Large Rolex Auction in Copenhagen

This summer's international auction at Bruun Rasmussen in Copenhagen focuses on the legendary Rolex watches from the period between the 1950s and 70s, which are currently seeing a renewed interest due to the high quality of the period’s wristwatches and their timeless design.

"On 1 June, we present several spectacular wristwatches of older and newer date – not least a Rolex Submariner ref. 5008 "Gilt Exclamation" from 1958 as well as several GMT-Masters, including a ref. 1675 from 1968, which has been worn by a member of the rugged Sirius Patrol in Greenland. The highlights among the newer watches include two Daytonas in white gold (one with a bracelet, the other one with a strap) and a black Daytona, "customized" by Bamford," says Kristian Haagen, wristwatch specialist at Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers.

The Story of Rolex

The story of the world's most famous wristwatch brand begins in London in 1905, where the company was founded by the German Hans Wilsdorf. Initially, the company was simply known as Wilsdorf & Davis (Davis was the last name of his brother-in-law), but in 1908 Wilsdorf registered the name that we associate with the company today – Rolex.

Rolex is today known for an amazing quality as well as having launched several groundbreaking models. Not least the first waterproof Oyster in 1926, the automatic Perpetual in 1931, the DateJust in 1945 and the Day-Date in 1956, as well as the sporty Submariner, GMT-Master and Milgauss in the 1950s and Daytona and Sea-Dweller in the 1960s.

It is especially the sports wristwatches from the 1950s to the 1970s that are enjoying an enormous amount of attention within the auction world currently. This is in part due to the fact that these wristwatches were originally made to meet the demands of divers, pilots and racecar drivers. The watches were therefore worn by both PanAm pilots, COMEX divers and the special forces in the British Army, as well as scientists and polar researchers who chose a Rolex because the company’s wristwatches met professional standards of functionality and design – both at the time of their production as well as today.

The older Rolex wristwatches are also enjoying a lot of attention at the moment, because they are of great quality and made in a timeless design they can be worn every day as long as the mechanical movement is serviced on a regular basis. This is also one of the reasons why they are the darlings of the auction world.

International Wristwatch Auction

It is not only the Rolex watches that draw headlines at this upcoming auction. We also offer a first generation "Tudor Monte Carlo" from 1971 and no less than three Omega Speedmasters, one of which is a very rare "Ultraman" with “Pulsation” bezel, which will certainly attract a great deal of attention. The auction represents a broad selection of the well-known brands such as A. Lange & Söhne, Breitling, Bulgari, Chopard, Harry Winston, IWC, Panerai, Patek Philippe, TAG Heuer, Tudor, Urban Jürgensen and Vacheron & Constantin.

Preview: 24-29 May (closed on 25 May due to Public Holiday)

Auction: 1 June at 6:30 pm (wristwatches) 

View all the wristwatches from our online auction on 7 June