Rolex Prince ref. 1599

Prince → 1599

Rolex Sporting Prince with its protective cover open — Ref. 1599, Watches of Knightsbridge, lot 29 (2025). Photo: Watches of Knightsbridge.

Auction catalogues use 1599 for covered Sporting Princes, sometimes paired with 1872, 1879 or 1883. Bonhams labels an open-face Prince ref. 1599; Dorotheum lists 1599 as the case number on another open-face Prince. The records leave Rolex's use of the number unclear.

Core facts

Detail	Documented record
Reference notation	Antiquorum and Watches of Knightsbridge catalogue covered Sporting Princes as 1599. Antiquorum also uses 1872-1599 and 1883/1599; Christie's uses 1879/1599. Bonhams labels an open-face Prince as 1599, while Dorotheum records case no. 1599 on a similar watch
Family and branch	Prince; usually catalogued as Sporting Prince with a protective hunter case
Movement	Covered-case listings describe 15- or 17-jewel Extra Prima movements; Antiquorum's 1872-1599 lot lists an 18-jewel Ultra Prima. Bonhams lists an 18-jewel manual movement for its open-face watch. No lot identifies a caliber number
Case	Antiquorum's 1872-1599 lot has a 9 ct gold outer case and steel inner case; its 2004 ref. 1599 is catalogued in 9K pink gold. Christie's 1879/1599 and Watches of Knightsbridge's 1599 are catalogued in 18K gold; the latter specifies a stainless-steel inner case, while Christie's says only "metal inner case"
Dial	Multi-tone or two-tone layouts with Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds in covered-case records

Where it sits in the line

Ref. 1599 is a rectangular Prince. Alexander Barter describes the sliding-cover Sporting Prince and Sporting Princess as purse watches in The Watch: A Twentieth-Century Style History (Prestel, 2019).

Hans Wilsdorf's Swiss patent CH 146038 A, filed on 26 December 1929 and published on 31 March 1931, shows two case parts that slide relative to one another. The watch sits in a spring-loaded frame that pivots open. Patent CH 151577 A, filed on 17 March 1930 and published on 15 December 1931, gives further detail on the arrangement. Christie's and Antiquorum use the name Sporting Prince for covered examples (Christie's lot 101; Antiquorum lot 583; CH 146038 A; CH 151577 A).

Mikrolisk's trademark index records Sporting Prince under Hans Wilsdorf / Rolex Watch Co. SA on 8 March 1930.

Production outline

Christie's dates its 1879/1599 to circa 1931 and reports a Glasgow import mark from that year (lot 101). Antiquorum dates two 1883/1599 examples to 1932 and another to the 1930s. Similar descriptions suggest these could be repeat sales of one watch (lot 510; lot 138; lot 271). The 1994 Antiquorum entry for 1872-1599 records a Bienne chronometry certificate dated 28 August 1935 (lot 97). The certificate dates the rating; it does not date the watch or the reference.

Movement notes

The 1994 Antiquorum lot pairs 1872-1599 with a 7-line, 18-jewel Ultra Prima. Other covered examples have Extra Prima movements: Antiquorum's 2004 ref. 1599 and Christie's 1879/1599 are listed as 15-jewel, while Watches of Knightsbridge's 1599 and Antiquorum's 1883/1599 are listed as 17-jewel. Christie's says its movement was timed in six positions (Christie's, lot 101; Watches of Knightsbridge, lot 29; Antiquorum, lot 271).

Bonhams lists an 18-jewel manual movement in its open-face ref. 1599 listing (lot 35, 2020). The catalogue masks its number. The Prince movement guide covers the Extra Prima and Ultra Prima grades named in these lots.

Dial map

The covered watches have Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds. Antiquorum describes a gold two-tone dial with geometric decoration. Christie's calls its dial silver and multi-tone. Watches of Knightsbridge reports a refinished dial; the original finish is unknown.

Dial and open cover on the Watches of Knightsbridge example, lot 29 (2025). Photo: Watches of Knightsbridge.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Antiquorum records a 9 ct gold outer case and steel inner case on its 1872-1599. Its 2004 ref. 1599 is 9K pink gold with wire lugs. Watches of Knightsbridge describes an 18K gold cover over stainless steel and says the inner and outer numbers match. Christie's gives an 18K engine-turned outer case, a 40 mm length, and a “metal” inner case (Antiquorum, lot 97; Antiquorum, lot 583; Watches of Knightsbridge, lot 29; Christie's, lot 101).

Christie's reports patent stamps for Britain, the United States, France, and Italy. The case lid carries a monogram and a star-and-crescent emblem.

Open hunter case and inner metal body. Watches of Knightsbridge, lot 29 (2025). Photo: Watches of Knightsbridge.
Reverse of the outer case. Watches of Knightsbridge, lot 29 (2025). Photo: Watches of Knightsbridge.

Bracelets, clasps, and packaging

The Watches of Knightsbridge example is on a leather strap. Christie's lists an 18K Rolex buckle with its watch.

Open-face listing

Bonhams calls its 2020 open-face 18K gold Prince ref. 1599. Dorotheum's 2017 open-face Prince has case number 1599 and movement T57744. The two entries may show the same watch; the case style and dial look similar. Bonhams masks its movement number, and neither listing shows the caseback, so the match remains unconfirmed.

Historical market and auction record

Sale date	House and lot	Catalogue notation	Record
10 April 1994	Antiquorum, lot 97	1872-1599	9 ct gold outer case, steel inner case; 18-jewel Ultra Prima; Bienne chronometry certificate dated 1935
12 April 2003; 24 October 2004; 8 November 2015	Antiquorum, lots 510, 138, and 271	1883/1599	Sporting Prince with gold outer cover and steel inner body
24 April 2004	Antiquorum, lot 583	1599	9K pink-gold covered case; 7½-line, 15-jewel Extra Prima; 25 × 41 mm; catalogued to the 1930s
12 October 2006	Christie's New York, lot 101	1879/1599	18K gold hunter case; 15-jewel Extra Prima; Glasgow import mark reported for 1931
20 January 2017	Dorotheum, lot 145-041277/0001	Case no. 1599	Open-face 750-gold Prince; movement T57744
21 July 2020	Bonhams, lot 35	1599 (catalogued as reference)	Open-face 18K gold Prince; 18-jewel manual movement T57***
6 December 2025	Watches of Knightsbridge, lot 29	1599	18K gold and stainless-steel full-hunter case; 17-jewel Extra Prima; inner and outer numbers reported to match

Gallery

Covered Sporting Prince, front view. Watches of Knightsbridge, lot 29 (2025). Photo: Watches of Knightsbridge.
Dial and open cover. Watches of Knightsbridge, lot 29 (2025). Photo: Watches of Knightsbridge.
Interior of the protective case. Watches of Knightsbridge, lot 29 (2025). Photo: Watches of Knightsbridge.
Reverse of the outer case. Watches of Knightsbridge, lot 29 (2025). Photo: Watches of Knightsbridge.

Sources