The Pucci Papaleo Collection – Part I

Behind every great collection, there is a collector. This is the story of Pucci Papaleo.

In Aurel’s words, this is “the very, very best collection any human being has ever assembled in the field of vintage Rolex chronographs.”

In this video, Aurel Bacs takes us into the world of Pucci Papaleo, an Italian publisher, researcher and passionate collector who spent more than 30 years assembling an extraordinary collection of vintage Rolex chronographs.

Always in pursuit of the rarest and most unusual examples, Pucci Papaleo sought watches in exceptional condition, with distinctive dial configurations and original accessories, including references produced in extremely limited numbers and even unique pieces.

The first part of this remarkable collection brings watches to auction, tracing the history of Rolex chronographs from the 1930s to the late 1970s. And this is only the beginning, with further chapters to follow in forthcoming seasons.

All watches will be offered at The Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV on 7 and 8 November in Geneva.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:28 The Story of Pucci Papaleo
01:07 A Collection of Rolex Chronographs
02:00 The Pursuit of the Impossible
02:39 A 30-Year Collecting Journey
03:20 Rolex Reference 3233 Verga – The "Discovolante" from 1938
04:44 Rolex Reference 3525 Bariletto Prouds, circa 1940
05:51 The Unique Oversized Square Chronograph Reference 3830 Anti-Magnetique Verga
06:38 Rolex Reference 3335 – Pink on Pink Monetti
07:58 The Golden Age of the Daytona
08:48 The "Paul Newman Musketeer" Reference 6239 Cosmograph Daytona