Produced for only a short period of three years, between 1949 and 1952, the Rolex reference 8171 is among the most complicated watches the brand has ever produced. Alongside the reference 6062, it is the only vintage Rolex that was produced with moon phases. The watch was nicknamed 'Padellone', Italian for frying pan, by Italian collectors; this name comes from the case back which has a similar shape as the utensil. According to our research, only approximately 350 cases were ever produced in yellow-gold. This case was made by Favre-Perret in La-Chaux-de-Fond, indicated by the number 115 punched inside a hammer on the inside of the case back. This yellow-gold example, pictured on Sotheby’s specialist m_a_n_e_g_a, is a highlight of of the ‘Important Watches: Part I’ auction on 14 May, part of #SothebysLuxuryWeek at #SothebysGeneva. Visit the link in bio to view the catalogue. #SothebysWatches #Rolex #RolexPadellone