Weekly Wind Down | Sales Highlights including watches from Rolex and Patek Philippe

From a company that’s known for small iterative updates and conservative styling, the collective watch world could barely believe its eyes when Rolex launched this psychedelic bubble bath of an Oyster Perpetual at Watches & Wonders last year. Taking the colours from the similarly bold releases of 2020, this watch combines them all together to create 51 circles of fun. 

This release, in addition to other in-your-face references like the ‘rainbow’ Daytona, remind us that Rolex is willing to move away from its conventional aesthetic. It's also a sign that behind its austere facade, there’s some people with a sense of humour, and we fully support this. Recently sold on Watch Collecting for £12,255

Daytona updates are big news in the watch world, not just because they’re infrequent, but because this iconic chronograph is among the most in demand watches on the planet. To tie in with the Daytona’s 60th anniversary, Rolex launched an updated collection earlier this year, including this platinum version, which had originally launched in 2013 as an unofficial 50th anniversary tribute. It was the first serially produced Daytona in platinum, and has become a sort of hero reference thanks to its hefty precious metal construction, deep brown Cerachrom bezel, and that cool ice blue dial.

This brand new reference carries over the same qualities but introduces some key updates, most notably a sapphire caseback. While a similar attribute from another brand would barely raise an eyelid, this is big news as it’s one of only a few Rolexes to have ever been equipped with such a feature. On display is The Crown's calibre 4131, the first new movement to power the Daytona in a staggering 23 years. Overall, the changes are subtle, but we think this a worthy update. Recently sold on Watch Collecting for £85,000

As sports watches continue to enjoy a long stretch of dominance, some of watchmaking’s greatest shapes are being buried ever-deeper under a pile of carbon fibre and NATO straps. One such example is Patek Philippe’s Ellipse, which is among a number of unconventionally shaped, but undeniably elegant watches from the ‘Holy Trinity’ member. As the name suggests, the case conforms to the ‘Golden Ratio’, an ancient mathematical formula for shapes which is widely believed to be universally pleasing to the eye.   

The Ellipse is the second longest running model line in the brand’s catalogue, and its 50th anniversary was celebrated in 2018 with the release of this reference 5738R. Crafted in rose gold with a black ebony dial, this fitting tribute introduces a hint of contemporary styling to a classic form. Described as being part of an ‘exclusive circle’ in Patek’s original marketing campaign in the 70s , this play on words reflects a watch with its own unique personality.  Recently sold on Watch Collecting for £16,500.