Rolex King Midas Reference 3580 in 18k Yellow Gold

The King Midas was the most expensive Rolex by far at retail in the 1960s and 1970s. Starting in the 1970s, Rolex changed the dial to have Cellini instead of Midas in Greek on the dial and also introduced the smaller Queen Midas model. The King Midas has been closely associated with Elvis Presley, who is photographed holding one, and more recently with Rihanna, who wore a customized model for her pregnancy announcement.

It is said that Gérald Genta designed these watches and they certainly seemed to be part of the evolution of integrated watch design that led to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, IWC Ingenieur 1832, and Patek Philippe Nautilus.

This example is 18k yellow gold. It is a fantastic timepiece. The case has been polished. The watch features a 3.7M serial dating to circa 1974. The bracelet can fit a wrist up to 7 inches

The watch does not come with original Midas urn — as many examples have been damaged or lost over the decades. We have an example that is available for $19,000. It does not come with box and papers. We do not know the service history, but it is running well.

PRICE: $69,000 (Item SBUXYT3990)