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| LOT 363 |
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| Ref. 1665, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, of Oman
Rolex, “Oyster Perpetual Date”, case No. 3566927,
Ref. 1665. Made in 1972, on special order for the Sultan Qaboos
bin Said of Oman, retailed by Asprey.
Very fine and extraordinary rare, center-seconds, self-winding,
water-resistant, stainless steel wristwatch with gas-escape valve,
date and a stainless steel Oyster "Fliplock" bracelet.
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| C. Three-body, polished and brushed, screwed-down case back
engraved with “Rolex Patent, Gas Escape Valve, Oyster” and
slightly readable “ASPREY” and Triplock crown, helium escape
valve at 9, graduated bi-directional revolving black bezel for the
decompression times, winding-crown protected by the crown
guard, inside case back engraved with the case number. D. Black
with painted luminous round, triangular and baton indexes, with
the red signature of Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, aperture for
the date, outer minute/seconds division. Luminous steel skeleton
hands. M. Cal. 1570, rhodium-plated, oeil-de-perdrix decoration,
26 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance
adjusted to temperatures and five positions, shock-absorber, selfcompensating
free-sprung Breguet balance spring, Microstella
regulating screws, hack mechanism.
Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 40 mm. Thickness 17
mm. Approx overall length 160 mm. |
Estimate: 60,000 CHF - 80,000 CHF
Estimate: 50,000 USD - 70,000 USD
Estimate: 40,000 EUR - 55,000 EUR
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Grading system
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The present timepiece is an extraordinary Ref. 6204 personalized
by Serpico Y Laino. A significant element heightening its
importance is the stll legible engraving on the case back: “SL
ACERO”.
To the best of our knowledge , Sultan Qaboos bin Said, of Oman
ordered 100 circa Sea-Dwellers Ref. 1665 with his signature in red in 1972/1973, serial number 35669xx. All this special watches
were retailed by Asprey, official Rolex retailer in Arabia and the
case backs were engraved with the Asprey logo at the opposite
side of the Rolex logo. All inside case backs were engraved
with the case number. Antiquorum sold a similar watch, case no
35666955 for Oman on May 13th, 2007 see lot 192.
Qaboos bin Sa‘id Al Sa‘id (born November 18, 1940 in Salalah)
is the Sultan of Oman. He rose to power after overthrowing his
father, Sa‘id ibn Taymur, in 1970. He is the only son of Sultan
Sa‘id bin Taymur. He received his primary and secondary
education in Salalah and at Pune, India and attended a private
educational establishment in England from the age of sixteen.
At 20 he entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. After
graduating from Sandhurst, he joined a British Infantry regiment,
The Cameronians, and served in the 1st Battalion in Germany for
one year. He also held a staff appointment with the British Army.
For six years prior to Said bin Taymur's overthrow, Qaboos experienced virtual house arrest in the royal palace of Salalah. In July
1970, soldiers supporting Qaboos clashed with forces loyal to
Said bin Taymur, and deposed him. [2] Qaboos maintains that his
father abdicated the throne. [3] The British government helped
to consolidate Qaboos' power.
Qaboos acceded to the throne on 1970-07-23, moving to
Muscat. There he declared that the country would no longer be known as Muscat and Oman, but would change its name to "the
Sultanate of Oman" in order to better reflect its political unity.
The political system which Qaboos established is that of an absolute
monarchy. Qaboos also regularly engages in tours of his
realm, in which any citizen with a grievance or request is allowed
to appeal to the sultan in person. Critics claim these meetings
to be scripted as well.[citation needed] More recently, Qaboos
has allowed parliament elections (in which women have voted
and stood as candidates) and pledged greater openness and
participation in government. As yet, however, this parliament
lacks substantial political power.
By Persian Gulf standards, Oman boasts good public order (it is
an extremely safe country), middling prosperity (given its level of
oil revenues) and a relatively permissive society.[citation needed]
Since he acceded to the throne, Oman has broadened international
relations, allowed newspapers, established high schools,
built highways, opened hotels and shopping malls and spends
a substantial portion of its dwindling oil revenues on health care
and education. [3] In 1998, Qaboos ibn Sa‘id was presented
with the International Peace Award by the National Council on
US-Arab Relations[citation needed]. He also forges and maintains
good relations with other Arab States and partners in the
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The Sultan's birthday, 18 November, is celebrated as Oman's
national holiday. |
Important Collectors Watches, Pocket Watches & Clocks 29-03-2009 |
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