Rolex Day-Date "The Eastern Arabic" Reference 6613B

Technical characteristics

Type

Automatic wristwatch

Maker

Rolex

Bracelet

Platinum with 'Big logo' clasp

Material

Platinum

Movement

Calibre 1055

Reference

6613B

Provenance

Gift from King Saud ben Abdelaziz Al Saud to Rachid Karamé

Serial Number

403672

Place recorded

Switzerland

Maker / attribution

Rolex

Design

Visible features

• Diamond-set bezel • Oriental Arabic Persian calendar day/date discs • Platinum bracelet with 'Big logo' clasp • Applied diamond hour markers on silver-toned dial

Case and Dial Design

The watch features a 36 mm diameter platinum case designed with a diamond-set bezel. The screw-down case back is internally engraved with "66". The dial is finished in silver and includes applied diamond hour markers along with a railway-style minute track. The timepiece is uniquely identified by its oriental Arabic Persian calendar display, which shows the day of the week and date in the corresponding script. Luminous plots are present at each hour marker, and the dial bears the "Swiss" signature. The seconds hand exhibits signs of oxidation.

Provenance and History

This specific timepiece was a formal gift provided by King Saud ben Abdelaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia to the Lebanese Prime Minister, Rachid Karamé, in 1959. Following the Prime Minister's death on June 1, 1987, the watch was held by his descendants until being consigned for this auction. The watch has remained in the possession of the Prime Minister's heirs until the present sale, having been preserved intact since his death in 1987. The watch is cited as a rare variant within the Rolex production catalogue. While standard reference 6613 models were introduced in 1957, the specific 6613B configuration is identified by the cataloguer as a significantly scarcer iteration compared to its counterparts found in literature such as John Goldberger's "100 Superlative Rolex Watches".

Movement and Construction

The watch is powered by the automatic Rolex calibre 1055 movement, which is notable for its butterfly-style rotor. The construction utilizes platinum throughout the case and the associated bracelet. The bracelet is fitted with a deployant clasp known as the "Big logo" style, which is stamped with the date code 3.58. The case is described as thick and appearing to have received little or no polishing, and the bracelet is stated to be in very good original condition.

Identification

Reference

6613B

Serial number

403672

Source note

Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.

Catalogue references

No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.