{"id":133,"date":"2024-10-29T19:07:54","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T19:07:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/?p=133"},"modified":"2024-10-29T19:07:54","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T19:07:54","slug":"why-rolexs-shaped-watches-are-trending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/why-rolexs-shaped-watches-are-trending\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Rolex’s Shaped Watches Are Trending"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Most people know\u00a0Rolex<\/a>\u00a0as a maker of tool watches, a term that typically refers to round wristwatches designed for outdoor activities like diving or motor racing, often distinguished by their durability and legibility, and less so by their aesthetics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the past year or two, however, the\u00a0history of Rolex<\/a>\u00a0as a maker of unapologetically design-forward timepieces in funky asymmetric cases has drawn increasing interest among collectors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider two icons of Rolex\u2019s 1960s and \u201970s design, the King Midas and the Cellini.<\/span><\/p>\n

The King Midas: A Bold Departure<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Rolex<\/span><\/figure>\n

In 1964, the brand departed from its tool watch tradition when it introduced an all-gold watch in a case that was square on three sides with an unexpectedly triangular left flank. Designed to be slim, modern and elegant, it was named the King Midas, after the king of Greek mythology whose mere touch turned objects into gold. Unlike the Submariner, GMT Master and other round sport watches in Rolex\u2019s Professional series, the King Midas. represented something entirely different: a timepiece that emphasized aesthetics over performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe King Midas, with its asymmetrical case, was Rolex\u2019s daring move to break away from convention,\u201d Paul Altieri, founder and CEO of Bob\u2019s Watches, says. \u201cCollectors today appreciate the rarity and artistry these pieces offer, beyond just functionality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cElvis Presley was a proud owner of one, which adds to the mystique and desirability of the piece,\u201d Altieri adds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beloved for its lavish sensibility and its integrated design, the model, the brainchild of legendary watch designer G\u00e9rald Genta, came on a ribbed bracelet crafted out of a single gold ingot. The weight of the piece tipped the scales just north of 150 grams.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Rolex Cellini: Rolex\u2019s Dress Watch Answer<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Rolex<\/span><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0Rolex Cellini<\/a>, on the other hand, entered the market in 1968 as Rolex\u2019s answer to a dress watch, and quickly spawned a bevy of case shapes, including square, tonneau, rectangular, cushion and, finally, round. The brand even introduced a gold version with an octagonal diamond-set bezel and a diamond-paved dial featuring more than 3 carats of diamonds. In ads from the 1980s, Rolex said the model was inspired by\u00a0Benvenuto Cellini<\/a>, \u201cthe ultimate goldsmith of the Italian Renaissance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After languishing on the market for decades, these throwback watches are now in high demand.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rolex-Shaped Watches: A Growing Trend<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Rolex<\/span><\/figure>\n

Just look to the soaring popularity of shaped watches in general, a category denoting any watch that\u2019s not round. Now squarely in the watchmaking spotlight, these pieces range from familiar and beloved classics like the Cartier Tank, or oval-shaped Baignoire, to more daring asymmetrical models, like those created by the Swiss designer Gilbert Albert for Patek Philippe in the in the 1950s and \u201960s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a resurgence because these funky shapes evoke both nostalgia and a sense of individuality,\u201d Altieri says. \u201cThey stand out in a market dominated by sports watches, offering collectors something unique.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Phillip Toledano, an artist and collector based in New York, can certainly relate. A few years ago, he started collecting integrated bracelet watches, including the Rolex King Midas.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI loved the continuous bracelet watches, where it\u2019s one sculptural piece \u2013 the head, the bracelet, they\u2019re all one sentence,\u201d he says. \u201cI like the idea they were thinking of the watch as a whole thing. And no one was doing it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When he discovered the King Midas, the piece was a revelation. \u201cThe funny thing about collecting is that I can spend years not being interested in a watch, and then suddenly, a mechanism unconsciously starts moving and I think, \u2018Holy shit, this thing is amazing. How have I not seen this before?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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About Victoria Gomelsky<\/span><\/h2>\n

Victoria Gomelsky is editor-in-chief of the jewelry trade publication JCK and a frequent contributor to the New York Times and Robb Report. Her freelance work has appeared in AFAR, WSJ Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and the anthology Waking Up American: Coming of Age Biculturally. She graduated from UCLA with a BA in political science in 1995 and earned her MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University in 2002. Victoria is based in Los Angeles.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most people know\u00a0Rolex\u00a0as a maker of tool watches, a term that typically refers to round wristwatches designed for outdoor activities like diving or motor racing, often distinguished by their durability…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-133","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-editorial-daily-articles"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134,"href":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133\/revisions\/134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stagingserver3.com\/Sibte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}