Highlights on Rolex by Daryn Schnipper

Geneva, 13 May, 2003 Fine and rare gold automatic sweep-seconds wristwatch with cloisonné enamel map of India Possibly presented to Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India, on the occasion of India’s first constitutional day of the Republic Ref. 3372 Oyster Perpetual c.1949

CHF 100,000 – 150,000 US$ 75,000 – 100,000

SOLD CHF 271,200

The bubble-back model was introduced in 1933. Throughout its production, there were countless dial configurations, variations of metal – stainless steel, steel and gold, rose gold, 9k, 10k, 14k, 18k – hooded case variations, even manual wind versions in the 1930s.

The early models through the 1940s featured dials with luminous indexes and luminous hands. Later, in the 1950s, the dials had generally less interesting small raised dial indexes and non-luminous hands.

The date on the dial attests that this watch was most likely a celebratory gift commemorating India’s freedom from the British Empire on 26 January, 1950, the first Indian Republic Day. On this date the Constituent Assembly of India came into force, although independence from British rule had been achieved on 15 August, 1947.

Allegedly, Nehru later gave the watch to Tenzing Norgay, the Nepalese mountaineer, during a medal ceremony at India’s Presidential Palace honouring the Sherpa’s climbing of Mount Everest. Though not this watch, Tenzing Norgay did indeed wear a Rolex on his wrist when he and Sir Edmund Hilary were the first to reach the top of the famed mountain on 29 May 1953.

The current watch came to auction accompanied by a letter from Rolex confirming the watch’s manufacture and delivery to Rolex’s agent in Bombay in February of 1949. The letter, written to Mr R. Beyer of Chronométrie Beyer Zurich, goes on to state that the watch is possibly one of two examples made for the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Babu Rajendra Prasad, the first president of India.

The two watches are very similar. On both watches, the map is considered to be the Indian version, which includes the small corridor of land linking India, Afghanistan and Nepal, and as such was most likely commissioned by a native of India. The ‘Nehru’ watch is more subdued in colour, the map of India executed in white enamel in a yellow-gold case. The map of ‘Prasad’ watch, by contrast, is far more vibrant, highlighted by a yellow map of India and pink gold case. Another subtle difference between the two dials is the position of the Rolex signature and crown. The ‘Nehru’ watch finds the crown just to the left of the hands with the signature below and the date of Indian Independence above. The ‘Prasad’ watch finds the Rolex signature and crown more prominently placed at the top of the Indian map. Yet another difference is the style of guilloché executed on each map: the ‘Nehru’ watch like the ‘Prasad’ watch is divided into two tones of blue enamel in distinctly different blues, the darker blue representing the countries surrounding India and the lighter blue representing the surrounding sea. The ‘Nehru’ watch has a guilloché designed as a wavy herringbone motif, while the sea on the ‘Prasad’ example shows a motif with a far more architectural feel.

The ‘Prasad’ watch.