Yet another example of a really cool, vanishingly rare timepiece that no one can buy (we’re gonna talk about anyway), this double-signed ‘Honda’ Rolex briefly came up for sale in North America over the weekend – the latest in a sustained trend of steel sports watches from the brand customised with third-party logos.
Offered for all of five internet-minutes, this particular Oyster Perpetual Date (Ref. 15000) has been listed by the team at Wind Vintage: highly selective experts in vintage and pre-owned led by the eponymous Eric Wind and based out of Palm Beach, Florida.
Well-liked throughout the industry for his candour and thorough cataloguing, it’s no small thing when Wind deigns to describe something as “in like-new condition” – as is the case for this Honda Rolex reference. “I got the watch from a Honda dealer who received it as a sales award in 1985,” Wind explains. “We’re incredibly excited to offer the second known example – this time from the original owner and full set.”
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Part of a series of Oyster Perpetual Date models that Rolex equipped with the robust Calibre 3035, this ‘Honda’ model benefits from a number of practical features that make this a supremely viable daily wearer – as opposed to something one whips out at the occasional watch ‘GTG’.
In no particular order: wearers get a solid 42-hour power reserve; free-sprung balance; and, crucially, the all-important quick set date function (note: Rolex only introduced this in an across-the-board way in 1977).
Accompanied by its original box and papers, the fact that this Ref. 15000 has only had one previous owner adds strongly to its already mighty appeal. From the provided images, the condition also looks to be consistent with Wind’s “new old stock” assessment: with a taut Jubilee bracelet, unpolished 34mm case, unblemished lume plots, and the red Honda signature boldly displayed at 6 o’clock.
Perfect: now all you need is a matching, first-gen NSX to go with it.
