Three Of The Absolute Rarest Vintage Rolex Chronographs, Ever: The 4113 Split-Seconds, The Hermes Paul Newman, And The Zerographe

When you talk about Rolex chronographs, this is the one that stands above all the rest.  The 4113 is the only Rolex to break the $1 million mark at public auction, back in 2011 when this example ended up at 1.17M.  So what makes the 4113 so special?  First, it's gigantic - 44mm.  It's incredibly rare - only 12 were made, while just 8 have surfaced, mostly from the original families.  It features an unusually thin bezel (for a Rolex), and wears like a thoroughly modern watch, though all 12 were produced in 1942.  But what makes this guy SO special, and SO valuable is that little extra button popping out of the crown - the 4113 is the only split-seconds chronograph to be built by Rolex, ever.

Why does that matter?  Well the Rolex chronograph is something of a benchmark in the industry, and the rattrapante complication is one of collectors' collective favorites, especially in true sport watches, which the 4113 is.  This is how the rattrapante works in this oversized, 1940s Rollie:

The 4113 is something special, and the opportunity to try one on was not to be missed.  You can see just how massive it is on my wrist, but even more insteresting than its diameter is its thickness. 

Despite the fact that this watch is an early split-seconds chronograph, it is remarkably thin.  Almost shockingly so, especially when you consier how thick the average rattrapante is today (see Blancpain,Lange, Patek for what I mean).  

So, while the 4113 does appear at auction every few years, that doesn't make it any less special.  In fact, we'd venture to say this is the ultimate Rolex chronograph, period.  Christie's has a pre-sale estimate of 700,000 CHF to 1.2M CHF and more details can bee seen here.  

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