One of the rarest and most expensive Rolex watches in the world went under the hammer in Geneva last month. According to Philips, the auction house charged with the sale, the Rolex Ref. 4113 Split-Seconds Chronograph in question is one of just 12 such watches ever created. Produced in 1942 they were never offered for public sale. Instead, these rare models were presented to a select group of racing teams and their drivers, with Rolex a major motor racing sponsor at the time.
The watch was expected to sell for up to US$1.6 million, after another of the 12 went for more than US1 million back in 2011. One of the things that makes these watches so valuable is their split second timing function, something that appears to have been designed especially for timing races.
Despite Rolex’s long association with motor racing, however, this is the only watch with this particular function that the company has ever made. In terms of its other key attributes, the watch features a stainless steel 44mm case – big for that time, but not unusual today – a silvered matte dial with rose gold Arabic numbering and a leather strap. According to Phillips, this particular piece was in exceptionally fine condition.
The Split-Seconds Chronograph was sold as part of an auction entitled: “Start, Stop, Reset.” An event solely devoted to stainless steel chronograph watches. Recalling the Ref. 4113 in particular, the auctioneer termed the sale of the piece as quite an event in its own right.