Wristwatches · Wristwatch
18ct white gold Rolex Queen Midas bracelet watch with lapis lazuli and diamond set dial, 1976
- Maker / attribution
- Rolex (maker)
- Date
- 1976
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- white gold
- Dimensions
- Case 24 mm
- Stock no.
- G3384
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Somlo Antiques (G3384)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 18ct white gold Rolex Queen Midas bracelet watch with lapis lazuli and diamond set dial. Made 1976 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (stock number G3384), this is a wristwatch by Rolex, made in Switzerland, dated 1976. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: white gold. Recorded dimensions: Case 24 mm. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Somlo Antiques
Based on the Greek Pantheon temple, this watch takes its name from King Midas in Greek Mythology, who had the ability to turn anything he touched into gold. The first model within this collection was the King Midas reference 9630, released in 1964. Living up to its name, the King Midas was, the most expensive Rolex watch available at the time and was designed by the legendary watch designer, Gérald Genta. Crafted from blocks of 18ct white gold or 18ct yellow gold and each watch weighed between 150 and 200 grams. The winding crown was fashioned to look like the sun, while the words KING MIDAS are engraved into the case sides framing the sun-like crown. Introduced in 1964, the first King Midas model, the reference 9630, was limited to 1,000 pieces, followed by the reference 3580 in the 1970's, which was also produced in a limited series. The King himself, Elvis Presley, was given a yellow gold King Midas, reference 9630 after his sold-out shows at the Houston Autodrome in 1970. The watch No.343 currently resides at Graceland, on display for all to admire. Brand: Rolex Made: 1976 Model: King Midas Reference: 4314 Calibre: 651 Movement: Manual Material: 18ct white gold Features/complications: N/A Dial: Square lapis lazuli dial with a diamond set bezel featuring applied white gold crown Rolex logo at 12 o'clock and white gold baton hands Case dimensions: 24 x 24mm Bracelet/strap: Integrated 18ct white gold 'ribbed' bracelet, length approximately 162mm Accessories: N/A SKU: 3384
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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