Left hand vintage Rolex watches are not a new phenomenon. I knew they existed like this Day date from Phillips watches sold a few years back.
But I don’t ever recall a left handed GMT Master 6542 ever coming for sale. Frankly speaking I was unaware that it even existed. Good enough reason to look at one that Phillips watches is selling in HK in more detail tomorrow in HK.
The Rolex GMT Master first generation 6542 bakelite is one of the most collectible Rolex watches in the world. I pay attention each time one comes up. Even more so when one comes up that is left handed. The story behind this watch is as follows:
Phillips found the watch in Italy from the second owner who has kept it for at least two decades in Italy. The dial appears to be in very good glossy condition and the bakelite and lume responds well to UV according to Phillips*. The bakelite is free of any cracks and has discoloured in a nice condition (see picture below). The only thing that has been restored are the lume of the hands.
What about the left hand watch? Did Rolex even ever make them?
This is the million dollar question. I honestly don’t know the answer.
But allow me to think out loud. You can make of this information what you want and come to your own conclusion.
*(A friend and I tested this GMT with UV light when we saw the watch in Geneva and it generally responds well, dial good – except that we noted that with the bakelite Bezel – the UV light stayed lighter slightly longer than the range we normally expect to see).
Like much else in the Rolex world – we will never know the answer to this question – if Rolex made left hand watches.
What seems to be accurate is that Rolex always put the serial number at six o’clock and the reference number at 12 o’clock. Like Phillips well states in the lot notes, if someone rotated the dial, the serial number and reference number on the watch would not be in the right place
But we all know that anomalies exist at Rolex. There is a 5512 that is upside down with the serial number and reference number being inverted.
(Credit: Sothebys).
So, it could also be that Rolex made a mistake with a few other watches (including this GMT Master) and engraved the serial numbers that are correctly facing but on the wrong side, meaning reference at 6 o’clock and serial number at 12 o’clock.
It is a possibility right? So we could speculate that Rolex never did a left handed watch intentionally.
On the other hand Rolex was known to go out of their way for special clients. After all the Shah of Iran ordered 8 special day dates from Rolex and in the process created the smallest reference by Rolex of only 8 pieces with an in house movement.
The ruler of Oman got special dials made with the Khanjar. Yes, Rolex did make custom watches, even if they are very rare.
But watch collecting is an interesting hobby and one that is completely not rational. Collectors often love mistakes done by manufacturers. The mistakes in hindsight make the watches unique and collectable because of the mistakes. Sounds crazy? It is – but that is what makes watch collecting so fun.
So what to make of this left handed Rolex 6542? This is how I think about it.
It is win win for the collector either way.
Maybe it was a slow Friday afternoon in Bienne and the operator of the pantograph machine put in the case upside down**. A mistake yes. But how cool is that! As a result of the mistake a collector has a unique 6542 Rolex GMT master. If Rolex intentionally made it left handed – even better. Either way the collector has a unique watch.
And the new owner of this watch attends a GTG he will stand out from the crowd with his left handed Rolex Master. Everyone will want to try it on.
The watch will be sold in HK tomorrow and all the information can be found here.
**(Credit: to a friend of mine, a watch expert while brainstorming with him on the subject). All picture credits go to Phillipswatches.
Below a few more pictures of the 6542 GMT Master. A wonderful discolouring of the bakelite bezel.
A full picture of the gilt dial.
The lume and bakelite responding well to UV light. Notice the hands that do not as they have been relumed.
Correct movement with the butterfly type rotor and 1065 movement (the 6542 had several movements that were supplied to the first generation GMT Master).
Below the serial number of the watch
Big Rolex logo bracelet which is also correct for an early GMT Master 6542.
Signed 1959 with Brevete on the bottom.
On a last note- a picture of the watch on my wrist. There is something über cool about a left handed GMT Master, intentional or not.
