Rolex King Midas ref.9630 1st series White Gold from 1970

The King Midas was presented in 1962 as a limited edition and was designed by Gerald Genta with the shape of the Greek Pantheon, hence the asymmetrical design of the watch that simulates the design of the Pantheon and its columns. Interestingly, the crown was placed on the left side to represent Midas, who turned everything he touched with his left hand into gold according to the stories of Greek Mythology. The watch has a great weight, almost 200 grams of solid gold, which caused this piece to have a price a third higher than a Day-date when it was launched.

The reference. 9630 is the original King Midas watch. It was commonly thought that 1000 pieces had been produced, but in reality, less than 800 were produced in total for this reference between 1962 and 1972: exactly 144 in 18-carat white gold and the rest in 18-carat yellow gold with a very small number of models exhibiting diamond dials. We could say that around 500 examples of ref. 9630 were actually produced in yellow gold, which makes sense with the series and year of this model as being one of the last pieces manufactured.

One of the most impressive aspects of the King Midas is the manual production, each model carefully crafted by highly skilled goldsmiths which of course makes each model slightly different in terms of weight and finish.

Box and crown: a lesser-known detail is that the first ~250 pieces did not have "KING MIDAS" engravings on the case (crown side), this was added a little later. Being handmade, it is common to see that the engravings on the cases differ slightly in appearance and position.

The serrated tooth crown is on the left side due to the aforementioned mythology, that everything King Midas touched with his left hand turned to gold. The crown is also designed to represent the sun over the Greek temple (asymmetrical case seen horizontally).

Brand: Rolex
Model: King Midas
Reference: 9630
Year of Manufacture: 1970
Serial Number: 2,338xxx. No.5xx
Material: 18k Gold
Dimensions: 28mm
Crystal Material: Sapphire
Movement Type: Cal.650
Extensible Measurement: 25mm
Bracelet: full size
Box/Papers: Watch only
Mechanical Functioning Guarantee: 6 Months

Comments: The watch is in optimal mechanical and aesthetic conditions. The watch has never been polished and its original finishes can be appreciated.