Rolex Cellini King Midas 4316

ROLEX. A RARE AND IMPRESSIVE 18K WHITE GOLD WRISTWATCH WITH LAPIS LAZULI DIAL AND BRACELET

ROLEX. A RARE AND IMPRESSIVE 18K WHITE GOLD WRISTWATCH WITH LAPIS LAZULI DIAL AND BRACELET SIGNED ROLEX, KING MIDAS, NO. 3720, REF. 4316, CASE NO. 4’253’362, CIRCA 1976 Movement : cal. 651, manual, 18 jewels, signed Dial : lapis lazuli, signed Case : snap on back, 24 mm. wide, signed With : 18K white gold Rolex bracelet stamped on the hidden deployant clasp King Midas by Rolex of Geneva , overall length of approximately 180 mm. , On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT will be charged at 7.7% on both the premium as well as the hammer price.The present timepiece is an extremely well-preserved example of a Rolex “King Midas”, the overall appeal enhanced by the rare lapis lazuli dial. The celebrated "Midas" series was designed by the renowned Gérald Genta and launched in the late 1960s with ref. 9630 in a limited edition of 1000 examples, followed by ref. 3580, also produced in a limited series. The cases were made from a block of 18K yellow or white gold, and weighted between 150 and 200 grams depending on the model. At the time, the King Midas was Rolex most expensive model and considered the heaviest gold wristwatch on the market. Like several other Rolex models, the King Midas "starred" in a James Bond movie when worn by the villain Francisco Scaramanga, played by Christopher Lee in "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974). The most famous King Midas however was owned by the King of Rock n' Roll, Elvis Presley. While performing six shows at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 1970, he was presented with a yellow gold reference 9630, numbered 343 - today on display at his home Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.