Back in May of 2017, a watch belonging to Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy, the last Emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam, hammered for roughly $5.06 million. Dubbed “Bao Dai” after the Emperor’s honorific (meaning “Keeper of Greatness”), this was no run-of-the-mill Rolex sport model, but a complicated triple-calendar cheap replica watches in a 36mm yellow gold case, complete with a rare black dial featuring diamond indices. At the time of its sale at Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: Five, it was the most expensive Rolex ever sold at auction. (It was shortly to be dethroned by a certain chronograph you may have heard of…Paul Newman’s “Paul Newman” Daytona.)
As rare as the “Bao Dai” is, however—it’s the only one in its particular configuration with five diamond indices and an offset Rolex coronet—it’s not the only one with a black dial and diamond indices, period. One of the other two, in fact, just hammered at a Monaco Legend Group auction for roughly $6.2 million, surpassing the “Bao Dai” as the third-most expensive top Rolex replica watches ever sold at auction despite its lack of royal provenance. Featuring six diamond indices and its correct yellow gold Rolex bracelet, it’s in stunning condition and carried an estimate of $3 million, which it easily exceeded. (It ultimately sold to a phone bidder, whose identity is currently unknown.) Featured previously at the 1991 Sotheby’s “Good Clocks, Watches, Wristwatches and Barometeres” auction in London and then in 2006 at an Antiquorum sale, it was famous enough to appear on the cover of Osvaldo Patrizzi’s Collecting Rolex Wristwatches book.
Its undeniable beauty aside, the ref. 6062—in any configuration—is notable primarily for its maker: Rolex largely isn’t in the business of making complicated, dressy perfect fake Rolex watches in the manner of Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet, but rather straightforward, hardy sports models such as the Submariner and GMT-Master. Back in the late 1940s through the early 1950s, however, it produced two complicated triple-date-moonphase calendar references, the 6062 and 8171, that have since become multimillion-dollar collector’s items given their provenance and rarity. (They remain the only two vintage Rolex references with moonphases.) After just a few short years, the Crown would cease production of both of these 1:1 copy Rolex watches, developing some of the world’s most beloved tool watches in the form of the Sub, the Explorer, and later, the GMT-Master.
Combining a water-resistant Oyster case, a “Perpetual” automatic Rolex movement, and a full calendar display, the ref. 6062 is thought to have been produced in just a few-hundred examples across three metals: yellow gold, pink gold, and stainless steel. Numerous dial types exist—including lovely “stelline” dials with star-shaped indices—but by far the rarest are the aforementioned black dials with diamond indices. While the diamond indices on the “Bao Dai” are situated at even numbers, those on the record-breaking best clone Rolex watches that sold this weekend—as well as a third example—are at the odd numbers.
While sales of mid-tier vintage Rolexes—matte-dial 5513s and the like—may have softened since the pandemic, this weekend’s auction is proof that a strong appetite for rare pieces is alive and well amongst those with the resources to compete in Monaco and Geneva. Encapsulating a rare period in Rolex’s history—one in which the brand was about to define its modern image, but hadn’t done so just yet—the ref. 6062 is indeed not only a beautiful design object, but an important milestone in the history of both Swiss fake Rolex watches and horology at large.
