Karl Lagerfeld – Rolex “Stelline” Moonphase Triple Calendar

Late German creative director and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is in this 1984 photo wearing the legendary and extremely rare 36mm Rolex “Stelline” (small star in Italian) Moonphase Triple Calendar in 18k pink gold.

It features a white dial with a triple calendar, star-set numerals, and moonphases, a combination you seldom see in a Rolex. 

Watch Review

Rolex isn’t recognized for producing extremely complex watches, except for the majority of other prestige watch companies, because of their emphasis on tool pieces. However, the result has been extraordinary each time they have dabbled in the mysterious world of Haute Horlogerie.

The “Stelline” MoonPhase triple calendar, originally owned by Gordon Bethune, is the third significant classic Rolex. He is renowned for bringing around Continental Airlines over his ten-year career in 1994. Mr. Bethune, now retired, spent two decades building up his timepiece collection.

The Rolex “Stelline” was thus introduced in 1950 at Baselworld. It was created in a comparatively small number in a variety of metals, including 18k pink gold. Only a few hundred are thought to have been made overall. The piece’s dial features stars, which are referred to as “Stelline” in Italian. This design decision has greatly influenced how well-liked the wristwatch became among enthusiasts over time.

The “Stelline” is a triple calendar, self-winding moonphase watch that is sometimes likened to the Rolex ref. 8171. It was the only triple calendar moonphase Rolex created around the middle of the 20th century and goes by the Italian moniker “Padellone.” Contrary to the ref. 8171, the “Stelline” is unique because of being encased in an Oyster casing built by Gay Frères. This gave the timepiece a bolder feel and indicated that it was rather tough, particularly when factoring in the complexity. 

Due to the screw-down crown of the Rolex “Stelline,” its toughness involves being watertight. The “Stelline” omitted the two-tone dial of its rival, although it was smaller, unlike the “Padellone” (at 36mm as opposed to 38mm). However, due to their scarcity and distinctive personalities, the two intricate Rolexes produced in the 1950s typically fetch excellent sums at auction.

This Rolex “Stelline” boasts a rich navy blue with a golden moonphase disk among the most coveted and scarcest classic Rolex versions. It also features a wonderfully maintained matte silver dial with attached star indicators and the Rolex emblem crown. Additionally, it is driven by a self-winding caliber 655 movement with openings for the moon’s phase, apertures for the day and the month, and an arrow-tipped date marker dial.

On the other hand, the day and date apertures are placed at 12 o’clock, while the moon phase is at the 6 o’clock spot. It also contains star-shaped hour markings, distinguishing it from other “Stelline” dial variations.

Overall, collectors adore a lovely, straightforward tale as well as sharply-preserved timepieces. So the fact that they still regard pieces as being from Mr. Bethune’s inventory shows that his style is still substantially relevant today. Regardless of origin, this reference is simply one of the greatest applications of the concept.

The price is unknown, but a reference 6062, in yellow gold, was sold at an auction in 2015 for $1,280,000.

Photo: Getty Images