SIGNED ROLEX, DAY-DATE MODEL, REF. 18346, CASE NO. W071074, CIRCA 1995

Consigned by an important collector, the present reference 18346 is realized in the most luxurious metal, platinum. Already made extremely attractive and sought-after by its coral dial, this is just one of the remarkable traits of this timepiece. Of course, the aesthetic impulse given to the entire watch by the dial is momentous: the subtly veined texture of coral make the dial unique, and Rolex's choice of removing any numerals to leave the dial as true protagonist of the watch resulted in a supremely clean, and yet far from dull, design.

Moreover, the present timepiece shines as one of the best-preserved Day-Date to ever grace an auction room: complete with its original Rolex guarantee dated August 1999, this watch is a practical treaty on the original proportions of vintage Day-Dates. The pristine condition of its case, with incredibly full lugs, is immediately apparent at first glance - The diamond-set bezel is another welcome addition.

The Day-Date is well known for having been a canvas onto which Rolex unleashed an innumerable amount of variations and experiments. Among the most appreciated stylistic exercises, the collector will without a doubt mention the famed hard stone dials. Rolex experimented with a number of different materials for these dials: coral, malachite, marble, fossils and others.