In Conversation: The Art of Collecting Rolex, Richard Mille, Porsche and More

Join Watch Specialist and Media Director, Tim Mosso, as he sits down with collector, entrepreneur and race car driver, Drew Coblitz. This latest installment of The 1916 Company’s Collector Conversations is set amidst some of Coblitz’ most treasured vehicles, and explores personal collecting habits, favorite timepieces and bespoke experiences.

From his home base in Philadelphia, Coblitz has built a business and a lifestyle around matching clients to collectible watches and investment-grade automobiles. Having discovered his passion for cars and watches at an early age, Coblitz has built his collection upon childhood dreams. Today, his collection includes Audemars Piguet, Omega watches, new Rolex watches and vintage Rolex collectibles.

Watch as Coblitz discusses everything from the exhilarating moment he acquired his Richard Mille 67-02, to driving an adrenaline-pumping 200 MPH in his McLaren 600 LT.

Continue reading for more details on some of Coblitz’ most impressive timepieces.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Black Ceramic 26579CE.OO.1225CE.01

The 41mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Black Ceramic was launched in 2017 as the flagship of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar model line.

As the latest in a lineage of Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar models dating to 1981, the “PC/CE” boasts a notable distinction as the first full-ceramic Royal Oak. Building on the 2016 arrival of the perpetual display with a weekly calendar, the Audemars Piguet reference 26579CE is a nearly indelible version of the metal watch. Due to its extreme hardness and light weight, ceramic is an ideal material for a full bracelet watch whose artisanal finish is prone to damage when rendered in metal.

Audemars Piguet’s ceramic perpetual calendar features the same detailed and hand-crafted faceting, satin, polish and beveling as the metal version. Due to the nature of ceramic, the black AP is both lighter and more durable than the standard AP Royal Oak 26574. Moreover, the challenge of executing manual finish on the ceramic surface ensures that the black zirconium oxide bracelet requires 33 hours to finish; that’s three times as long as is required for execution of the steel version.

Inside the distinctive Gerald Genta-penned case, this Royal Oak relies on the Audemars Piguet caliber 5134 automatic movement for motive force. Originally developed by Jaeger-LeCoultre for Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet, today this movement is manufactured and finished entirely within Audemars Piguet. Along with the challenges of finishing ceramic, the artisanal decoration and tuning of the caliber 5134 places practical constraints on annual production of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Black Ceramic.

 

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Grey Side of The Moon Porsche Club of America 311.92.44.51.99.001

Launched in late 2017, the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Grey Side of The Moon Porsche Club of America is exclusive for members of the driving enthusiast’s club of the same name. This 99-piece limited edition is based on the celebrated Speedmaster Moonwatch Grey Side of the Moon, and each serial number sits blazon on the dial side of the watch.

This Speedmaster’s 44.25mm gray ceramic case features the traditional Omega Moonwatch sculpting, but it offers a cool and scratch-resistant aesthetic upgrade. Omega’s dramatic use of yellow accents punctuate the mellow platinum dial in a subtle nod to the yellow brake calipers found on many Porsche high performance models. A custom perforated calf leather strap further customizes and differentiates the PCA Moonwatch from the standard Grey Side.

Omega’s automatic caliber 9300 chronometer chronograph caliber boasts a superior 60-hour power reserve for endurance racing and a COSC certification for precision.

As a chronograph complication, the Grey Side is ideally matched to the task of high-performance driving on a track, and the Porsche Club often organizes such events for its members. Moreover, Porsche’s reputation as a manufacturer is built upon motorsports success, and PCA members are able to use their custom timepieces to track the fortunes of their racing heroes during professional events at Le Mans, Daytona, Sebring and beyond.

 

Richard Mille RM 67-02 Sébastien Ogier

Originally launched in 2016, the Richard Mille RM 67 was the company’s second foray into ultra-thin watches following the ground-breaking RM016. As a true tonneau case, the RM 67 better embodied RM’s iconic design conventions than the rectangular 016.

For 2018, Richard Mille expanded its RM 67 variants to include three lively models named after RM brand ambassadors from the world of sports. World Rally Champion driver Sébastien Ogier’s RM 67-02 is Drew’s model of choice from this series.

The 32-gram watch is comprised almost entirely of titanium for the movement, sapphire for the case crystals, and TPT carbon composite for its 7.8mm thick case. Not only does the carbon fiber material closely parallel the fabric of choice for modern racing cars, but its extraordinary composition ensures that it is as durable as it is light. The quartz TPT layup of the RM 67-02 is as scratch resistant as ceramic.

Although previous Richard Mille automatic timepieces employed calibers customized for RM by Vaucher Manufacture, the RM 67 utilizes Richard Mille’s own automatic caliber CRMA7. The skeletonized titanium movement is engineered for maximum shock tolerance and precision. For good measure, the watch’s open dial allows the owner to appreciate the manufacture movement from the dial-side.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller 1665 “White Sea Dweller Rail Dial”

The late 1960s witnessed an explosion of demand for professional grade diving watches; their capabilities surpassed earlier recreational diving timepieces that spawned the genre. Rolex’s solution for this elite market was a reinforced and upgraded version of its existing Submariner dive watch line. By increasing the hermeticity of the case, adding a thicker crystal, and fitting a pioneering “gas release” valve, Rolex launched a new diving tool for professional deep-water engineering clients such as France’s COMEX.

Reference 1665—initially an extension of the Submariner line—bore the name “Sea-Dweller.” Four years of development culminated in the 1971 start of consumer availability. At the heart of each Sea-Dweller was its helium relief valve. Extreme “saturation” divers had discovered the accumulation of helium in previous dive watches led to explosive discharge of seals and crystals during decompression from submersion. Rolex’s solution automatically opened a case-mounted relief valve when the internal pressure of the watch exceeded external pressure by 2-3 atmospheres.

The first generation of Sea-Dwellers is known for its colorful collection of dials and the equally colorful dial names coined by watch collectors. Drew’s watch is the rare and coveted “White Sea-Dweller/Rail Dial” built in the roughly five-million serial number range.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer II 1655 Orange Arrow

Rolex launched its second split 12/24-hour timepiece in 1971, and the result was a variation on a theme. While previous Rolex Explorer timepieces had been simple affairs with three hands and stout “Oyster” case construction, the Explorer II 1655 featured a date and a second 24-hour hand.

Why bother with such a device when the GMT-Master already was available? The simple answer is that Rolex had a very specific target customer: subterranean explorers. Although the Rolex Explorer—right or wrong—is associated with the conquest of Mount Everest, the Explorer II was intended to be used in cave and tunnel environments where the distinction between day and night wasn’t clear. A 24-hour display and corresponding bezel calibrations permitted easy recognition of day or nighttime on the surface.

Despite the niche target market, the Rolex 1655 Explorer II forever will be associated with American actor and racing driver, Steve McQueen. Although no photographs to date have established McQueen actually owned and wore such a watch, Drew has unique insight into the matter; McQueen’s personal friend remembers the driver wearing the watch in the early 1970s.