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Rolex Datejust Oyster Perpetual 18K GOLD Two-Tone Ladies circa 1981 Model 6917 — view 1 of 4
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Rolex Datejust Oyster Perpetual 18K GOLD Two-Tone Ladies circa 1981 Model 6917

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Rolex (maker)
Date
c. 1981
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Lot
Item 171413027
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 1010, ELVIS RECORDS TIFFANY LALIQUE HEREND ERTE, Kings Auctions Inc (2024), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
ROLEX DATEJUST OYSTER PERPETUAL 18K GOLD Two-Tone Ladies circa 1981 Model 6917 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 171413027), this is a wristwatch by Rolex, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1981. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. 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

Lot description — Kings Auctions Inc

ROLEX DATEJUST OYSTER PERPETUAL 18K GOLD Two-tone Ladies circa 1981. Ladies wristwatch, original bracelet in 18k gold w steel . 1970s-80s.Case diameter: 26 mm. SHIPS FROM LAS VEGAS, NV. recently professionally polished and new certified crystal installed” monogram removed.

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

Dive and water-resistant watches

Keeping water and dust out of a wristwatch was a long-standing challenge. Rolex's screw-down Oyster case (1926) and Omega's Marine (1932) were landmarks; in the early 1950s Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms and Rolex's Submariner defined the professional dive watch with rotating bezels for timing dives, luminous dials and high water resistance. The ISO 6425 standard (1982) later codified what a 'diver's watch' must do.

Dive watches became icons of post-war design and exploration, and their evolution — helium escape valves, ceramic bezels, saturation-diving depth ratings — records the history of underwater work.

What to look for

  • Unidirectional or bidirectional rotating bezel with minute markings.
  • Screw-down crown and case back; depth rating printed on the dial.
  • Luminous hands and markers (radium before c. 1960, tritium c. 1960–1998, then Super-LumiNova).
  • Reference numbers on the case between the lugs or inside the back.

Dating clues

  • Screw-down Oyster cases: from 1926.
  • Professional dive watches: from 1953.
  • Tritium 'T' marks on dials: c. 1960–1998.

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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