Lot
815 Ref. 6556 Tru-Beat ‘Milanese’
n incredibly fine and ultra-rare yellow gold wristwatch with dead-beat seconds, unusual mesh bracelet, original guarantee and fitted presentation box.
BACK SIDE OF THE CASE SHOWING THE MOVEMENT INSIDE – ANGLED IMAGE OF THE CHARMING SILVERED DIAL – OVERALL PICTURE DISPLAYING THE TIMEPIECE WITH TIS ACCESSORIES.
勞力士，精細及罕有，18K黃金自動上弦鏈帶腕錶，“Tru-Beat”，型號6556，附證書及盒子，約1961年製
62 ROLEX MILESTONES
YEAR REFERENCE MOVEMENT CASE MODEL NAME MATERIAL CALIBRE BRACELET/STRAP CLASP/BUCKLE DIMENSIONS SIGNED
Circa 1961 6556 N919958 739’570 Tru- Beat 18k yellow gold Automatic, 1040, 26 jewels 18k gold Rolex mesh bracelet, 177 mm. max. length 18k gold Rolex folding deployant clasp, stamped 1.62 34.5 mm. diameter Case, dial and movement signed
ESTIMATE HKD 400,000-800,000 • USD 50,000-100,000 ACCESSORIES With Rolex Guarantee dated 9 December 1966 and original fitted presentation box. PROVENANCE Antiquorum, Geneva 14 May 2006, The Mondani Collection of 309 Rolex Wristwatches, lot 172. LITERATURE For another example of a reference 6556 however cased in stainless steel, please see 100 Superlative Rolex Watches by John Goldberger, page 183.
First launched in 1954, the ‘Tru-Beat’ model was originally marketed to doctors and medical professionals as an aide to calculate pulse rates. The ‘Tru-Beat’ has a dead-seconds complication, meaning the second hand ticks, thus dividing each minute into segments. The ‘Tru-Beat’ mechanism was truly different than anything offered on the market. Many watchmakers did not have the ability to repair such movements, and switched out the mechanism in favor of typical automatic movements, hence the rarity of a correct example today. Another element of delight is the watch’s provenance, having been sold at Antiquorum’s historic The Mondani Collection of 309 Rolex Wristwatches auction. JOHN GOLDBERGER’S OPINION
This yellow gold watch, fitting a mesh bracelet, is possibly the finest and most complete ‘Tru-Beat’ I have ever seen. The silvered dial is lovely. The white gold markers reflect the yellow gold case, and are accompanied by original, perfectly round, luminous that has aged to a warm orange colour. Most striking is the ‘cross’ on the dial, usually reserved for examples cased in stainless steel. The case features a sharp milled finish to the top of the lugs and a crisp hallmark beneath. The accompanying bracelet, stamped for the first quarter of 1962, is beautifully crafted. Less than 10 examples cased in yellow gold are known to the market today.