Rolex Vault › All references › Cellini
Cellini · 1964 to 1970s · Discontinued · Vintage
“King Midas”
Not ranked: too few recorded sales
Market range: 6 public auction results (Christie's) from the last 3 years, buyer's premium included.
Median public auction result (Christie's) for each year with 2 or more sales, buyer's premium included. Dashed line marks the 1970 retail price.
The strangest Rolex ever made: a solid-gold asymmetric slab inspired by the Parthenon, briefly the heaviest gold watch in the world, and worn by Elvis Presley and John Wayne.
Numbered production and celebrity provenance built a cult around it. Liquidity is thin because each buyer has to be the exact person looking for one.
Commissioned thinking Greek temples: the case is an asymmetric slab of gold inspired by the Parthenon, the integrated bracelet pours out of it like an architrave. Designed by a young Gérald Genta, it predates integrated bracelets becoming a genre.
Elvis Presley received one and wore it on stage; John Wayne had one too. Individually numbered, with fewer than 800 of the original 9630 made, it was briefly the heaviest gold watch in the world and remains one of the most sculptural Rolex designs.
Our verdict: C as an investment, S as a conversation. Buy it because nothing else looks remotely like it; sell it slowly through a specialist.
| Sizes | Asymmetric, approx 28mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet | Solid 18k yellow or white gold |
| Factory bracelet | Integrated asymmetric gold bracelet |
| Factory bezels | None: one-piece sculpted 18k gold case, Parthenon-inspired |
| Notable dials | Gold linen; Black |
| Caliber | 650 (manual) |
| Production | 1964 to 1970s (discontinued) |
| Sold | Example | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2026 | Christie's auction · New York live sale ↗︎ King Midas gold | $101,600 |
| May 11, 2026 | Christie's auction · Geneva live sale ↗︎ King Midas white gold · sold for CHF 76,200 | $97,219 |
| May 12, 2025 | Christie's auction · Geneva live sale ↗︎ King Midas white gold · sold for CHF 75,600 | $91,128 |
| Dec 9, 2024 | Christie's auction · New York live sale ↗︎ King Midas white gold | $37,800 |
| Nov 11, 2024 | Christie's auction · Geneva live sale ↗︎ King Midas gold · sold for CHF 35,280 | $40,082 |
| Nov 6, 2023 | Christie's auction · Geneva live sale ↗︎ King Midas gold · sold for CHF 23,940 | $26,854 |
Recorded eBay completed sales, logged at our last data refresh.