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Named after Benvenuto Cellini, the famous Renaissance goldsmith, sculptor and architect, the Rolex Cellini collection represents the most elegant and refined side of the brand. Conceived as an alternative to Rolex’s iconic sport models, the Cellini line was created to focus on classical design, slim cases and precious materials, drawing inspiration from traditional watchmaking and fine jewellery.

Introduced in the 1960s, the Cellini collection allowed Rolex to explore more artistic and unconventional designs, often characterized by smaller proportions, dress-oriented aesthetics and solid gold constructions.

This particular example, dating to circa 1990, perfectly reflects the philosophy of the Cellini line. The watch features a 33 mm case crafted entirely in 18k yellow gold, paired with its original integrated yellow gold bracelet, giving the piece a strong jewellery-like presence while remaining refined and understated.

The black dial, adorned with the repeated Cellini signature motif — commonly referred to as a “Jubilee dial” — adds depth and visual interest. Applied yellow gold hour markers enhance legibility and elegance, while the Cellini signature at 6 o’clock confirms its place within this distinguished collection.

Powering the watch is the Rolex quartz calibre 6620, ensuring reliable and precise timekeeping with minimal maintenance.

The watch is accompanied by its original Monetti warranty, issued at the time of sale in 1997.

In recent years, collaborations between automotive brands and watchmakers have become increasingly common, with the two worlds often intersecting and influencing each other.
This watch can be considered a true precursor of such collaborations. In this case, however, it is not merely a partnership, but rather the transformation of an automotive brand — Porsche — into an actual watch brand. The concept behind this creation comes from Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, grandson of Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche. Unlike the engineers that defined much of his family’s legacy, Alexander was primarily a designer. He is famously responsible for the iconic design of the Porsche 911. Building on his design philosophy, he later decided to create his own watch brand and chose IWC as his technical partner. The collaboration began in 1978 and lasted for nearly 20 years, during which a number of unusual, highly functional tool watches were produced — practical, innovative, and unmistakably driven by design. The present watch is a perfect example of that philosophy.

This model is among the earliest watches to feature a PVD-coated case, a technology that was highly innovative at the time. While black PVD versions are more commonly found, this military green variant is significantly rarer and particularly sought after by collectors. The luminous dial features a clean, highly legible layout. However, the true highlight of this piece lies in its ingenious case construction: by pressing the two pushers located on the final bracelet link at 6 o’clock, the case opens to reveal an integrated compass and an emergency mirror, which also functions as a screw-down caseback for the movement.

The watch is furthermore accompanied by its original box.

Gérald Genta is universally regarded as one of the most influential and visionary watch designers of the 20th century. Born in Geneva in 1931, he trained as a jeweler and goldsmith, a background that profoundly shaped his approach to watch design. His unmistakable aesthetic language gave life to some of the most iconic timepieces ever created, including the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Patek Philippe Nautilus and Golden Ellipse, Omega Constellation, IWC Ingenieur and Cartier Pasha.

In 1969, Genta founded his own eponymous manufacture, granting himself complete creative freedom to explore sophisticated horology paired with bold yet perfectly balanced design. One of the most iconic models produced under his name is the Success, instantly recognizable for its distinctive octagonal case shape.

This particular example features an 18-carat yellow gold case with an integrated gold bracelet, for a total weight of 133 grams. The black carbon fiber dial enhances the watch’s technical and contemporary character, and is fitted with a date display at 6 o’clock and gold hands.

Further setting this piece apart is the internally faceted crystal, a patented Gérald Genta creation, which adds depth, light play, and architectural character to the overall design.

The watch is powered by a quartz movement, in keeping with the avant-garde spirit and technological experimentation typical of Gérald Genta’s creations.

Gérald Genta is universally regarded as one of the most influential and visionary watch designers of the 20th century. His unmistakable aesthetic language gave life to some of the most iconic timepieces ever created, including the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Patek Philippe Nautilus and Golden Ellipse, Omega Constellation, IWC Ingenieur and Cartier Pasha.

In 1969, Genta founded his own eponymous manufacture, allowing him full creative freedom to explore complex horology combined with bold yet harmonious design. In addition to delivering exceptional masterpieces in the realm of Haute Horlogerie (such as the Grande and Petite Sonnerie, minute-repeaters, cathedral gongs, perpetual calendars, split-seconds chronographs, etc.), the Genevan manufacture also produced quartz watches, both with and without horological complications.

The present example belongs to this production of quartz watches with complications. It features a perpetual calendar with moonphase and is distinguished by a full titanium case paired with an integrated titanium bracelet. The grey carbon dial is further enriched by mother of pearl and lapis lazuli subdials.

This timepiece is part of a special series commissioned by the royal court of Brunei from the Geneva-based house of Gérald Genta, as indicated by the floral emblem positioned at 4 o clock.
These watches feature the emblems of Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei since 1967, as well as those of members of his family. Among them is his brother, Prince Jefri Bolkiah —represented in the present example by a stylised floral motif, believed by some to incorporate the initials “JB” — or his nephew, Prince Abdul Hakeem, whose initials ‘AH’ are presented in a stylised form on other examples.

These so-called ‘presentation’ watches are often given by a leader (Emperor, King, President, Prime minister, business magnate, etc.) or in their name, as a gesture of recognition or gratitude towards a third party.

In 1969, Genta founded his own eponymous manufacture, allowing him full creative freedom to explore complex horology combined with bold yet harmonious design. The present timepiece is a refined example of this philosophy. Featuring a self-winding movement with a full perpetual calendar, it embodies technical sophistication balanced by remarkable elegance.

The present example features a stainless-steel case with Gérald Genta’s signature lugless design, offering a smooth, continuous profile and excellent wrist comfort. The polished case enhances the sculptural character of the watch and allows the strap to integrate seamlessly into the overall architecture.

The grey carbon fiber dial gives the watch a distinctly technical appearance, contrasted by mother-of-pearl sub-dials that add depth and refinement. The perpetual calendar indications are well balanced and highly legible, framed by applied Roman numerals on the outer chapter ring. Leaf-shaped hands in polished metal complete the elegant composition.

This combination of materials and dial configuration is rarely seen, making the present example a particularly desirable and uncommon expression of Gérald Genta’s design language.