is particularly avant-garde, featuring a large oversized case (38 mm) and a beautiful thickness foreshadowing that of today's trendy chronographs. It would appear that over the last 10 years, fewer than 10 examples of this reference have appeared at auction, making this reference one of the rarest true classic steel Rolex chronographs.