When the World is Your Oyster: Two Sensational Rolex Oysters

The name Rolex goes hand in hand with wealth, power, and status. Both history's famous and infamous, such as Sir Edmund Hillary, Pablo Picasso, Jacques Cousteau, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Fidel Castro, Muammar Gaddafi, and Bernie Madoff, have been known to sport Rolexes. So when the world really is your oyster and you've got money to burn, what Oyster best suits you? Here are two of the world's most important Rolexes, both with "Oyster" cases, and both with pretty hefty price tags.

1. The Unique Cloisonné Enamel Dial Rolex 5029

Spending over a million bucks on a time-only watch is an infrequent happening. Why? Generally speaking, there's no actual reason for a wristwatch, one lacking complications, to fetch such a high dollar amount; therefore, the majority of $1 million dollar plus watches are ultra-complicated. This watch is an exception to the rule. If you look into the vintage watch market, you'll begin to notice what makes up most of a watch's value: Its dial. The cloisonné dial on this Rolex ref. 5029 (circa 1949) is absolutely extraordinary, depicting "a whale and a frigate in full sail cruising through stormy seas." This example was sold at Christie's Geneva for a sum of $1,242,040 in May 2014.

2. The Rolex "Black Ghost ROC Paul Newman" Daytona

 This reference 6263 Paul Newman Daytona is the ultimate Rolex chronograph. Though rumors were circulated by a watch blogger regarding whether its dial was refinished or not, the world's top experts and Rolex quashed these opinions, confirming the dial's original state. This magnificent watch achieved a price of $479,705 (including buyer's premium) at Christie's last week.

For these Oysters, it's best that you leave the shucking to your watchmaker.