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Old 9 April 2008, 04:06 PM   #9
sabatier.jm
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: France
Posts: 27
Interesting previous thread by PADI56:

In 1970, Qaboos bin Said Al Said ousted his father and has ruled as sultan of Oman ever since.The British (SAS) and several Arab Nations sent well-trained forces to assist the Sultan, and the rebels were defeated. Legend has it that the Special Forces suffered heavy losses, and only 7 Special Forces Officers survived. As a token of his appreciation, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said presented them each with a Rolex Sea Dweller ref 1665 with the Nations Coat of Arms printed on the dial in Gold. Also several Local Officers were presented with a Rolex Sea Dweller ref 1665 with the Nations Coat of Arms printed on the dial in Red. I am not sure how many of these were issued.Many middle east sultans had there coat of arms added to Rolex watches, in fact there is a special department in Rolex H/Q to oversee these matters.During the 1970s and 1980s it was not only Subs and Sea-Dwellers. They came in Presidents, Datejusts , Dates, turongraphs, and Airkings. Back in that era it was quite common for the Middle Eastern Kings to display their names and Family and counties Symbols all over watches, cars etc to these people money was know object.

Unfortunately due to the rarity and the huge demand of these watches from collectors and investors, many fake or doctored dials have appeared in the market place.The only true way to check if you have a genuine Oman Rolex is a movement and serial check with Rolex.A dial insignia on the dial without provenance is completely useless,to a serious collector.Unless he has the correct case serial, movement etc matching to a Oman watch or any other middle east sultan, or kings coat of arms, in the Rolex data base.What the emblem of Oman shows is a Gambia (Arabian dagger with sheath) in front of two crossed curved swords, covered with an arms-belt.

Now if that watch on the bay was a genuine Rolex dialled Sultan watch you could more or less ask your price,talking in telephone numbers.And now as rare as rocking horse s--t.And would not expect a genuine one on the bay we would be talking big auction house territory like Christies.


The serial number of this watch with Royal Saudi Arabia armories and "Naval forces" indicates a manufacture date of 1979.
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