Vintage Collector Watch Book Mondani ROLEX

Vintage is judged on details nothing replaces

An early Rolex does not read like a recent one. The dial has turned, sometimes brown, sometimes green. The lume has darkened or cracked. The marking changed several times over the life of a single reference. None of these states can be inferred — they are compared.

That is the point of the book. Pieces are photographed in high definition, at a scale where the grain of a dial and the thickness of an index are visible. Comparing two examples of the same reference says what no written description will.

Ranges covered

Daytona and pre-Daytona, Explorer, GMT-Master, Milgauss, Oyster, Quartz, Sea-Dweller, Submariner and Yacht-Master. For each, the succession of references, dial and bezel variations, hand types, case backs and movements used.

Accessories are part of the piece

Boxes, warranty certificates, papers, bracelets and clasps are photographed with the watches. On the vintage market a complete, coherent set is worth appreciably more than a bare watch — and a mismatched accessory shows in the shape of a box or the typography of a certificate.

Period advertising

The volume reproduces a wide selection of period advertisements. They serve to date: a reference appears in the press at a given moment, in a given dial configuration. A cross-check current catalogues do not provide.

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