101 Rolex Rare Big Bubble Back Oyster Perpetual Automatic Wristwatch in Yellow Gold, Reference 6099, With Cream Sweep Centre Seconds Dial and Thunderbird Bezel

Estimate: €10,000 –⁠ 20,000

Model: Oyster Perpetual
Material: Yellow Gold
Reference N°: 6099
Year: 1953
Case N°: 947822
Caliber: 22901
Movement type: Automatic
Bracelet: Leather Strap
Dimensions: 36 mm
Signed: Dial, case and movement

It was 1908 when the German Hans Wilsdorf coined the name Rolex giving life to what would become one of the most important watch industries of all time. The principles on which Rolex was and is still based today were those of research, experimentation, innovation and cutting-edge tests with scientific research, since Wilsdorf immediately realized that watches would become the future of the industry. He soon tried to improve precision and efficiency of its creations and in 1926 he gave birth to a totally waterproof case. This innovation has been one of the founding elements of almost all Rolex production and is what lies at the base of the watch offered here. But being waterproof wasn’t enough to make the wristwatch the essential item that Wildorf believed it could have been. If the crown had to be constantly unscrewed to wind the watch’s mechanism, there was a risk of the water resistance becoming compromised. So in 1931 Rolex introduced the world’s first self-winding mechanism with a free rotor that would rotate 360º with the natural movement of the wearer’s wrist to generate power and the Oyster Perpetual heralded a new era of convenience and functionality. This ingenious system was a true work of art by Rolex and this movement is at the heart of every modern automatic watch today such as the present reference 6099. Launched in the early 1950s, was available both in stainless steel and gold and is often referred to as the large bubble back without date. The present example is remarkable for its conservation and the beauty of the yellow gold case and the ever-charming “Thunderbird” bezel with embedding for the hours, the detail that differentiate the model from its peer, the reference 6098. The cream dial with applied yellow gold faceted dart indexes, outer minute/seconds track and yellow gold luminous dauphine hands has gained a cool patina which gives an aura to the watch.