One of the world's finest collections of rare vintage and classic Rolex watches will take place in Milan in March. The collection, amassed by Italian Rolex enthusiast Davide Blei, is not the largest Rolex collection in the world but may well be the finest, on account of its unprecedented level of quality and exclusivity.

Blei acquired only "exquisite, rare and unique" examples of Rolex models, stressing quality over quantity and buying only the very best. The auction will be conducted by the newly formed Patrizzi auction house, and a preview is being held at Asprey in London next week.

The highlight of the sale is a pink gold "Stelline" Oyster Perpetual Chronometer with star indexes, estimated at $ 260,000 – $320,000.
Another standout is this stainless steel "Paul Newman" Cosmograph Daytona with white dial, black subdials and applied gold indexes, estimated at $58,000 – $87,000.

[Patrizzi via Hodinkee]

Last spring we told you about a super-cool custom Rolex Daytona from London-based Bamford & Sons. Now the bastion of top-drawer British style has come out with a new version of the classic sports watch, designed as an homage to vintage Ferraris with a red dial.

The new Daytona (right) is treated with a military grade, scratch proof PVD coating over the stainless steel case and bracelet, though it is not flat black like the previous Bamford model. Only 25 examples of the Ferrari red watch are being produced at a price of $23,000 each, available by special order from Bamford's London flagship in Sloane Square.

In addition to its special limited edition pieces, Bamford is now offering customers a bespoke dial color matching and customization service on classic Rolex models such as the Submariner, GMT, Explorer II, Sea Dweller and Milgauss.

[via JustLuxe]

The other day we reported on the world records set at Antiqorum's recent $8.5 million Rolex auction, where the top-priced timepiece fetched $248,000. At Sotheby's Important Watches auction on April 23, however, that record was shattered by the sale of an ultra-rare 1971 "Albino" Rolex Daytona that formerly belonged to rock & roll icon Eric Clapton. Eclipsing its pre-sale estimate of $100,000 - $150,000, the Daytona went for a whopping $505,000 including buyer's premium.

Though the total proceeds from the Sotheby's sale, $6,588,451, were far less than Antiquorum's, the Clapton sale set a record for the Daytona and was the second-highest price ever achieved at auction for a Rolex watch. This model is known as the "Albino" because both the background and subsidiary dials are in a monochrome silver color, as opposed to the usual contrasting variations found on more common examples.

The second through fifth highest prices paid at the Sotheby's auction were all for Patek Philippes, ranging from $445,000 - $217,000. The sixth highest was also a Rolex, a so-called "James Bond" 1959 Submariner, which brought in $211,000.