Can You Guess Why This Rolex Is Unusually Valuable?

Earlier this year, GQ watch columnist and artist Wes Lang wrote about why he loves the relatively unheralded Rolex Air-King: "The bold logo, the green second hand, the white-gold 3-6-9 markers, and the O.G 'AIR-KING' make [this watch] fuckin' fun." Let's focus on that third quality for a moment: those radical Mission Impossible-font 3-6-9 markers In the topsy-turvy world of watches, what typically might be considered a "Defect" is actually a boon to the value of the watch.

Chief among them is the fact that Rolex hardly ever makes a mistake like this-that's what makes a watch like this "Rare" in Boutros's eyes Rolex is known for an intensive quality-control process that includes several internal checks before the watch is sent out to COSC, an organization in Switzerland that tests a watch's accuracy, after which it comes back to Rolex for a final round of looks "The modern Rolex is recognized for exacting quality control," says Nate Borgelt, head of sale for Sotheby's Watches in New York.

Brandon Frazin, a watch specialist at Christie's, is less sure a mistake like this instantly ups the value of this particular watch, because the Air-King isn't a very sought-after Rolex model Because a tropical dial makes a watch unique, it becomes a marker of collectibility. . Source