Phillips Decade One (2015-2025): Rolex Watches from Sultans, Sheikhs, and Presidents

This November, Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo will celebrate a decade of watch auctions with the Decade One (2015-2025) thematic auction at the Hôtel Président in Geneva. This landmark sale celebrates the successful first 10 years of the Phillips Watches department, reflecting on the remarkable watches, record-breaking results, and new scholarship that have shaped Phillips Watches since its inaugural auction in 2015.

In watch collecting, history can be worn on the wrist. Some watches are prized not only for their rarity or craftsmanship, but also for the lives they’ve touched. Provenance anchors a timepiece in history, making a rare watch even more compelling when it carries the mark of who owned it, where it was given, or the role it played in a particular era.

Throughout the 20th century, Rolex watches were frequently exchanged as diplomatic gifts and symbols of power. From sultans commissioning bespoke examples to dignitaries receiving them as gifts of state, they became the ultimate tokens of esteem. It’s a legacy that recalls Rolex’s famous slogan: “Men Who Guide the Destinies of the World Wear Rolex Watches.” Collecting, at its core, is as much about the lives behind the objects as it is about the watches themselves.

LOT 32 - Rolex | Day-Date Ref. 18059 ‘Rainbow’ with ‘Red Khanjar’, Ordered by Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, Circa 1985

Estimate: CHF 700,000 – 1,400,000

Rolex’s Day-Date has always been a watch of prestige, but the present Ref. 18059 is extraordinary. Likely unique, it combines one of the earliest “Rainbow” bezels ever made with the red Khanjar emblem of the Sultanate of Oman on the caseback. The bezel’s perfectly graded sapphires prefigure today’s beloved Rainbow Daytonas and Day-Dates, making this watch a crucial piece of Rolex scholarship. While only three Khanjar Rainbow Day-Dates are known, this is the only example with a diamond-set Jubilee bracelet and the red Khanjar, setting it apart as a once-in-a-generation discovery.

LOT 123 - Rolex | Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6269 (inside caseback stamped 6263) with ‘Red Khanjar’, Ordered by Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, Circa 1986

Estimate: CHF 500,000 – 1,000,000

The Ref. 6269 is one of Rolex’s most lavish Daytonas, produced in no more than thirty examples. With its diamond bezel, pavé dial, and sapphire hour markers, it already stands as a grail. This fresh-to-market watch goes further: the caseback bears the Omani Khanjar in red enamel, linking it directly to Sultan Qaboos bin Said, one of Rolex’s most influential patrons. Only a handful of 6269s carry the Khanjar emblem, and this is one of two known with the red variation, making this watch a true trophy at the intersection of rarity, gem-setting, and provenance.

LOT 191 - Rolex | Day-Date Ref. 6511, Previously Owned by President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Circa 1956

Estimate: CHF 25,000 – 50,000

This pink gold Day-Date Ref. 6511, one of the earliest produced, shares a remarkable story. Inscribed in Arabic on the caseback is a dedication from Sheikh Fahd Al Salem Al Sabah of Kuwait to Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser wore the watch for years before gifting it in the late 1960s to Salah Dessouki, an Olympic fencer and politician. It then remained in the family until today.

The Phillips Decade One (2015-2025) watch auction will take place on 8–9 November 2025 at the Hôtel Président in Geneva, offering collectors an unprecedented opportunity to discover and acquire timepieces that define Phillips’ first decade as well as the broader history of watchmaking.

GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS TOUR
LONDON | 23 - 25 September | Phillips, 30 Berkeley Square, London W1J 6EX
DUBAI | 26 - 28 September | MB&F M.A.D Gallery, First Floor, Unit FF, 290 - 269 Financial Center Rd, Downtown Dubai, Dubai UAE
RIYADH | 7 - 8 October | Centria Mall (Ground Floor)
SINGAPORE | 10 - 11 October | The St. Regis Singapore, 29 Tanglin Rd, Singapore 247911
NEW YORK | 15 - 17 October | Phillips, 432 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022
HONG KONG | 23 - 25 October | Phillips Perpetual, 503 Pedder Arcade, Pedder Building, 12 Pedder St, Central, Hong Kong

Auction: 8 & 9 November 2025
Auction viewing: 5 - 9 November 2025
Location: Hotel President, 407 Quai Wilson, Geneva, Switzerland, 1201

For more information, please visit phillips.com