Rolex 5440/8 Cellini Prince

Prince → 5440/8

The Cellini Prince 5440/8 is Rolex's yellow-gold version of the modern rectangular Prince. Rolex's archived model page describes its champagne Clou de Paris dial, white counters and hand-wound Cal. 7040-1. The reference was still in Rolex's price list in 2015.

Core facts

Detail	Specification
Reference	5440/8
Family	Cellini Rolex Prince
Listed	Watch LIFE NEWS dates the modern line to 2005; Rolex lists the 5440/8 through 2015
Case	Rectangular, 18 ct yellow gold
Movement	Hand-wound, chronometer-certified Rolex Cal. 7040-1
Dial	Champagne Clou de Paris with separate white hour/minute and seconds counters
Crystal and back	Sapphire crystal; transparent caseback
Strap and clasp	Brown alligator strap; matching 18 ct yellow-gold butterfly clasp

Where it sits in the line

Watch LIFE NEWS dates the modern Cellini Prince to 2005. Rolex describes five versions across four references: the 5440/8 is yellow gold with a Clou de Paris dial; the 5441/9 is white gold with two dial options; the Everose 5442/5 and white-gold 5443/9 use different Rayon Flammé de la Gloire patterns.

Production outline

Rolex's March 2008 Italian price list, December 2014 model page and Netherlands list from 2015 document the 5440/8 on sale across those years. Watch LIFE NEWS dates the modern line to 2005, and Christie's describes a 5440/8 as circa 2005. The available record reaches 2015; it does not establish a final production year.

Movement notes

Rolex identifies Cal. 7040-1 as a manually wound, chronometer-certified movement made by Rolex. Its detailed model description lists Paraflex shock absorbers and about 72 hours of reserve. Rolex also says the bridges carry the same Clou de Paris decoration as the dial. The 2015 list independently describes the watch as hand-wound with 21 jewels.

Rolex Cal. 7040-1 with Clou de Paris decoration on the bridges — Rolex archived product image, 2014

A generic Winding field on the archived page says bidirectional self-winding. The detailed 5440/8 description and the 2015 price list both specify manual winding, so those reference-specific entries are used here.

Dial map

Rolex describes a champagne Clou de Paris dial with two white counters. Roman numerals and baton markers share the upper hours-and-minutes register; Arabic numerals mark the seconds counter at six. The 18 ct yellow-gold hands match the case. Rolex shows this dial on the 5440/8; the silver Godron and Rayon Flammé designs belong to the other Cellini Prince references.

Closer view of the 5440/8 champagne Clou de Paris dial and white subsidiary counters — Rolex archived product image, 2014

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

Rolex describes a gently curved, rectangular 18 ct yellow-gold case with lateral decoration and a transparent back. Its model page gives dimensions of 45 × 29 mm and a 50 m water-resistance rating. Watch LIFE NEWS prints 35.1 × 28 mm and 10.5 mm thick. Sotheby's records a 47 mm length for its circa-2007 example; Christie's gives 27.5 mm width and 47 mm overall length for another. The publications do not give a shared measurement convention, so each figure stays attached to its source.

Strap, clasp, and packaging

Rolex lists a brown alligator strap with a matching yellow-gold butterfly clasp. Sotheby's describes a twin-folding clasp on its circa-2007 example; Christie's calls the clasp double deployant on its circa-2005 watch. Those terms describe individual watches; no dated sequence ties them to a production change. Antiquorum, Sotheby's and Christie's mention presentation materials or papers with their respective lots. Box and paper details remain lot-specific.

Historical market and auction record

Catalogue	Example and details
Antiquorum, Geneva, 2008	Case D760668; catalogue records a 2006 sale history and Cal. 7040-1.
Sotheby's, Geneva, 2010, lot 73	Described as circa 2007; 47 mm length as catalogued, with gilt Clou de Paris dial and twin-folding clasp.
Christie's, Hong Kong, 30 November 2011, lot 3641	Described as circa 2005; 27.5 mm wide and 47 mm overall length as catalogued.

The records give three catalogue entries with individual measurement, condition and accessory details. Christie's and Sotheby's provide too few shared identifiers to confirm that they represent separate watches.

Gallery

Rolex archived product image, 2014: whole watch.
Rolex archived product image, 2014: dial and case detail.
Rolex archived product image, 2014: Cal. 7040-1.

Sources