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Reference:day-date

2026-06-23T00:21:38Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: add 118138 (leather-strap 6-digit) row

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1831|1831]] || c.1977 (special order) || cal 1556 / 1566 || diamond (integrated case) || The platinum "Emperor" — special-order integrated-bracelet case (1530 / 1630 / Oysterquartz idiom), about eight numbered examples for the household of the Shah of Iran plus the Omani Khanjar No. 9. Not a round President.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| [[Reference:18028|18028]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier; value lives in the dial (stone/Stella).
|-
| [[Reference:18048|18048]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| [[Reference:18078|18078]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| [[Reference:18248|18248]] / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || bark || Bark-finish (écorce) bezel and bark center links — the cal-3155 successor to the 18078. The diamond-bezel cal-3155 references are the [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349.
|-
| [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || diamond || Factory diamond-set bezel; white gold 18349 (often Tridor), platinum 18346.
|-
| [[Reference:18208|18208]] / 18209 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || smooth || Plain polished bezel, the understated outlier; the platinum smooth is the ice-blue 18206.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| [[Reference:118208|118208]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Smooth/domed bezel; offered on President or Oyster bracelet. The understated sleeper; value in the dial (stone dials).
|-
| [[Reference:118138|118138]] || 2013–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Fluted bezel on a leather strap (gold deployant) — the dressiest, lightest and most affordable gold Day-Date; cognac/green dials.
|-
| [[Reference:118235|118235]] || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President, best known for the chocolate dial.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| [[Reference:218206|218206]] || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II — the ice-blue "President's President"; smooth bezel only.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:18208

2026-06-22T03:28:44Z

Klaudiusz: 18208: link successor 118208 (now live)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 18208}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date 18208 — The Caliber-3155 Smooth-Bezel President
|titlemode=replace
|keywords=Rolex 18208, Day-Date 18208, smooth bezel Day-Date, plain bezel President, caliber 3155, understated Day-Date, 18206, 18028
|description=The Rolex 18208 is the yellow-gold smooth-bezel (plain polished) Day-Date on caliber 3155 — double quickset, sapphire crystal, 1988-2000. The understated cal-3155 outlier and successor to the smooth 18028; its value sits in the dial.
|image=Ref 18208 hero.webp
}}
[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''18208'''

The 18208 is the smooth-bezel Day-Date of the caliber-3155 era, the double-quickset successor to the caliber-3055 smooth [[Reference:18028|18028]] and the plainest of the caliber-3155 generation. It is a yellow-gold President with a plain polished bezel and the caliber 3155 that sets both the day and the date from the crown, made from 1988 to about 2000. It is the most thinly documented of the generation's four bezels: the smooth was the minority choice and the era is too recent to be vintage, so the 18208 lives in the dealer market rather than the auction catalogues. Like the 18028 before it, the bezel carries no premium of its own, and the value is in the dial.

[[File:Ref 18208 hero.webp|thumb|right|260px|alt=Yellow gold Rolex Day-Date 18208 smooth bezel onyx dial|Rolex Day-Date 18208 in yellow gold — the plain, polished smooth bezel of the caliber-3155 generation, here with an onyx dial.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 18208
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1988 to about 2000
|-
| movement
| caliber 3155, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, double quickset (day and date), ~48h, COSC
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k yellow gold President
|-
| crystal
| sapphire
|-
| bezel
| smooth (plain polished)
|-
| bracelet
| President 8385 with hidden Crownclasp, solid links
|-
| lume
| tritium ("T SWISS MADE T") early, Luminova then Super-LumiNova near 2000
|-
| dial
| champagne and silver stick most common; Roman, mother-of-pearl, stone, diamond-index, Arabic
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| siblings
| 18238 (fluted), 18248 (bark), 18348 (diamond), 18209 (white-gold smooth), 18206 (platinum smooth, ice-blue)
|-
| predecessor
| 18028 (caliber-3055 smooth)
|-
| successor
| [[Reference:118208|118208]] (6-digit smooth domed)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 18208 is the smooth member of the caliber-3155 Day-Date generation, the one of the four bezels with no worked surface. The generation splits by bezel: the [[Reference:18238|18238]] is the fluted volume reference, the [[Reference:18248|18248]] carries the bark, the [[Reference:18348|18348]] the diamond bezel, and the 18208 the plain polished bezel. The smooth was always the minority taste, so the 18208 reads as the dressy, discreet outlier and a relative sleeper, exactly as the [[Reference:18028|18028]] did in the previous generation. In white gold the smooth reference is the 18209, and in platinum the far more famous 18206 with its ice-blue dial, a distinct and much more collected reference. Everything behind the bezel is 18238: the same 36mm case, caliber 3155, sapphire crystal and President bracelet. The plain bezel is the only thing that separates it.

==Production outline==

The 18208 ran from 1988, when the caliber 3155 replaced the 3055 across the Day-Date line, until about 2000, when the 6-digit references took over and the smooth-bezel Day-Date became the 118208. The smooth bezel was a catalogue option across the run but a minority one, and the 18208 is the most thinly documented of the generation's four bezels, rarely catalogued even in the dealer reference guides that cover its siblings. No Rolex production figure has surfaced. Across the run the only running change of note is the lume: early examples carry tritium, marked "T SWISS MADE T" at the foot of the dial, and the latest switch to Luminova and then Super-LumiNova near the 2000 handover. The reference is a stable, single-spec watch whose variety lives in the dial.

==Movement notes==

The 18208 runs the caliber 3155, the double-quickset Day-Date movement: 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, a roughly 48-hour reserve and COSC certification, with both the day and the date set from the crown. The double quickset is the substantive advance over the caliber-3055 18028, whose movement quicksets only the date and leaves the day to be advanced by running the hands. The 3155 is the long-serving modern Day-Date caliber, shared with the fluted 18238 and carried forward unchanged into the 6-digit line. The bezel changes the look of the gold, not the watch underneath. The [[Reference:Movements]] page holds the caliber lineage, and the [[Reference:18238|18238]] entry covers the 3155 in detail.

==Dial map==

The smooth bezel pairs most naturally with a clean dial, and the common 18208 is a champagne or silvered dial with applied baton or stick markers, the dressiest face in the generation. Beyond that the 18208 takes the era-appropriate range of cal-3155 Day-Date dials: Roman-numeral, mother-of-pearl, diamond-index, hardstone such as onyx and lapis, and the occasional Arabic-script dial for the Gulf market. The lacquered Stella colours that turn up on the smooth 4-digit and early 5-digit Presidents belong to the 1970s and do not appear on a true 18208, so a Stella-dial example at this reference would be anomalous. The deep dial taxonomy that spans the President line sits on the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry; on the 18208, as on the 18028, the dial rather than the bezel is what sets one example apart from the next.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The case is the 36mm yellow-gold Oyster shared across the caliber-3155 Day-Date, with a sapphire crystal and Cyclops, a Twinlock screw-down crown and a screw-down caseback. The defining feature is what the bezel does not have: it is a plain, polished, gently domed gold ring, with none of the fluting, gem-setting or bark texture of the other three references. That plainness is the whole character of the 18208, the most formal and understated of the caliber-3155 Presidents, a Day-Date stripped to the dial and the gold.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 18208 wears the President bracelet, reference 8385, with the concealed Crownclasp and the solid links of the 5-digit era. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet rather than the head, and the cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

==Special branches==

===The understated President===

The 18208 is the quiet member of its generation, and its appeal is the same as the 18028's: a Day-Date with no decoration on the bezel, where the eye goes to the dial and the gold. It trades at the same level as the fluted 18238 and the older smooth 18028, with no premium for the plain bezel and a small usability edge from the double quickset. Where an 18208 leaves the everyday band is the dial, the hardstone, diamond-index and mother-of-pearl examples that read so cleanly on a plain case. The platinum smooth of the same generation, the 18206 with its ice-blue dial, is the far more famous expression of the understated President; the gold 18208 is its quieter, more common cousin.

==Market==

The 18208 is almost absent from the major-house auction record, which is itself the finding: the smooth bezel was the minority choice, the double-quickset era is too recent to read as vintage, and yellow-gold smooth Presidents from this period change hands through the dealer market rather than the catalogued sales. A standard yellow-gold smooth-bezel 18208 with a stick, Roman or plain dial sits roughly in the low-to-mid five figures in dollars, at the same level as the fluted 18238 and the caliber-3055 smooth 18028. The plain bezel carries no premium of its own, and the value attaches to the dial: hardstone, diamond-index and mother-of-pearl examples are where the reference leaves the everyday band.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/pre-owned-rolex-day-date-36-ref-18208-obsidian-dial.html Bob's Watches, "Pre-Owned Rolex Day-Date 36 Ref. 18208, 18k yellow gold smooth bezel, onyx dial", Bob's Watches]
* [https://www.mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history ''Rolex Day-Date'' — Giorgia Mondani and Guido Mondani, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/exploring-evergreens-the-rolex-day-date-18238/ Fratello editorial, "Exploring Evergreens: The Rolex Day-Date 18238", Fratello Watches]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.swisswatchexpo.com/thewatchclub/2024/01/25/generations-rolex-president-day-date/ SwissWatchExpo editorial, "Generations of the Rolex President Day-Date", SwissWatchExpo, 2024]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/3155 WatchBase, "Rolex caliber 3155 (registry page)", WatchBase]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://beckertime.com/blog/rolex-decades-the-90s-day-date-versus-the-2000s-day-date/ Beckertime editorial, "Rolex Decades: The 90s Day-Date vs the 2000s Day-Date", Beckertime]
* [https://www.watchguys.com/pages/rolex-reference-numbers WatchGuys editorial, "Rolex Reference Numbers — year-by-reference lookup", WatchGuys]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-22T03:28:43Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: add 118208 (smooth-bezel 6-digit) row

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1831|1831]] || c.1977 (special order) || cal 1556 / 1566 || diamond (integrated case) || The platinum "Emperor" — special-order integrated-bracelet case (1530 / 1630 / Oysterquartz idiom), about eight numbered examples for the household of the Shah of Iran plus the Omani Khanjar No. 9. Not a round President.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| [[Reference:18028|18028]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier; value lives in the dial (stone/Stella).
|-
| [[Reference:18048|18048]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| [[Reference:18078|18078]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| [[Reference:18248|18248]] / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || bark || Bark-finish (écorce) bezel and bark center links — the cal-3155 successor to the 18078. The diamond-bezel cal-3155 references are the [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349.
|-
| [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || diamond || Factory diamond-set bezel; white gold 18349 (often Tridor), platinum 18346.
|-
| [[Reference:18208|18208]] / 18209 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || smooth || Plain polished bezel, the understated outlier; the platinum smooth is the ice-blue 18206.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| [[Reference:118208|118208]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Smooth/domed bezel; offered on President or Oyster bracelet. The understated sleeper; value in the dial (stone dials).
|-
| [[Reference:118235|118235]] || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President, best known for the chocolate dial.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| [[Reference:218206|218206]] || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II — the ice-blue "President's President"; smooth bezel only.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-22T01:53:58Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: link 118235 to its now-live article + note chocolate dial

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1831|1831]] || c.1977 (special order) || cal 1556 / 1566 || diamond (integrated case) || The platinum "Emperor" — special-order integrated-bracelet case (1530 / 1630 / Oysterquartz idiom), about eight numbered examples for the household of the Shah of Iran plus the Omani Khanjar No. 9. Not a round President.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| [[Reference:18028|18028]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier; value lives in the dial (stone/Stella).
|-
| [[Reference:18048|18048]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| [[Reference:18078|18078]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| [[Reference:18248|18248]] / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || bark || Bark-finish (écorce) bezel and bark center links — the cal-3155 successor to the 18078. The diamond-bezel cal-3155 references are the [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349.
|-
| [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || diamond || Factory diamond-set bezel; white gold 18349 (often Tridor), platinum 18346.
|-
| [[Reference:18208|18208]] / 18209 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || smooth || Plain polished bezel, the understated outlier; the platinum smooth is the ice-blue 18206.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| [[Reference:118235|118235]] || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President, best known for the chocolate dial.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| [[Reference:218206|218206]] || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II — the ice-blue "President's President"; smooth bezel only.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-22T01:41:15Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: link 218206 to its now-live article + note ice-blue / smooth bezel

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1831|1831]] || c.1977 (special order) || cal 1556 / 1566 || diamond (integrated case) || The platinum "Emperor" — special-order integrated-bracelet case (1530 / 1630 / Oysterquartz idiom), about eight numbered examples for the household of the Shah of Iran plus the Omani Khanjar No. 9. Not a round President.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| [[Reference:18028|18028]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier; value lives in the dial (stone/Stella).
|-
| [[Reference:18048|18048]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| [[Reference:18078|18078]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| [[Reference:18248|18248]] / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || bark || Bark-finish (écorce) bezel and bark center links — the cal-3155 successor to the 18078. The diamond-bezel cal-3155 references are the [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349.
|-
| [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || diamond || Factory diamond-set bezel; white gold 18349 (often Tridor), platinum 18346.
|-
| [[Reference:18208|18208]] / 18209 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || smooth || Plain polished bezel, the understated outlier; the platinum smooth is the ice-blue 18206.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| 118235 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President from that point.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| [[Reference:218206|218206]] || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II — the ice-blue "President's President"; smooth bezel only.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:6612

2026-06-21T23:51:36Z

Klaudiusz: 6612: link 6612B to its now-live entry (the platinum Arabic "Lone Star")

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6612 Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 6612 Day-Date — Smooth-Bezel President of the 66xx Cluster | BezelBase
|description=The 6612 (1957–1959) is the smooth-bezel Day-Date of the second-generation 66xx cluster, sibling to the fluted 6611 and diamond-bezel 6613. 36mm 18k gold (rare platinum), caliber 1055B with free-sprung Microstella balance, President bracelet, and the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial.
|keywords=Rolex 6612, Day-Date, President, smooth bezel, 66xx cluster, 6611, 6613, caliber 1055B, [[Reference:6612B|6612B]], platinum Day-Date
|image=Ref 6612 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 6612 in platinum with smooth bezel and grey diamond dial
|type=article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''6612'''

The 6612 is the smooth-bezel member of the Day-Date's second-generation cluster. It arrived in 1957 alongside the fluted [[Reference:6611|6611]] and the diamond-bezel 6613, about a year after the [[Reference:6510|6510]] and [[Reference:6511|6511]] originals, and it carries the same three upgrades that turned the Day-Date into the President: the President bracelet, the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial line, and the rebuilt caliber 1055 with a free-sprung Microstella balance. Where the 6611 wears the fluted "Millerighe" bezel, the 6612 wears a plain polished one. That is the whole difference between them.

The shared origin story — the day-disc patents, the Presidential nickname, the full cluster roster — belongs to the [[Reference:6510|6510]] entry, and the bracelet-and-caliber bundle that defines the cluster is set out on the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. What follows is specific to the 6612: the smooth bezel, the metals it came in including a platinum pair that sits among the rarest early Day-Dates, and the 6612B sub-variant.

[[File:Ref 6612 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 6612 in platinum with smooth bezel and grey diamond dial|The 6612 in platinum — smooth bezel, grey dial with diamond markers, Spanish day disc, on the President bracelet. One of the documented platinum examples. Photo: Phillips / EveryWatch]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6612
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1957–1959
|-
| movement
| caliber 1055 second generation (1055B) — free-sprung Microstella balance, Breguet overcoil, COSC-certified, instant midnight changeover
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k gold Oyster — yellow, pink, white gold; platinum (rare)
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| smooth (polished)
|-
| bracelet
| President
|-
| dial designation
| "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified"
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| predecessor
| 6510 (smooth) / 6511 (fluted), 1956 originals
|-
| cluster siblings
| 6611 (fluted bezel), 6613 (diamond bezel)
|-
| successor
| 1803 and the 4-digit era, from c.1959
|-
| sub-variant
| 6612B (movement plate about 0.1mm thicker)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 6612 belongs to the 66xx cluster that succeeds the 1956 originals around 1957. Within the cluster the bezel is the divider: the 6611 takes the fluted bezel, the 6612 the smooth, and the 6613 a factory diamond-set bezel. The smooth bezel links the 6612 back to the first-generation [[Reference:6510|6510]], the only other early Day-Date to wear one; everything inside the watch is second-generation. By about 1959 the [[Reference:1803|1803]] and its siblings replace the whole cluster and the Day-Date settles into its long 4-digit era.

Dating the cluster is not quite unanimous. Sotheby's groups the 66xx references with the 1956 launch, while Monochrome and WatchBase place them at 1957. The 1957 reading is the common one and matches the President bracelet's own introduction.

==Production outline==

The 6612 shares the cluster's defining move: in 1957 the President bracelet, the rebuilt chronometer-certified caliber, and the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial arrived together, and the smooth-bezel reference in that group was the 6612. It kept the 36mm Oyster case and the gold-and-platinum catalogue of the period and ran for about three years.

No Rolex archival production figure has surfaced, and the smooth-bezel 6612 is scarcer in the record than the fluted 6611 — most early Day-Dates that reach the market wear the fluted bezel that became the line's signature. Case numbers fall in the same late-1950s band as the rest of the cluster; the platinum pair below carries numbers around 403,680, consistent with 1958.

==Movement notes==

The 6612 carries the second-generation caliber 1055, the version registries label 1055B, the same movement as the fluted 6611. It keeps the first-generation running gear (automatic, 25 jewels, 18,000 vph, 28.50mm across) and adds the two upgrades that define the cluster: a free-sprung balance with Rolex's Microstella regulating screws paired with a Breguet overcoil, and COSC chronometer certification. The midnight changeover becomes instant, fixing the slow day-and-date roll-over that hobbled the first-generation 1055 and is usually blamed for the one-year run of the 6510 and 6511. The full caliber lineage sits on [[Reference:Movements]].

==Dial map==

The 6612 carries the four-line "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" text at six o'clock that the cluster introduced, with the spelled-out day at twelve, the date at three, applied faceted gold indices, and the period's shift toward alpha hands. Day discs follow the retail market — English, French, German, Italian and Spanish discs are all documented across the cluster.

Two dial directions are worth separating on the 6612. The standard configuration is a champagne or silvered dial with applied gold batons. The platinum examples instead carry a grey dial set with round- and baguette-cut diamond markers, the configuration Phillips documented in 2015. Diamond hour markers otherwise belong to the precious-metal and diamond-bezel configurations rather than a standard gold 6612.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The 6612 uses the 36mm three-piece Oyster case shared across the cluster: screw-down Twinlock crown, screw-down caseback, acrylic crystal. The bezel is the plain polished one, the single feature that separates the 6612 from the fluted 6611 and the reason the two share everything else but a reference number.

The metals are yellow, pink and white gold, with yellow the common case material. Platinum is the outlier: a pair of 1958 platinum examples with consecutive case numbers is documented, one of which Phillips catalogued as one of only two known. Platinum with a diamond-set dial places these among the scarcest early Day-Dates.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 6612 wears the President, the three-piece semi-circular-link bracelet designed for the Day-Date and introduced with this cluster in 1957. The bracelet's name predates the Johnson-era association: a 1957 Italian advertisement reproduced by Rolex Magazine already calls it the President. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]]. As ever, a clasp date code dates the bracelet, not the watch head, and service swaps over seventy years are common.

==Special branches==

===Platinum===

The platinum 6612 is the reference's headline rarity. Phillips sold a 1958 example, case 403,680, with a grey dial set with round- and baguette-cut diamond markers at the Glamorous Day-Date sale in Geneva in May 2015, cataloguing it as one of only two platinum 6612s known and noting that the two carry consecutive case numbers. A platinum early Day-Date is unusual in any reference; documented in the smooth-bezel 6612, it is among the rarest configurations of the whole 66xx group.

===The 6612B===

A late sub-variant, the 6612B, carries a movement plate about 0.1mm thicker than the standard 6612, the same plate change tracked by the 1055B caliber designation and mirrored on the fluted 6611B. The external case is stamped 6612; the "B" appears in service paperwork and registries. It turns up across metals, including a yellow-gold example with a black dial.

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! sale
! date
! metal
! notes
|-
| Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 43
| 9 May 2015
| platinum
| case 403,680 (1958), grey dial with round- and baguette-cut diamond markers; catalogued as one of two platinum 6612s known, with consecutive case numbers
|}

Plain gold 6612s trade in the same modest band as the gold 6611, with the smooth bezel making them marginally harder to find; the platinum pair is the clear exception on rarity. Documentation specific to the 6612 is thinner than for its fluted sibling — most cluster lots that reach the major houses are 6611s — so the smooth-bezel reference is best understood through the cluster rather than through a deep run of its own results.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2010/09/1956-very-first-rolex-day-date.html Jake Ehrlich, "1956 — The Very First Rolex Day-Date", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2010-09]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2021/10/rolex-president-ad-from-1957-uncovered.html Jake Ehrlich, "Rolex President Ad From 1957 Uncovered", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2021-10]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/1055b WatchBase, "Rolex caliber 1055B (registry page)", WatchBase]
* [https://www.phillips.com/ Phillips Watches Department, "Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Geneva May 2015 lot 43 — platinum 6612", Phillips, 2015-05-09]
* [https://rolexpassionmarket.com/watches/rolex-the-gold-black-day-date-ref-6612b/ Rolex Passion Market editorial, "Rolex Day-Date 6612B Gold Black Dial", Rolex Passion Market]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-21T01:19:48Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: complete the cal-3155 bezel quartet — add 18348 diamond + 18208 smooth rows (both now live)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1831|1831]] || c.1977 (special order) || cal 1556 / 1566 || diamond (integrated case) || The platinum "Emperor" — special-order integrated-bracelet case (1530 / 1630 / Oysterquartz idiom), about eight numbered examples for the household of the Shah of Iran plus the Omani Khanjar No. 9. Not a round President.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| [[Reference:18028|18028]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier; value lives in the dial (stone/Stella).
|-
| [[Reference:18048|18048]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| [[Reference:18078|18078]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| [[Reference:18248|18248]] / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || bark || Bark-finish (écorce) bezel and bark center links — the cal-3155 successor to the 18078. The diamond-bezel cal-3155 references are the [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349.
|-
| [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || diamond || Factory diamond-set bezel; white gold 18349 (often Tridor), platinum 18346.
|-
| [[Reference:18208|18208]] / 18209 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || smooth || Plain polished bezel, the understated outlier; the platinum smooth is the ice-blue 18206.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| 118235 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President from that point.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| 218206 || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-20T16:31:44Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: link 18028 to its now-live article (5-digit smooth)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1831|1831]] || c.1977 (special order) || cal 1556 / 1566 || diamond (integrated case) || The platinum "Emperor" — special-order integrated-bracelet case (1530 / 1630 / Oysterquartz idiom), about eight numbered examples for the household of the Shah of Iran plus the Omani Khanjar No. 9. Not a round President.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| [[Reference:18028|18028]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier; value lives in the dial (stone/Stella).
|-
| [[Reference:18048|18048]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| [[Reference:18078|18078]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| [[Reference:18248|18248]] / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || bark || Bark-finish (écorce) bezel and bark center links — the cal-3155 successor to the 18078. The diamond-bezel cal-3155 references are the [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| 118235 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President from that point.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| 218206 || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-20T00:32:35Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: link 18348 (now-live cal-3155 diamond reference)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1831|1831]] || c.1977 (special order) || cal 1556 / 1566 || diamond (integrated case) || The platinum "Emperor" — special-order integrated-bracelet case (1530 / 1630 / Oysterquartz idiom), about eight numbered examples for the household of the Shah of Iran plus the Omani Khanjar No. 9. Not a round President.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| 18028 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier.
|-
| [[Reference:18048|18048]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| [[Reference:18078|18078]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| [[Reference:18248|18248]] / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || bark || Bark-finish (écorce) bezel and bark center links — the cal-3155 successor to the 18078. The diamond-bezel cal-3155 references are the [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| 118235 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President from that point.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| 218206 || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:18238

2026-06-20T00:32:35Z

Klaudiusz: 18238: link 18348 (now-live cal-3155 diamond reference)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 18238 Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 18238 Day-Date — Double-Quickset 5-Digit President | BezelBase
|description=The 18238 (1988–2000) is the double-quickset 5-digit Day-Date: caliber 3155 sets both day and date from the crown, in the 36mm yellow-gold fluted President with sapphire crystal. Successor to the 18038, bridge to the 6-digit 118238.
|keywords=Rolex 18238, Day-Date, President, caliber 3155, double quickset, 18038, 118238, 18248, yellow gold
|image=Ref 18238 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 18238 in yellow gold with fluted bezel and black tapestry dial
|type=article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''18238'''

The 18238 is the Day-Date that finally became easy to set. It took over from the [[Reference:18038|18038]] in 1988 and kept the same 36mm yellow-gold President, the same fluted bezel and sapphire crystal, but swapped in the caliber 3155. That movement added the one thing the line had never had: a quickset for the day as well as the date, both indexed from the crown. For the first time an owner could correct a stopped Day-Date in seconds instead of winding the hands through midnight twice. The 18238 ran until about 2000, when the 6-digit [[Reference:118238|118238]] replaced it.

[[File:Ref 18238 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18238 in yellow gold with fluted bezel and black tapestry dial|The 18238 in yellow gold: fluted bezel, sapphire crystal, black tapestry dial, "T SWISS MADE T" tritium. Photo: CollectorsSquare]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 18238
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1988 to about 2000
|-
| movement
| caliber 3155, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, ~48h power reserve, COSC; double quickset (day and date both set from the crown)
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k yellow gold President
|-
| crystal
| sapphire
|-
| bezel
| fluted
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down, 100m water resistance
|-
| bracelet
| President 8385 with hidden Crownclasp
|-
| lume
| tritium ("T SWISS MADE T") early, Luminova on the latest examples
|-
| siblings
| [[Reference:18248|18248]] (bark), [[Reference:18348|18348]] (diamond bezel), 18239 / 18249 white gold, the 18228 smooth and platinum variants of the 3155 generation
|-
| predecessor
| 18038 (single quickset, caliber 3055)
|-
| successor
| 118238 (6-digit, caliber 3155)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 18238 is the second of the three sapphire-crystal President generations. The [[Reference:18038|18038]] brought sapphire and quickset date to the 36mm Day-Date in 1977 on the caliber 3055. The 18238 follows in 1988 with the caliber 3155 and double quickset. The 6-digit [[Reference:118238|118238]] takes over around 2000 with the same 3155 movement in a redesigned case with the Cyclops-free crystal and solid-link bracelet. The 18238 is the bridge between the vintage-derived 5-digit Presidents and the modern 6-digit ones, and the cheapest way into a sapphire-crystal President that still wears the slim 1803-era case.

The catalogue splits the 3155 generation by bezel and metal the way the 18038 family did. The 18238 is the yellow-gold fluted reference and the volume seller. The [[Reference:18248|18248]] carries the bark finish and the 18348 the factory diamond bezel; the 18239 and 18249 are the white-gold fluted and bark versions, and smooth-bezel and platinum variants round out the generation. Pink gold stays absent at this spec, returning only with the 6-digit Everose references. The full bezel-and-metal taxonomy carries over from the [[Reference:18038|18038]] entry.

==Production outline==

The 18238 ran for roughly twelve years, one of the longest single-reference runs in the Day-Date catalogue. Across that span the only running change of note is the lume. Early examples carry tritium, marked "T SWISS MADE T" at the foot of the dial; the latest examples, near the 2000 handover to the 6-digit line, switch to Luminova without the tritium designation. No quartz, no case change, no movement change inside the reference: the 18238 is a stable, single-spec watch for its whole run, which is part of why it trades as a dependable known quantity rather than a variant hunt.

Serial numbers track the standard Rolex stream for the period, running through the letter-prefix series of the 1990s. The reference overlaps the start of the 6-digit era briefly before giving way to the 118238.

==Movement notes==

The caliber 3155 is the 18238's reason to exist. It keeps the 28,800 vph rate and roughly 48-hour reserve of the 3055 and adds the day quickset, so both the day disc and the date wheel index from crown position two. The earlier 3055 quickset the date only; the day still had to be advanced by running the hands. The 3155 closes that gap and becomes the long-serving modern Day-Date movement, carried forward unchanged into the 6-digit 118238. The 31-jewel, COSC-certified 3155 also underpins the Day-Date II caliber 3156 that follows in 2008. The full caliber lineage sits on [[Reference:Movements]].

==Dial map==
[[File:Ref 18238 detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 18238 with a stone dial and diamond hour markers|A stone-dial 18238 with diamond hour markers, one of the special-order dials offered across the President range. Photo: CollectorsSquare]]

The 18238 was offered across the standard President dial range: champagne and silver with applied gold markers as the volume choice, Roman-numeral and diamond-hour-marker dials, mother-of-pearl, and the occasional stone or special-order dial. By the 1990s the wilder Stella lacquer and Stern Frères stone dials of the 1803 era had largely given way to more restrained options, so a special-dial 18238 is scarcer than a special-dial 1803. The dial does not define the reference; for the deep dial-variant taxonomy that spans the President line, the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry carries the full account.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The case is the 36mm three-piece yellow-gold Oyster the President has used since the 1803, here with a sapphire crystal and the fluted bezel that is the Day-Date signature. The Twinlock screw-down crown gives 100m of water resistance. Nothing about the case dimensions changed from the 18038; the 18238 keeps the slim profile that separates the 5-digit Presidents from the slightly thicker 6-digit cases that followed.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 18238 wears the President bracelet, reference 8385, with the concealed Crownclasp that hides the buckle under a flip-up crown medallion. The bracelet is solid 18k gold and integral to the watch's wrist feel. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet rather than the head, and the cross-family bracelet detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

==Special branches==

===The 3155 generation siblings===

The 18238 anchors a generation that splits by bezel and metal: the bark-finished [[Reference:18248|18248]], the diamond-bezel 18348, the white-gold 18239 and 18249, and the smooth-bezel and platinum variants. They share the caliber 3155 and the sapphire-crystal President case, and differ only in finish and material the way the 18038 family did before them. The diamond and white-gold versions are scarcer than the yellow-gold fluted 18238; the platinum variant is the rarity of the group.

==Auction record==

The 18238 is a liquid, well-understood watch rather than an auction-record reference. Plain champagne and silver examples trade as the accessible entry to a gold President; the value moves with metal, dial, and the condition of the soft 18k gold case and bracelet, which wear and stretch with use. Diamond-bezel 18248s, special dials, and full sets with box and papers carry the premiums. Because the run is long and the spec stable, condition rather than rarity sets price across most of the reference.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/exploring-evergreens-the-rolex-day-date-18238/ Fratello editorial, "Exploring Evergreens: The Rolex Day-Date 18238", Fratello Watches]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/3155 WatchBase, "Rolex caliber 3155 (registry page)", WatchBase]
* [https://beckertime.com/blog/rolex-decades-the-90s-day-date-versus-the-2000s-day-date/ Beckertime editorial, "Rolex Decades: The 90s Day-Date vs the 2000s Day-Date", Beckertime]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/quickset-vintage-day-date-models.html Bob's Watches editorial, "Quickset Vintage Day-Date Models", Bob's Watches]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-16T04:57:54Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: correct 18248/18249 — bark finish (not diamond); link 18248; note 18348/18349 as the cal-3155 diamond refs

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1831|1831]] || c.1977 (special order) || cal 1556 / 1566 || diamond (integrated case) || The platinum "Emperor" — special-order integrated-bracelet case (1530 / 1630 / Oysterquartz idiom), about eight numbered examples for the household of the Shah of Iran plus the Omani Khanjar No. 9. Not a round President.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| 18028 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier.
|-
| [[Reference:18048|18048]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| [[Reference:18078|18078]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| [[Reference:18248|18248]] / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || bark || Bark-finish (écorce) bezel and bark center links — the cal-3155 successor to the 18078. The diamond-bezel cal-3155 references are the 18348 / 18349.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| 118235 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President from that point.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| 218206 || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:18238

2026-06-16T04:57:23Z

Klaudiusz: 18238: correct 18248 mislabel — 18248 is the BARK reference (per Phillips/Sotheby's/Christie's lots); the diamond-bezel cal-3155 ref is 18348. Link 18248.

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 18238 Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 18238 Day-Date — Double-Quickset 5-Digit President | BezelBase
|description=The 18238 (1988–2000) is the double-quickset 5-digit Day-Date: caliber 3155 sets both day and date from the crown, in the 36mm yellow-gold fluted President with sapphire crystal. Successor to the 18038, bridge to the 6-digit 118238.
|keywords=Rolex 18238, Day-Date, President, caliber 3155, double quickset, 18038, 118238, 18248, yellow gold
|image=Ref 18238 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 18238 in yellow gold with fluted bezel and black tapestry dial
|type=article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''18238'''

The 18238 is the Day-Date that finally became easy to set. It took over from the [[Reference:18038|18038]] in 1988 and kept the same 36mm yellow-gold President, the same fluted bezel and sapphire crystal, but swapped in the caliber 3155. That movement added the one thing the line had never had: a quickset for the day as well as the date, both indexed from the crown. For the first time an owner could correct a stopped Day-Date in seconds instead of winding the hands through midnight twice. The 18238 ran until about 2000, when the 6-digit [[Reference:118238|118238]] replaced it.

[[File:Ref 18238 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18238 in yellow gold with fluted bezel and black tapestry dial|The 18238 in yellow gold: fluted bezel, sapphire crystal, black tapestry dial, "T SWISS MADE T" tritium. Photo: CollectorsSquare]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 18238
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1988 to about 2000
|-
| movement
| caliber 3155, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, ~48h power reserve, COSC; double quickset (day and date both set from the crown)
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k yellow gold President
|-
| crystal
| sapphire
|-
| bezel
| fluted
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down, 100m water resistance
|-
| bracelet
| President 8385 with hidden Crownclasp
|-
| lume
| tritium ("T SWISS MADE T") early, Luminova on the latest examples
|-
| siblings
| [[Reference:18248|18248]] (bark), 18348 (diamond bezel), 18239 / 18249 white gold, the 18228 smooth and platinum variants of the 3155 generation
|-
| predecessor
| 18038 (single quickset, caliber 3055)
|-
| successor
| 118238 (6-digit, caliber 3155)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 18238 is the second of the three sapphire-crystal President generations. The [[Reference:18038|18038]] brought sapphire and quickset date to the 36mm Day-Date in 1977 on the caliber 3055. The 18238 follows in 1988 with the caliber 3155 and double quickset. The 6-digit [[Reference:118238|118238]] takes over around 2000 with the same 3155 movement in a redesigned case with the Cyclops-free crystal and solid-link bracelet. The 18238 is the bridge between the vintage-derived 5-digit Presidents and the modern 6-digit ones, and the cheapest way into a sapphire-crystal President that still wears the slim 1803-era case.

The catalogue splits the 3155 generation by bezel and metal the way the 18038 family did. The 18238 is the yellow-gold fluted reference and the volume seller. The [[Reference:18248|18248]] carries the bark finish and the 18348 the factory diamond bezel; the 18239 and 18249 are the white-gold fluted and bark versions, and smooth-bezel and platinum variants round out the generation. Pink gold stays absent at this spec, returning only with the 6-digit Everose references. The full bezel-and-metal taxonomy carries over from the [[Reference:18038|18038]] entry.

==Production outline==

The 18238 ran for roughly twelve years, one of the longest single-reference runs in the Day-Date catalogue. Across that span the only running change of note is the lume. Early examples carry tritium, marked "T SWISS MADE T" at the foot of the dial; the latest examples, near the 2000 handover to the 6-digit line, switch to Luminova without the tritium designation. No quartz, no case change, no movement change inside the reference: the 18238 is a stable, single-spec watch for its whole run, which is part of why it trades as a dependable known quantity rather than a variant hunt.

Serial numbers track the standard Rolex stream for the period, running through the letter-prefix series of the 1990s. The reference overlaps the start of the 6-digit era briefly before giving way to the 118238.

==Movement notes==

The caliber 3155 is the 18238's reason to exist. It keeps the 28,800 vph rate and roughly 48-hour reserve of the 3055 and adds the day quickset, so both the day disc and the date wheel index from crown position two. The earlier 3055 quickset the date only; the day still had to be advanced by running the hands. The 3155 closes that gap and becomes the long-serving modern Day-Date movement, carried forward unchanged into the 6-digit 118238. The 31-jewel, COSC-certified 3155 also underpins the Day-Date II caliber 3156 that follows in 2008. The full caliber lineage sits on [[Reference:Movements]].

==Dial map==
[[File:Ref 18238 detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 18238 with a stone dial and diamond hour markers|A stone-dial 18238 with diamond hour markers, one of the special-order dials offered across the President range. Photo: CollectorsSquare]]

The 18238 was offered across the standard President dial range: champagne and silver with applied gold markers as the volume choice, Roman-numeral and diamond-hour-marker dials, mother-of-pearl, and the occasional stone or special-order dial. By the 1990s the wilder Stella lacquer and Stern Frères stone dials of the 1803 era had largely given way to more restrained options, so a special-dial 18238 is scarcer than a special-dial 1803. The dial does not define the reference; for the deep dial-variant taxonomy that spans the President line, the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry carries the full account.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The case is the 36mm three-piece yellow-gold Oyster the President has used since the 1803, here with a sapphire crystal and the fluted bezel that is the Day-Date signature. The Twinlock screw-down crown gives 100m of water resistance. Nothing about the case dimensions changed from the 18038; the 18238 keeps the slim profile that separates the 5-digit Presidents from the slightly thicker 6-digit cases that followed.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 18238 wears the President bracelet, reference 8385, with the concealed Crownclasp that hides the buckle under a flip-up crown medallion. The bracelet is solid 18k gold and integral to the watch's wrist feel. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet rather than the head, and the cross-family bracelet detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

==Special branches==

===The 3155 generation siblings===

The 18238 anchors a generation that splits by bezel and metal: the bark-finished [[Reference:18248|18248]], the diamond-bezel 18348, the white-gold 18239 and 18249, and the smooth-bezel and platinum variants. They share the caliber 3155 and the sapphire-crystal President case, and differ only in finish and material the way the 18038 family did before them. The diamond and white-gold versions are scarcer than the yellow-gold fluted 18238; the platinum variant is the rarity of the group.

==Auction record==

The 18238 is a liquid, well-understood watch rather than an auction-record reference. Plain champagne and silver examples trade as the accessible entry to a gold President; the value moves with metal, dial, and the condition of the soft 18k gold case and bracelet, which wear and stretch with use. Diamond-bezel 18248s, special dials, and full sets with box and papers carry the premiums. Because the run is long and the spec stable, condition rather than rarity sets price across most of the reference.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/exploring-evergreens-the-rolex-day-date-18238/ Fratello editorial, "Exploring Evergreens: The Rolex Day-Date 18238", Fratello Watches]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/3155 WatchBase, "Rolex caliber 3155 (registry page)", WatchBase]
* [https://beckertime.com/blog/rolex-decades-the-90s-day-date-versus-the-2000s-day-date/ Beckertime editorial, "Rolex Decades: The 90s Day-Date vs the 2000s Day-Date", Beckertime]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/quickset-vintage-day-date-models.html Bob's Watches editorial, "Quickset Vintage Day-Date Models", Bob's Watches]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-16T02:50:47Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: link 18078 to its now-live article (5-digit bark)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1831|1831]] || c.1977 (special order) || cal 1556 / 1566 || diamond (integrated case) || The platinum "Emperor" — special-order integrated-bracelet case (1530 / 1630 / Oysterquartz idiom), about eight numbered examples for the household of the Shah of Iran plus the Omani Khanjar No. 9. Not a round President.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| 18028 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier.
|-
| [[Reference:18048|18048]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| [[Reference:18078|18078]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 18248 / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel siblings.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| 118235 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President from that point.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| 218206 || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-16T02:11:10Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: link 18048 to its now-live article (5-digit diamond-bezel table)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1831|1831]] || c.1977 (special order) || cal 1556 / 1566 || diamond (integrated case) || The platinum "Emperor" — special-order integrated-bracelet case (1530 / 1630 / Oysterquartz idiom), about eight numbered examples for the household of the Shah of Iran plus the Omani Khanjar No. 9. Not a round President.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| 18028 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier.
|-
| [[Reference:18048|18048]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| 18078 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 18248 / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel siblings.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| 118235 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President from that point.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| 218206 || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-16T01:57:34Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: add 1831 (the platinum "Emperor" integrated-case Day-Date) to the 4-digit era table

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1831|1831]] || c.1977 (special order) || cal 1556 / 1566 || diamond (integrated case) || The platinum "Emperor" — special-order integrated-bracelet case (1530 / 1630 / Oysterquartz idiom), about eight numbered examples for the household of the Shah of Iran plus the Omani Khanjar No. 9. Not a round President.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| 18028 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier.
|-
| 18048 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| 18078 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 18248 / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel siblings.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| 118235 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President from that point.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| 218206 || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:Movements

2026-06-16T01:28:21Z

Klaudiusz: Movements: add Day-Date caliber lineage (1055/1555/1556/3055/3155/3156 to index + Day-Date lineage section); fix cal-5055 family to Day-Date (19018/19019)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Caliber & Movement Reference}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Caliber and Movement Reference — BezelBase
|description=Cross-family caliber catalogue for vintage and discontinued Rolex. Every movement that powered a pre-2020 Daytona, Submariner, GMT-Master, Explorer, or Oyster Perpetual reference, with spec, lineage, and reference fitments.
|keywords=Rolex caliber, Rolex movement, cal 4030, cal 4130, cal 727, Valjoux 72, Zenith El Primero, cal 1570, cal 1575, cal 3035, cal 3135, cal 3185, cal 3186, Oysterquartz 5035, Rolex chronograph caliber, vintage Rolex movement
|type=Article
}}

[[Main Page]] -> '''Movements'''

== Quick jump ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:0; padding:8px 12px; margin:0.5em 0 1.5em 0; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555;"
|-
| style="padding:4px 0; vertical-align:top;" | ''Pre-Oyster era:'' [[#cal-a260|A260]] · [[#cal-a296|A296]] · [[#cal-1030|1030]] · [[#cal-1036|1036]]
|-
| style="padding:4px 0; vertical-align:top;" | ''1500 family:'' [[#cal-1520|1520]] · [[#cal-1530|1530]] · [[#cal-1560|1560]] · [[#cal-1570|1570]] · [[#cal-1575|1575]]
|-
| style="padding:4px 0; vertical-align:top;" | ''Modern Sub / GMT:'' [[#cal-3035|3035]] · [[#cal-3135|3135]] · [[#cal-3185|3185]] · [[#cal-3186|3186]]
|-
| style="padding:4px 0; vertical-align:top;" | ''Daytona chronograph:'' [[#cal-72|72]] · [[#cal-72b|72B]] · [[#cal-722|722]] · [[#cal-727|727]] · [[#cal-4030|4030]] · [[#cal-4130|4130]]
|-
| style="padding:4px 0; vertical-align:top;" | ''Prince shaped:'' [[#cal-300|300]] · [[#cal-350|350]] · [[#cal-300-ts|7¾ T.S. 300]]
|}

== Rolex movements ==
The table below catalogues every Rolex caliber that powered an in-scope reference on this wiki, with spec, production span, and reference fitments. Lineage sections at the bottom of the page group calibers by family arc (Prince Aegler shaped, manual-wind chronograph, automatic chronograph, sport time-only, Oysterquartz).

The caliber number is engraved on the movement itself and read with the caseback off; it is separate from the case serial, which is the number that dates the watch on the [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial-number page]]. Where a movement number and case number diverge sharply, as on the stockpiled Prince calibers, the movement was made well before the case it sits in.

== Caliber index ==

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Caliber !! Type !! Years !! Specs !! Features !! Families !! Notes
|-
| '''300''' || shaped manual-wind || 1928–1937 || 15 (Prima) / 18 (Extra Prima / Ultra Prima)j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer (extra prima / ultra prima only) || Prince || 7½ × 14½ lignes; rectangular plates; Cal. 877 (Gruen Techni-Quadron) is the architectural sibling, sold under the Gruen brand in the US market — not a Rolex caliber; cal. 300 winding-stem bridge is a known service fail point. Cal. 414, 527, 579 T, 701, 841 T, 1004, and 1759 are commercial designations documented on 1862 Prince cases that share the Cal. 300 architecture under different finishing/grading; each has its own row in the index above (see [[#cal-414|414]], [[#cal-527|527]], [[#cal-579|579 T]], [[#cal-701|701]], [[#cal-841|841 T]], [[#cal-1004|1004]], [[#cal-1759|1759]])
|-
| '''350''' || shaped manual-wind || c.1928–1935 || 15 (some examples 18)j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer (extra prima) || Prince || Documented on Phillips lots CH080319/17 (Beyer 1490) and NY080223/92 (18K 1490 c.1933); appears alongside Cal. 300 in 1490 and 971 cases without obvious dating segregation
|-
| '''7½′′′ T.S. 300''' || shaped manual-wind || 1932–1938 || 18j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer (ultra prima, 6-position) || Prince || Très Soigné — the Ultra Prima movement variant; lateral lever escapement; monometallic balance with micrometer regulator; Breguet overcoil hairspring; rhodium-plated; documented on Antiquorum May 2006 Mondani lot 46 (1490 case 17,365, dated 1935) and on the [[Reference:1527|1527 Railway]] (Antiquorum Vicenza 1992 lot 146 white+pink, Geneva 2005 lot 100 white+yellow, Mondani 2006 lot 108/33 white+yellow with bamboo bracelet 1931, hammer CHF 27,140 corpus high). On 1527 examples the grade ratio reverses the 1490 pattern — Extra Prima dominates, Ultra Prima 8-position 'Officially Tested in Eight Ways' is the apex outlier
|-
| '''310''' || shaped manual-wind || Aegler shaped (Cal. 300 family — distinct caliber number) 1932–1938 (then stockpiled and cased into 1950s Princes) || 18j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer || Prince || 7½′′′ rectangular, lateral lever escapement, Superbalance adjusted to 6 positions, Breguet hairspring, swan-neck micro-regulator. Documented exclusively on the [[Reference:3361|3361 Aerodynamic]] / 3362 / [[Reference:3937|3937]] wedge-shaped Prince family — every documented 3361 catalog entry names Cal. 310 specifically (Antiquorum Mondani 2006 lot 209/210, NY 2015 sale 296 lot 73 mvt T94122, PatekMonger Cuervo y Sobrinos). Available in BOTH sub-seconds and **centre-seconds** variants; the 3361/3362/3937 receive the centre-seconds variant. Cal. 310 production ended 1938 but Aegler stockpiled movements that Rolex cased into 3361 production through 1952 — the case-and-movement number divergence reflects this stockpile pattern (e.g. Mondani 1952 case 899,677 carries a movement number significantly lower than the case). Auction-house catalogs commonly under-specify Cal. 310 as 'Cal. 300 family' — treat that label as under-specified, not as a sub-caliber distinction
|-
| '''360 HW''' || shaped manual-wind || 1936–late 1930s || 15–18j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer (extra prima) || Prince || Successor caliber for late-period 971 / 1490 / 1862 / 3361; visually identifiable by tonneau-shaped movement plates rather than the rectangular plates of Cal. 300/350 — the plate-shape distinction is the cleanest authentication tell for late-era Prince movement attribution (NAWCC Doug Sinclair / gmorse / Cary Hurt 2013)
|-
| '''414''' || shaped manual-wind || c.early-1930s || 15–17j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer || Prince || Documented on 1862 cases. Same Cal. 300 architecture under a different commercial number.
|-
| '''527''' || shaped manual-wind || c.1934 || 15–17j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer || Prince || Documented on Christie's online Watches Online Time Autumn lot 31 (Prince 1862, 9K Glasgow 1934) — the canonical Cal. 527 example with "Modèle déposé" enamel-marked dial.
|-
| '''579 T''' || shaped manual-wind || c.1935 || 15–17j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer || Prince || Documented on Collectors Square 1862 lot. T suffix likely denotes a specific finishing or adjustment grade within the Cal. 300 family.
|-
| '''701''' || shaped manual-wind || c.mid-1930s || 15–17j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer || Prince || Documented on 1862 cases.
|-
| '''841 T''' || shaped manual-wind || c.1930 || 17j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer || Prince || Documented on Bonhams 2022 1862 case. T suffix denotes a specific Aegler grading tier.
|-
| '''1004''' || shaped manual-wind || c.1936 || 17j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer (8-position adjustment) || Prince || Documented on Christie's London 2015 9K Glasgow 1936 Prince 1862, "officially tested in 8 positions" — eight-position adjustment is unusual (Swiss and Kew chronometer protocols typically tested 5–6 positions); may indicate Aegler-internal regulation tier rather than Bureaux-Officiels-Suisse-de-Contrôle certification
|-
| '''1759''' || shaped manual-wind || c.1937 || 18j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer (ultra prima chronometer, 6-position) || Prince || Ultra Prima Chronometer execution; 18-jewel, 6-position. Documented on watch-auctions.co.uk Prince 1862 Glasgow 1937 9K example. Same architectural specification as Cal. 300 Ultra Prima — caliber-number drift across auction houses (Cal. 300 Ultra Prima vs Cal. 1759 Ultra Prima Chronometer for similar architectural specs) is documented but not fully resolved
|-
| '''971A''' || shaped manual-wind || c.1938–1952 || 18j · 18,000 vph · ~50h || chronometer || Prince || Aegler shaped late commercial designation in the [[#cal-300|Cal. 300]] family. Documented on the [[Reference:3937|3937 Rams Horn]] (Fabsuisse 14K rose gold 1946-47 example). Lateral lever escapement, Superbalance, Breguet hairspring, 6–7 position adjustment. The "971A" letter suffix follows the Aegler convention of using letters for finishing tiers — distinct from the Cal. 300 family-level designation that some auction catalogs use to under-specify late-period Prince movements. JPTimepieces dealer copy occasionally attributes Cal. 1530 to the 3937 — misattribution (Cal. 1530 is a 1965-era Oyster Perpetual caliber that did not exist when the 3937 was produced)
|-
| '''72''' || chronograph || 1960–65 || 17j · 18,000 vph · 48h || — || Daytona || Bare Valjoux 72 in 6234 / early 6238
|-
| '''72A''' || chronograph || early-to-mid 1960s || 17j · 18,000 vph · 48h || — || Daytona || Rolex-finished intermediate; thin documentation
|-
| '''72B''' || chronograph || 1962–65 || 17j · 18,000 vph · 48h || — || Daytona || Final pre-722 Valjoux 72 in early 6238
|-
| '''722''' || chronograph || 1963–69 || 17j · 18,000 vph · 48h || — || Daytona || First Rolex-stamped Valjoux 72; 6239 / 6241
|-
| '''722-1''' || chronograph || 1969–70 || 17j · 18,000 vph · 48h || — || Daytona || Transitional 722 revision into the 727 era
|-
| '''727''' || chronograph || 1970–88 || 17j · 21,600 vph · 48h || — || Daytona || Higher-beat Valjoux 72; 6262 / 6263 / 6264 / 6265
|-
| '''4030''' || chronograph || 1988–2000 || 31j · 28,800 vph · 54h || chronometer || Daytona || Modified El Primero in the Zenith Daytona; modification list disputed
|-
| '''4130''' || chronograph || 2000–present || 44j · 28,800 vph · 72h || chronometer || Daytona || First in-house Rolex chronograph; vertical clutch
|-
| '''10½ Hunter''' || manual || 1945–53 || 15j (early) → 17j (later) · 18,000 vph || — || Air-King, Oyster Perpetual || Aegler-supplied 10½-ligne hand-wound family (700 / 710 / 720 base architecture). Powers the originating Air-King 4925 and the sister Air-Lion / Air-Tiger / Air-Giant references (4365 sub-seconds / 4444 mid-size / 4647 Hunter Precision). Non-chronometer, central seconds. The bridge between the pre-war Bubbleback shaped calibers and the post-war 1030 automatic.
|-
| '''A260''' || automatic || 1953–55 || 19j · 18,000 vph · 36h || — || Submariner, Oyster Perpetual || First-generation Sub 6204 / 6205. 26.4mm; it as "non-butterfly" rotor (distinct from the butterfly-rotor 1030). Hodinkee reads A260 as "repurposed from earlier Oyster Perpetual models including later bubblebacks."
|-
| '''A296''' || automatic || 1952–55 || 18j · 18,000 vph · 36h || — || Submariner, Explorer, Oyster Perpetual || Big Crown 6200; Explorer 6098 / 6150 ("Precision") / 6350 (chronometer). 29.5mm. Full-rotor uni-directional Perpetual; the bumper attribution that briefly attached to A296 in earlier articles was dealer-copy contamination from bubble-back geometry confusion (Rolex never produced a bumper caliber). The 1030 that succeeds A296 introduces bidirectional winding via the butterfly rotor and a thinner autowind module — the thickness change is what eliminates the bubble-back caseback profile (Phillips Geneva Watch Auction FOUR lot 146 frames the A296→1030 swap explicitly as a thickness change; Wind Vintage / Eric Ku, ''How Rolex Became Rolex: The Automatic Perpetual Movement Part 2'').
|-
| '''1030''' || automatic || 1950–62 || 25j · 18,800 vph · 42h || chronometer || Submariner, Explorer, Air-King, Oyster Perpetual || Rolex's first bidirectional automatic; butterfly rotor stamped ROLEX PERPETUAL PATENTED. 28.5 × 5.85mm. First appears on 6098 in 1952; runs across 6536 / 6536-1 / 6538 Submariners and 6610 Explorer. COSC and non-COSC versions on the same caliber. First Air-King appearance on 6552 (1953–57)
|-
| '''1036''' || automatic || 1954–59 || 25j · 18,000 vph · 42h || chronometer || GMT-Master || First GMT caliber; bakelite-bezel 6542
|-
| '''1065''' || automatic || 1956–59 || 25j · 18,000 vph · 42h || chronometer || GMT-Master || Late-6542 GMT caliber
|-
| '''1530''' || automatic || 1957–65 || 25j (early) → 26j (late) · 18,000 vph · 42h || chronometer (post-1958 only) || Submariner, Air-King, Oyster Perpetual || First Submariner appearance on 5510 (1958–59); not chronometer-rated at 5510 launch — chronometer arrived with caliber 1560 on 5512. Jewel-count progression 17 → 25 → 26 across the 5508 run per Bob's. Foundation of the 15xx family; early 5512 / 5513 Powers the 36mm Explorer-case 5504 Air-King 1957/58-1963/64 in parallel with the early 5500 production.
|-
| '''1520''' || automatic || 1963–90 || 17 / 25 / 26j · 19,800 vph · 42h || — || Submariner, Air-King, Oyster Perpetual || Non-chronometer twin; powers late 5513 / 5514 / 5517 Submariners and the long-running 5500 Air-King (1963 onward) / 1002 OP / 5501 / 5520. 17-jewel variant is a US/Canada import-duty-bracket move, not a movement difference
|-
| '''1525''' || automatic || 1959–c.1975 || 17 / 25j · 19,800 vph · 42h || — || Air-King || Date-module variant of Cal 1520 powering early 5700 / 5701 Air-King-Date. Non-chronometer (Precision tier); the chronometer-rated date sibling in this generation is the 1500-series Oyster Perpetual Date (1500 / 1501 / 1503 / 1505)
|-
| '''1535''' || automatic || c.1975–1988 || 26j · 19,800 vph · 42h || — || Air-King || Later running update to Cal 1525, same architecture with date module. Powers later 5700 / 5701 Air-King-Date production. Non-chronometer; the chronometer-rated 1500-series uses a related 1500-family date caliber
|-
| '''1560''' || automatic || 1959–65 || 26j · 18,000 vph · 42h || chronometer || Submariner, GMT-Master, Explorer || Cross-family chronometer; mid 5512 / 1675 / 1016
|-
| '''1565''' || automatic || 1959–65 || 25j · 18,000 vph · 42h || chronometer || GMT-Master || Early 1675; "caller" GMT
|-
| '''1570''' || automatic || 1965–80 || 26j · 19,800 vph · 44h || chronometer || Submariner, Explorer || Higher-beat 1560; hack added mid-life
|-
| '''1575''' || automatic || 1965–80 || 25j · 19,800 vph · 50h || chronometer || Submariner, GMT-Master, Explorer || 1680 / late 1675 / Explorer II 1655
|-
| '''3000''' || automatic || 1989–99 || 27j · 28,800 vph · 48h || hack · chronometer || Submariner, Explorer, Air-King, Oyster Perpetual || First 28,800 vph time-only; 14060 / 14270 / 14000 (first sapphire-crystal Air-King)
|-
| '''3035''' || automatic || 1977–88 || 27j · 28,800 vph · 48h || hack · quickset · chronometer || Submariner || First quickset Sub; 16800 / 168000 / 16808 / 16803
|-
| '''3075''' || automatic || 1979–88 || 27j · 28,800 vph · 48h || hack · quickset · chronometer || GMT-Master || 16750 / 16753 / 16758
|-
| '''3085''' || automatic || 1983–89 || 27j · 28,800 vph · 48h || hack · chronometer || GMT-Master, Explorer || First Rolex caliber to dissociate local hour from 24-hour hand; local hour sets in one-hour clicks, 24-hour hand follows the bezel for the third zone. Trade-off: no quick-set date (advances via local hour hand). 28.5 × 6.3mm — the 6.3mm thickness drove the 16760 "Fat Lady" / "Sophia Loren" case proportions. Used exclusively in 16760 GMT-Master II and 16550 Explorer II
|-
| '''3130''' || automatic || 1999–2018 || 31j · 28,800 vph · 48h || hack · chronometer || Submariner, Explorer, Air-King, Oyster Perpetual || Time-only successor to 3000; 14060M / 114060 / 114270 / 14000M / 114200
|-
| '''3132''' || automatic || 2010–~2020 || 31j · 28,800 vph · 48h || hack · chronometer || Explorer, Oyster Perpetual || 3130 with Parachrom + Paraflex; 214270
|-
| '''3135''' || automatic || 1988–2018 || 31j · 28,800 vph · 48h || hack · quickset · chronometer || Submariner || 30-year workhorse; 16610 / 16613 / 16618 / 116610-series
|-
| '''3175''' || automatic || 1988–99 || 31j · 28,800 vph · 48h || hack · quickset · chronometer || GMT-Master || 16700 — last "caller" GMT and last fixed-GMT caliber. One-reference-only; 24-hour hand stays linked to local hour, second zone read off bezel. Adjusted to 5 positions and temperature, Glucydur balance with Microstella, Breguet hairspring, Kif shock
|-
| '''3185''' || automatic || 1989–~2007 || 31j · 28,800 vph · 48h || hack · quickset · chronometer || GMT-Master, Explorer || 16710 / 16713 / 16718 / 16570
|-
| '''3186''' || automatic || 2007–19 || 31j · 28,800 vph · 50h || hack · quickset · chronometer || GMT-Master, Explorer || Parachrom hairspring; 116710LN / BLNR / 116719BLRO / late 16710
|-
| '''1055''' || automatic || 1956–1959 || 25j · 18,000 vph · 42h || chronometer (gen-2 1055B) || Day-Date || First Rolex day-and-date caliber. Gen-1 (6510 / 6511) pre-COSC; gen-2 "1055B" (6611 / 6612 / 6613) added free-sprung Microstella + Breguet overcoil + COSC. No quickset, no hacking.
|-
| '''1555''' || automatic || 1959–c.1965 || 25j · 18,000 vph · 42h || chronometer · non-quickset · non-hack || Day-Date || Cal 1055-derived. Free-sprung Microstella, Breguet overcoil. Early 4-digit Day-Date: 1803 / 1804 / 1806 / 1807 / 1811.
|-
| '''1556''' || automatic || c.1965–1977/78 || 26j · 19,800 vph · 42h || hack (from 1972) · non-quickset · chronometer || Day-Date || Higher frequency than 1555; hacking added 1972 mid-production (pre-1972 examples do not hack). Mid-and-late 4-digit Day-Date: 1803 / 1804 / 1806 / 1807 / 1811.
|-
| '''3055''' || automatic || 1977–1988 || 27j · 28,800 vph · 48h || hack · single quickset (date) · chronometer || Day-Date || First Day-Date with quickset (date only; day still advanced by running the hands). Sapphire-crystal era. 18038 / 18048 / 18078 / early 18238.
|-
| '''3155''' || automatic || 1988–2019 || 31j · 28,800 vph · 48h || hack · double quickset (day + date) · chronometer || Day-Date || Double quickset from 1988; long-serving modern Day-Date movement. Late 18238 / 18248 and the 6-digit 118238 family.
|-
| '''3156''' || automatic || 2008–2015 || 31j · 28,800 vph · 48h || hack · double quickset · chronometer || Day-Date || Day-Date II 41mm derivative of the 3155 with Parachrom hairspring + Paraflex shock. 218238 / 218239 / 218206 / 218235.
|-
| '''5035''' || quartz || 1977–2001 || 11j · 32 kHz vph || hack · quickset · chronometer || Oyster Perpetual || Oysterquartz 17000 / 17013 / 17014
|-
| '''5055''' || quartz || 1977–2001 || 11j · 32 kHz vph || hack · quickset · chronometer || Day-Date || Oysterquartz Day-Date 19018 (yellow gold) / 19019 (white gold); 19028 pyramid bezel
|}

== Manual-wind chronograph lineage ==

The manual-wind Daytona stayed on Valjoux 72 architecture for its full first chapter. Cal 72 belongs to the 6234 and earliest 6238. Cal 722 is the first Rolex-stamped version and powers the original 6239 alongside the 6240 and 6241 generation. Cal 722-1 bridges into the higher-beat cal 727, which lifts the rate from 18,000 to 21,600 vph and then runs through the 6262, 6264, 6263, and 6265 until the manual-wind era closes in 1988.

== Automatic chronograph lineage ==

Cal 4030 is the most disputed Daytona movement spec, but the working outline is clear. Rolex took the Zenith El Primero base, reworked it heavily, and launched it in 1988 with the 16520 for a twelve-year run. Serious sources agree on 28,800 vph, a free-sprung Breguet balance, no date, and major Rolex revision. They diverge on the length of the modification list and on power reserve, usually quoted as 52 or 54 hours. It was the last foreign-sourced caliber in Rolex's modern line.

Cal 4130 launched in 2000 with the 116520 as Rolex's first fully in-house chronograph movement. The architecture is column wheel with a vertical clutch, the reserve runs 72 hours, and the part count drops below the cal 4030 it replaced. It powered the whole pre-ceramic in-house Daytona generation and carried forward into the 116500LN.

== Sport time-only lineage (Submariner, GMT-Master, Explorer) ==

The sport time-only line opens with the A-series uni-directional Perpetuals — full-rotor automatics, not bumpers (Rolex never produced a bumper caliber). Cal A260 powers the first 6204 and 6205. Cal A296 carries the 6200 and the earliest Explorers, with the 6150 / 6350 split showing the same movement in non-COSC and COSC form. Cal 1030 takes over from 1955 with the bidirectional butterfly rotor and a thinner autowind module, and underpins the mid-1950s Submariner and Explorer generation.

The 15xx family is Rolex's long middle chapter. Cal 1530 anchors early 5508, 5510, 5512, and 5513 production. Cal 1520 is the non-chronometer twin used in late 5513, 5514, and 5517. Cal 1560 and 1570 carry the chronometer side of the Submariner, GMT-Master, and Explorer lines. Cal 1575 adds the date or GMT module, which is how it lands in the 1680, late 1675, and the 1655 Explorer II.

The GMT branch reads in three steps. Cal 1036 and 1065 belong to the bakelite 6542 era and keep the 24-hour hand linked to the main hour hand. Cal 1565, 1575, and 3075 carry that synchronized layout through the 1675 and 16750 generation. Cal 3085 breaks the pattern with the first independently jumping local hour hand, used in the 16760 and 16550. Cal 3185 then defines the long 16710 run, and cal 3186 adds the Parachrom hairspring for late 16710 production and the ceramic-era GMT line. The 16700 keeps the old synchronized caller layout alive on cal 3175 until 1999.

The modern time-only line settles on the 31xx family. Cal 3000 is the first 28,800 vph no-date movement of the era, used in the 14060 and 14270. Cal 3130 succeeds it in the 14060M, 114060, 114270, and later Oyster Perpetual watches. Cal 3132 adds the Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock system for the 214270. Cal 3135 is the date counterpart and the dominant modern Rolex workhorse across the Submariner Date and the rest of the steel sports line.

== Oyster Perpetual lineage ==

The Oyster Perpetual line shares most of its movements with the sport watches. Bubbleback and early Oyster references use the 520, 620, 630, and A-series automatics, documented on the Bubbleback family page. Mid-century OP shares the A296 and 1030 with the early Submariner and Explorer. Later no-date OP references move through 1530, 1560, and 1570, then into cal. 3000, 3130, and 3132, in the same sequence seen on the no-date Submariner and Explorer.

The Oysterquartz sits outside the mechanical line. Cal 5035 and 5055 launched in 1977 as Rolex's in-house quartz calibers and ran through 2001. Total output stayed small, under about 25,000 watches across the 24-year run. Cal 5035 powers the Oysterquartz Datejust and Oyster Perpetual references; cal 5055 powers the Day-Date Oysterquartz.

== Day-Date lineage ==

The Day-Date runs on its own caliber family, separate from the sport and Oyster Perpetual movements. Cal 1055 (1956–1959) is Rolex's first day-and-date movement, carried by the originals-era 6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6613. The 4-digit era splits the run in two: cal 1555 (1959 to c. 1965) at 18,000 vph, then cal 1556 (c. 1965 to 1977-78) at 19,800 vph with hacking added across the family in 1972. Neither has quickset, so the 4-digit Day-Dates (1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811) set the day and date only by running the hands through midnight.

Quickset arrives with the 5-digit era. Cal 3055 (1977–1988) adds a date quickset to the 18038 and its siblings; the day still advances by running the hands. Cal 3155 (1988 onward) adds the day quickset as well, the double-quickset the 18238 introduced and the 6-digit 118238 family carried forward unchanged. The 41mm Day-Date II runs cal 3156 (2008–2015), a 3155 derivative with a Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock. The quartz outlier, cal 5055, powers the Oysterquartz Day-Date 19018 and 19019.

== Prince lineage ==

The Prince family runs on Aegler shaped movements that predate every other Rolex movement on this page. The 1927 Wilsdorf-Aegler patent for a "shaped watch movement with a seconds dial" placed the winding barrel at one end of the rectangular movement and the balance at the other — the architectural choice that allowed both a larger balance wheel (for improved precision) and a larger mainspring barrel (for longer power reserve) than competing shaped calibers of the period. The Aegler-Rolex relationship was a supplier arrangement: Aegler manufactured in Bienne as an independent firm until Rolex purchased the company from the Borer family in April 2004 (Tim Mosso, Quill & Pad). "Aegler" and "Rebberg" refer to the same manufacturer — Aegler is the company name, Rebberg the Bienne street address.

Two distinct caliber generations span the Prince production window. **Cal. 300** (rectangular plates, 1928–1935) is the original shaped movement: 15 jewels at the Prima base, 18 jewels at Extra Prima and Ultra Prima with 6-position adjustment, 18,000 vph, approximately 50-hour power reserve. **Cal. 7½′′′ T.S. 300** is the Ultra Prima execution of the same architecture (1932–1938) with lateral lever escapement and monometallic balance. **Cal. 360 HW** is the 1936-onward successor with tonneau-shaped plates rather than the rectangular plates of Cal. 300. The plate-shape distinction is the clearest visual authentication: a 971 or 1490 with rectangular movement plates is a 1928–1935 example; a watch in the same case reference with tonneau plates is a 1936-onward example.

Movement grading runs Prima → Extra Prima → Ultra Prima, corresponding to ascending jewel counts (15 → 18), adjustment positions, and chronometer testing rigour. The "Chronometer" or "Observatory" designation on a Prince dial corresponds to Extra Prima or Ultra Prima grade — a Prima movement does not earn the dial mark. The Kew-Teddington observatory testing tradition runs through this period: Rolex submitted Prince movements to the National Physical Laboratory at Kew for independent rate certificates against the Swiss Bureaux Officiels Suisse de Contrôle. The 1914 Class A Kew certificate that Rolex commonly cites as their first official chronometer rating was issued for an earlier ladies' wristwatch movement; the Prince calibers extend the observatory-testing lineage from 1928 forward, but the 1914 milestone predates the Prince family.

The [[Reference:1491|1491 Brancard Jumping Hour]] is the one Prince configuration that adds a complication module on top of the standard movement architecture. The Aegler-built jump-hour module mounts on the rear of a standard 7½′′′ Extra Prima Observatory base (Cal. 350 T.S. in Phillips's labeling), and the module added enough mechanical thickness that the 1491 case had to be deepened to accommodate it. There is no separate caliber number for the jump-hour module — the module is an addition to the standard Prince base, not a distinct movement. The case-depth difference (1491 case vs 1490 case) is the canonical authentication tell for distinguishing genuine 1491 examples from 1490 cases retrofitted with later modules. Three module-specific service patterns surface in the collector record: weak jump impulse spring producing "lazy" disc advance; worn disc retention pawl producing hour-disc jitter; misaligned dial aperture revealing fragments of two numerals at once.

A specific service-tell deserves naming on Cal. 300: the winding-stem bridge is a known fail point. A Prince that sets time then disengages immediately is symptomatic of a broken stem bridge. Aftermarket CNC-machined brass replacements circulate among watchmakers, and aftermarket "cal. Prince TS" winding stems are commercially available. Owners of Cal. 300 Princes should treat the stem bridge as a known maintenance item rather than a hidden fault.

The Aegler-Gruen marketing split is a related authentication concern. Aegler supplied shaped movements to Gruen as well as Rolex; Rolex took the British Empire markets, Gruen took the United States market. The Gruen Cal. 877 used in the Gruen Techni-Quadron is the architectural sibling of the Rolex Cal. 300 — the same Aegler movement under a different brand. Some Prince literature lists "Cal. 877" as a Prince caliber; this is a misattribution traceable to the Gruen-Rolex sibling relationship and should be excluded from canonical Prince caliber listings. A Gruen-stamped movement under a Rolex Prince case is a known transplant pattern.

== Sources ==

* [https://revolutionwatch.com/a-movement-in-history-the-zenith-driven-rolex-daytona/ Revolution — A Movement in History: The Zenith-driven Rolex Daytona] (Ross Povey, 2018)
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-part-1-3 Hodinkee — A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Part 1] (Paul Boutros, 2012)
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-pt-23 Hodinkee — A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Part 2] (Paul Boutros, 2013)
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ Monochrome — In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona] (Erik Slaven, 2024)
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-1-the-early-references/ Monochrome — History of the Rolex Submariner, Part 1] (Tom Mulraney, 2020)
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-2-the-55xx-1680references/ Monochrome — History of the Rolex Submariner, Part 2] (Tom Mulraney, 2020)
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-gmt-master-and-gmt-master-ii-1955-2024-iconic-traveller-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome — In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-from-1953-36mm-1016-14270-114270-214270-124270-in-depth-review/ Monochrome — The History of the Rolex Explorer] (Frank Geelen, 2024)
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-ii-adventure-watch-gmt-1655-16550-16570-216570-226570-in-depth/ Monochrome — In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Explorer II]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-14270-perfect-youngtimer-watch-vintage-corner/ Monochrome — Youngtimer Case Study, the Rolex Explorer 14270] (Frank Geelen, 2020)
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-214270-vs-previous-214270-review-history-rolex-explorer/ Monochrome — Rolex Explorer 214270 In-Depth Review] (Brice Goulard, 2016)
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-explorer-reference-points Hodinkee — A Comprehensive Collector's Guide To The Rolex Explorer I] (Jon Bues, 2022)
* [https://www.watchtime.com/brands/watches/tracking-the-rolex-daytona-a-53-year-history WatchTime — Tracking the Rolex Daytona: A 55-Year History]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/rolex-john-player-special-paul-newman-daytona-ref-6241/ Revolution — The Rolex "John Player Special" Paul Newman Daytona Ref. 6241] (Bob Ridley, 2017)
* [https://www.acollectedman.com/blogs/journal/rolex-pre-daytona-forgotten-classic A Collected Man — Is the Rolex Pre-Daytona a Forgotten Classic?] (Russell Sheldrake, 2020)
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/why-i-bought-the-rolex-cosmograph-daytona-reference-116520/ Fratello — Why I Bought The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 116520] (Ben Hodges, 2021)
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-submariner-14060m/ Fratello — Rolex Submariner 14060M Review]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-submariner-114060-review/ Fratello — Rolex Submariner 114060 Review] (2019)
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/ceramic-bezel-close-up-of-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-116710ln/ Fratello — Ceramic Bezel close-up of the Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 116710LN]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/important-watches-n09952/lot.252.html Sotheby's — Submariner Ref 6536/1, Stainless Steel Automatic With Bracelet, Circa 1957]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/25e5416b-f436-484a-834e-1ba10a9dfc69/lots/9a553d3f-0450-465f-b767-7f1946a7bfc0 Sotheby's — Submariner Ref. 6538, Stainless Steel With 4-Line Tropical Dial, Circa 1958]
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

Reference:day-date

2026-06-16T01:11:42Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: add gem-set/decorated 4-digit siblings (1804/1806/1807/1811) to cal 1555/1556 family cells

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| 18028 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier.
|-
| 18048 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| 18078 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 18248 / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel siblings.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| 118235 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President from that point.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| 218206 || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-16T00:30:53Z

Klaudiusz: Day-Date hub: link 1804/1806/1807/1811 to their now-live articles; enrich 1804 cell (platinum Arabic Scheherazade)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| 18028 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier.
|-
| 18048 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| 18078 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 18248 / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel siblings.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| 118235 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President from that point.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| 218206 || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803 early || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803 mid-and-late || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:1807

2026-06-08T02:00:51Z

Klaudiusz: Reconcile: 1803 entry now correctly reads 1806 as Florentine — drop stale cross-reference

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 1807 Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 1807 Day-Date — Bark-Finish President | BezelBase
|description=The 1807 is the bark-finish (écorce) 4-digit Day-Date: a coarse vertical texture on the bezel and on the President bracelet's center links, sibling to the fluted 1803 and Florentine 1806. 36mm 18k gold, caliber 1555/1556, 1960s into the 1970s.
|keywords=Rolex 1807, Day-Date, bark finish, écorce, President, 1803, 1806, 1811, caliber 1556, 18078
|image=Ref 1807 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 1807 in yellow gold with bark-finish bezel and bracelet
|type=article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''1807'''

The 1807 is the bark-finish Day-Date. It shares the 4-digit President's case, movement and dial catalogue with the fluted [[Reference:1803|1803]] and differs in one thing: the gold carries a coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, across the bezel and the bracelet's center links. Rolex sold it through the 1960s and into the 1970s as one of a small group of decorated 4-digit references, next to the Florentine 1806 and the Morellis-finish 1811. The finish drew few buyers when new. It reads very differently now.

[[File:Ref 1807 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 1807 in yellow gold with bark-finish bezel and bracelet|The 1807 in yellow gold: bark finish on the bezel and the President bracelet's center links, champagne stick dial. Photo: CollectorsSquare]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 1807
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1960s into the 1970s (4-digit era)
|-
| movement
| caliber 1555 (to c. 1965), then caliber 1556 to the end of the run; hacking from 1972; no quickset
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k gold President — yellow, white, pink/rose gold
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| bark (écorce) finish
|-
| bracelet
| President with bark-finished center links
|-
| dial
| the 4-digit Day-Date catalogue (champagne and silver stick the volume choice; the same special dials offered on the 1803)
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| sibling references
| 1803 (fluted), 1804 (gem-set), 1806 (Florentine), 1811 (Morellis moiré)
|-
| predecessor
| originals-era 6610 / 6611 / 6612 cluster
|-
| successor
| 5-digit 18078, which carries the bark finish forward
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 1807 is one of the 1803's decorated siblings. The 4-digit Day-Date split by finish rather than by movement or size. The 1803 took the fluted bezel, the 1804 a gem-set bezel, the 1806 the finer Florentine engine-turning, and the 1807 the coarser bark; the 1811 the Morellis moiré finish. Most sources separate the 1806 and 1807 by that texture, Florentine against bark. What is not in dispute is the 1807 itself: the bark covers both the bezel and the bracelet center links.

Everything else is 1803. The 36mm gold case, the President bracelet, the caliber 1555 and 1556 movements, and the dial catalogue are shared, and the bark is the only thing that makes an 1807 an 1807. The [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry carries the full dial taxonomy, the movement transition, and the President bracelet history for the whole 4-digit group.

==Production outline==

The bark finish ran through the 1960s and into the 1970s alongside the plain 1803. No Rolex production figure has surfaced, and the texture sold slowly when new, so the bark and Florentine references are scarcer in the record than the fluted 1803 for the simple reason that fewer buyers chose them. Documented examples cover the span: silver- and champagne-dialled yellow-gold pieces in the mid-1960s on the caliber 1555, later examples into the early 1970s on the hacking caliber 1556. The finish outlived the reference and reappeared in the 5-digit era on the 18078.

==Movement notes==

The 1807 uses the movement of the rest of the 4-digit Day-Date: caliber 1555 from the start of the run, replaced by the caliber 1556 around 1965. The 1556 raised the beat to 19,800 vph and brought the free-sprung Microstella balance; hacking seconds arrived across the 1500 family in 1972. No 4-digit Day-Date has quickset, so the date and day advance only by running the hands through midnight. The [[Reference:Movements]] page holds the caliber lineage, and the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry covers the 1555-to-1556 transition in detail.

==Dial map==

The 1807 came with the standard 4-digit Day-Date dials, champagne and silver with applied gold stick markers most common, and as a catalogue sibling of the 1803 it could be ordered with the same special dials. Documented bark examples include linen-textured Sigma dials and darker grey and Havana-brown dials read against the gold bark. The dial does not define the reference. The bark does, and the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry carries the dial-variant taxonomy that applies across the group.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
[[File:Ref 1807 bark detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Bark écorce texture on a Rolex 1807 bezel and bracelet|The bark texture up close on a grey-dial 1807, running across the bezel and the bracelet center links. Photo: CollectorsSquare]]

The case is the 36mm three-piece gold Oyster shared across the 4-digit Day-Date, with a Twinlock screw-down crown, screw-down caseback and acrylic crystal. The defining feature is the bezel. In place of the 1803's fluting the 1807 carries a bark finish, a coarse vertical texture deeper and more irregular than the engine-turning on a Datejust and meant to resemble tree bark. It was made in yellow, white and pink gold to match the case.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 1807 wears the President, with the bark carried onto the bracelet's center links so the texture runs the length of the bracelet rather than stopping at the bezel. That full-length bark is what separates the 1807 from a watch that simply has a textured bezel. As with any vintage President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet rather than the watch head, and the [[Reference:Bracelets]] page holds the cross-family bracelet detail.

==Special branches==

===The bark family===

The 1807 belongs to a small group of textured 4-digit Day-Dates: the Florentine 1806, the bark 1807, and the Morellis 1811. These were a 1960s fashion, and Rolex let them go as taste returned to polished and fluted gold. Survivors are comparatively scarce and now wanted precisely because the texture is unusual. The bark itself outlasted the 4-digit era and returned on the 5-digit 18078.

==Auction record==

Bark 1807s surface mainly through the dealer market rather than the major auction houses, which reflects the reference's modest standing rather than any great rarity. Documented yellow-gold examples run from mid-1960s silver-dial pieces to early-1970s examples on the hacking caliber 1556. The value driver is an original bark bracelet: decades of service often swapped bark center links for plain ones, so a watch that keeps its full original bark is worth more than the dial alone would suggest.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.thebeautifulwatch.com/blogs/news/a-brief-history-of-the-rolex-day-date The Beautiful Watch editorial, "A Brief History of the Rolex Day-Date", The Beautiful Watch]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2010/09/1956-very-first-rolex-day-date.html Jake Ehrlich, "1956 — The Very First Rolex Day-Date", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2010-09]
* [https://ottuhr.com/index/rolex/day-date-president/rolex-day-date-1803/ Ottuhr editorial, "Rolex Day-Date 1803 Reference Report", Ottuhr]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=679606 Rolex Forums community, "Rolex Forums — 1803 Presidential Unusual Finishes", Rolex Forums]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:1803

2026-06-08T01:59:33Z

Klaudiusz: Fix: 1806 is the Florentine-finish reference (case/bezel/lugs + brick bracelet), not bark — bark belongs to the 1807

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 1803 Day-Date}}
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|title=Rolex 1803 Day-Date — Stella, Stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Nasser provenance | BezelBase
|description=The 1803 is the canonical 4-digit Day-Date — 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555/1556, 36mm President. Stella lacquer, Stern stone dials, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Tiffany double-signed, Khanjar Oman, and the Sotheby's 2024 Nasser hammer at USD 840,000.
|keywords=Rolex 1803, Day-Date, President, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, cal 1555, cal 1556, Nasser, LBJ, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed
|image=Ref 1803 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 1803 Lacquered Stella dial
|type=Article
|og_type=article
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[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] -> '''1803'''

The 1803 is the canonical 4-digit Day-Date. Physical production begins in 1959, catalogue presence runs from 1961 per Mondani's printed-archive research, and the line ends in 1977-78 when the 5-digit 18038 takes over. Eighteen years on a single reference, the longest run in the 4-digit Day-Date era. The fluted bezel is the visual signature that separates the 1803 from its catalogue siblings: the 1804 with gem-set bezel, the 1807 with bark finish, the 1811 with Morellis (moiré) finish. Inside that bezel sits the most dial-variant-dense Rolex reference in the modern catalogue. The production-volume silver and champagne stick share the case with the Buckley Roman, the Wide-Boy, the Underline, the Red Quarters, the Sigma, Stella lacquered colours from oxblood through Bart Simpson yellow, Stern Frères stone dials from onyx to malachite to coral, diamond-pavé and mother-of-pearl, the Khanjar Oman, and the Tiffany double-signed. The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex routinely attached to the 1803 in casual press is a GMT-Master 1675, not a Day-Date. The presidents who actually wore the watch, with Lyndon B. Johnson on top, gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward.

[[File:Ref 1803 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 1803 — 36mm 18k yellow gold President, champagne stick-index dial, fluted bezel. Eighteen-year run on cal 1555 then cal 1556, the volume reference of the vintage Day-Date era. Image via Monochrome.|Rolex Day-Date 1803 — 36mm 18k yellow gold President, champagne stick-index dial, fluted bezel. Eighteen-year run on cal 1555 then cal 1556, the volume reference of the vintage Day-Date era. Image via Monochrome.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 1803
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1959 (physical) / 1961 (catalogue) through 1977-78
|-
| run length
| 18 years — longest 4-digit Day-Date
|-
| movement
| caliber 1555 (1959 to c. 1965) → caliber 1556 (c. 1965 to end) with hacking added 1972
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k gold (yellow / white / pink / rose) President
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| fluted
|-
| bracelet
| President 8385 with 55B end-links, hidden Crownclasp from c. 1969 (earlier 7205 / 7836 visible-clasp)
|-
| dial families
| silver/champagne stick (volume) plus Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Stella lacquer, stone, mother-of-pearl, diamond/gem-set, Tiffany/Asprey/Khanjar special branches
|-
| production volume
| "tens of thousands across all metals" (Ottuhr); ~1,200 Stella-dialled examples per A Collected Man
|-
| predecessor
| originals era 6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B
|-
| successor
| 18038
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 1803 is the volume Day-Date of the vintage era. The originals-era cluster (6510, 6511, 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B) ran 1956-1959 in low numbers, initially on the Jubilee bracelet, with the President bracelet introduced on the 6611 in 1957. The 1803 inherits the cal 1055-derived movement architecture, transitions to the longer-run 1500-series calibers, and becomes the watch that turns the Day-Date into a category. Catalogue siblings split off from the 1803's case architecture by bezel finish: the 1804 with a gem-set bezel (often platinum or pink-gold), the 1806 with Florentine finish, the 1807 with bark centre links and full bark coverage, the 1811 with Morellis finish, and the 1830 / 1831 / 1832 carrying further bezel-and-material variation.

Dial experimentation arrives on the 1803. The originals-era cluster ran production stick-indices with the occasional Roman-numeral commission. The 1803 opens to Stella lacquered colour, Stern Frères stone dials, the Buckley Roman commercial run, the Red Quarters Arabic minute track, and the Pucci Papaleo "Break Point" and "Purple Rose" specials. Collector attention to that depth surfaces through the 1990s and 2000s, with Stella examples reviving as a distinct dealer category around 2015. A Collected Man's tally places roughly 1,200 Stella 1803s across the entire production.

The 1803 also sits at the movement's architectural pivot point. The cal 1555 (1959 to c. 1965) carries the 18,000 vph, 25-jewel spec of the cal 1055-derived early Day-Date family. The cal 1556 (c. 1965 to end of run) jumps to 19,800 vph and 26 jewels with the free-sprung Microstella balance the modern Rolex line takes forward. Hacking seconds arrive across the entire 1500 family in 1972, a mid-1556 introduction rather than a feature of the caliber change. Pre-1972 cal 1556 examples do not hack; post-1972 examples do. Older sources that say "1965 introduces hacking" conflate the caliber change with the hacking change. No 1803 has quickset, ever; date and day advance only by running the hands through midnight.

==Production outline==

===Late 1959 production start, 1961 catalogue arrival===

Earliest documented 1803 case serials sit around 550,000, in the 1960 production-year range. Mondani's printed-Rolex-catalogue research puts the 1803's first catalogue appearance in 1961, alongside the 1804 and 1806. A 1959 pie-pan 1803 example surfaces in the dealer record, putting physical production ahead of catalogue presence. The pragmatic reading is late 1959 production start, 1961 retail-catalogue launch.

===1960s, Wide-Boy and Underline transitional===

Early 1960s production carries two short-run transitional dials. The Underline dial appears in 1963: a luminous-material marker stamped under the SCOC text at six o'clock, indicating a chemistry transition during the period when Rolex moved away from earlier lume compounds toward tritium. A 1963 Underline 1803 is documented in the specialist dealer record.

The Wide-Boy dial sits in the same short window. Oversized block indices pair with "cigarette" or "wide-boy" hands, sometimes called "cigarette-boat" hands when narrowed to 1963-64 production. Phillips lot CH080515/215 sold a 1970 yellow-gold Wide-Boy 1803 in 2015. Non-luminous Japanese-market specification is the most-collected sub-variant.

===Mid-1960s, caliber transition and Buckley arrival===

The cal 1555 transitions to cal 1556 around 1965. The change brings 19,800 vph and 26 jewels but no hacking; hacking arrives in 1972. The Buckley dial enters production in this window, printed Roman numerals on lacquered ground in champagne, silver, white, blue, grey, and "olive grey" variants. The name comes from New York vintage dealer John Buckley, who collected them when the market did not. By the 2000s and 2010s the Buckley reads as top-tier collectable, with thin-Buckley sub-variants (per Oliver & Clarke) commanding additional premium.

===Late 1960s, Red Quarters and clasp evolution===

The Red Quarters dial, an Arabic minute track with red 15/30/45/60 numerals, runs from the late 1960s through the early 1970s. Yellow gold dominates the survival count, pink-gold examples are rarer, and Red Quarters sit among the rarest "ordinary" 1803 dials in any year.

The bracelet evolves around 1969. Earlier 1803s shipped on the visible-clasp 7205 or 7836 President bracelets. From approximately 1969 onward the President 8385 with 55B end-links and the hidden Crownclasp becomes the period-correct fitment: three-piece semi-circular link construction, hollow centre links typical of the era, made by Gay Frères through 1998 (the year Rolex acquired Gay Frères).

===1970s, Stella, Stern stone-dial era, hacking seconds===

The Stella period dominates 1970s collector interest. Stella S.A. of Châtelaine, Geneva supplied lacquered dials to Rolex from approximately 1970 into the late 1980s. The colour catalogue across the 1803 run runs deep: oxblood (the more common of the reds), coral and cherry (markedly rarer), burgundy, pink, mauve, lilac (the Pucci Papaleo "Purple Rose" 1803 is the lilac), Bart Simpson canary yellow, orange or pumpkin (uncommon), turquoise, seafoam and forest green, blue (the official "core" Stella colour), lemon, white, and black. The "Stella" name belongs to the lacquer supplier; Rolex's own paperwork uses "Lacquered Stella" rather than treating it as a marketing nickname. A Collected Man's tally places approximately 1,200 Stella-dialled 1803s across the entire production, the canonical denominator for the variant market.

The Stern Frères / Stern Création stone-dial collaboration begins around 1970 and runs through approximately 1990. The 1803 dial roster spans onyx, lapis lazuli, malachite, tiger's eye, jasper, bloodstone, mother-of-pearl, coral, and jade, plus rarer materials including opal, sodalite, chrysoprase, rubellite, petrified wood, howlite, and pyrite. Italian Watch Spotter notes only two Day-Dates with pyrite known across the full catalogue. The cutting waste rate is approximately 80 percent, the reason stone dials never reached high-volume production. Coral on pink gold and onyx on platinum are the two genre-defining pairings; the platinum case is normally a 1804 reference, so factory-platinum 1803 cases sit at edge-case territory.

Hacking seconds arrive across the 1500 family in 1972. Cal 1556 examples produced 1965-1971 do not hack; 1972-onward examples do.

===Mid-1970s, Sigma transitional===

The Sigma dial carries small σ σ flanking T SWISS T at the bottom, an industry-wide convention from c. 1973 indicating solid-gold applied indices. Sigma is a transitional 1970s feature found on later 1803 production. The 1976 final-year café-au-lait with white pad-printing, the printing fading at certain angles, closes the run with another short-term dial idiom.

===1977-1978, end of run===

Catalogue serials extend to approximately 5,865,000 by 1978. The 5-digit 18038 takes over with sapphire crystal, cal 3055, and single quickset date. Catalogue presence of the 1803 continues briefly into the early 1980s as remaining inventory clears.

==Movement notes==

The caliber 1555 (1959 to c. 1965) is the early Day-Date specification: 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz), 25 jewels, 42-hour power reserve, free-sprung Microstella balance with Breguet overcoil, no hacking, no quickset, day-and-date complications via the 1055-derived architecture.

The caliber 1556 (c. 1965 to end) is the longer-run movement. 19,800 vph (2.75 Hz), one frequency step up. 26 jewels, one more than the 1555. 42-hour power reserve. 28.50mm diameter. Free-sprung Microstella balance and Breguet overcoil carry over from the 1555. Hacking seconds were added in 1972: Beckertime, Ottuhr, and the broader specialist literature converge on 1972 for the hacking-seconds introduction across the 1500 family, so pre-1972 cal 1556 examples do not hack. Quickset never arrives on the 1803; date and day advance only by running the hands through midnight.

Both calibers are COSC chronometer-certified. The cal 1556 is the fourth-generation Day-Date movement, after the original cal 1055, the upgraded 1055, and the cal 1555. Service intervals at Rolex Service Centre run ten years officially, five to seven per independent watchmakers.

==Dial map==

The 1803 dial taxonomy is the deepest in vintage Rolex. The catalogue below documents what surfaces in the auction record, the print references, and the specialist forum work.

===Production-volume dials===

Silver and champagne stick indices on a pie-pan profile. The 1803 is the last Day-Date to carry the pie-pan dial; the 18038 moves to flat. Sunburst, satin, and matte finishes appear within both colour families. Dauphine hands on the earliest production transition to alpha hands on later 1803s.

===Wide-Boy (1963-1964 short run)===
[[File:Ref 1803 wideboy phillips.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 1803 Wide Boy dial — oversized applied baton markers and matching extra-wide "cigarette" hands. Phillips Geneva lot CH080515/215.|1803 Wide Boy — oversized applied baton markers and matching "cigarette" hands. Short-run dial variant approximately 1963-1964. Phillips Geneva lot CH080515/215.]]

Oversized block indices paired with cigarette / wide-boy hands. The Wide-Boy dial sits in a narrow window of early-to-mid-1960s production. Documented examples include the Phillips Geneva lot CH080515/215 yellow-gold 1970 example sold in 2015. Non-luminous Japanese-market Wide-Boys are the most-collected sub-variant.

===Underline (early 1960s, 1963 documented)===

Transitional luminous-material marker under the SCOC text, a chemistry-transition indicator. Genuine Underline 1803s carry the line printed during a specific lume-compound shift; aftermarket re-prints are common and need authentication against original-lume same-batch documentation.

===Buckley Roman (c. 1965 onward)===

Printed Roman numerals on lacquered ground, in champagne, silver, white, blue, grey, and olive grey variants. Named for New York vintage dealer John Buckley. Thin-Buckley dials are a documented sub-variant per Oliver & Clarke. The Buckley is among the most-collected non-special 1803 dial families.

===Red Quarters (late 1960s through early 1970s)===

Arabic minute track with red 15/30/45/60 numerals. Yellow gold dominant, pink-gold rarer. A Red Quarters 1803 is documented in the Rolex Passion Market named-collector archive.

===Sigma (c. 1973 transitional)===

Small σ σ flanking T SWISS T at six o'clock. Industry-wide convention from c. 1973 indicating solid-gold applied indices. Sigma is a late-1803 transitional feature, not a stand-alone variant.

===Linen / textured===

Fabric-like surface pattern in silver or champagne. Scarce. Period-correct production but uncommon in surfaced examples.

===Stella lacquered (c. 1970 to late 1980s)===
[[File:Ref 1803 coral stella phillips.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 1803 with flamboyant coral Stella lacquer dial, yellow gold case and President bracelet. Phillips Geneva Watch Auction FIVE, 13-14 May 2017, Lot 18.|1803 coral Stella — Phillips Geneva Watch Auction FIVE Lot 18 (May 2017). The 1803 anchors the Stella-era production window 1970-1977.]]

The supplier Stella S.A. of Châtelaine, Geneva made the lacquered dials Rolex applied across the line. Production runs approximately 1970 through the late 1980s; the 1803 carries Stella from approximately 1970 to 1977-78. A Collected Man's tally places approximately 1,200 Stella-dialled 1803s across the full production.

The red family covers oxblood (the more common of the reds, trading nearer USD 75,000), coral and cherry (markedly rarer), and burgundy, with the broader Stella band running USD 60,000 to 150,000-plus depending on colour and metal pairing. Pink, mauve, lilac, and purple-rose tones include the Pucci Papaleo "Purple Rose" 1803, a yellow-gold case with lilac Stella documented in the ''Day-Date — the Presidential Rolex'' monograph. Yellow and canary covers the "Bart Simpson" colourway; Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Geneva May 2015 lot 6 sold a Bart Simpson 1803 against an estimate of CHF 50,000-100,000. Orange and pumpkin are uncommon. Turquoise reaches the top tier of desirability alongside coral-on-pink-gold and onyx-on-platinum, with documented turquoise 1803s in the USD 100,000-plus band, the level coral and turquoise on white-metal cases reach at the upper end. Seafoam and forest green run beyond the official 1986 Rolex four-colour Stella list (blue, green, red, yellow). Blue is the official core Stella colour, and lacquered blue ground regularly carries Khanjar overlay on Omani Asprey examples. Lemon, white, and black sit on the periphery of the broader Stella catalogue, more 18038-era than 1803.

===Stone dials (c. 1970 onward, Stern Frères supplied)===

Stern Frères / Stern Création supplied stone-cut dials to Rolex. The 1803 dial roster surfaces in onyx, lapis lazuli, malachite, tiger's eye, jasper, bloodstone, mother-of-pearl, coral, and jade across the production. Rarer materials documented in the catalogue include opal, sodalite, chrysoprase, rubellite, petrified wood, howlite, and pyrite, with Italian Watch Spotter noting only two Day-Dates with pyrite known across the full catalogue. The cutting waste rate during stone-dial production was approximately 80 percent, the reason stone dials never reached high volume.

Coral on pink gold and onyx on platinum are the two genre-defining factory pairings. The platinum case is normally 1804 territory, so onyx-on-platinum 1803s are edge cases.

===Diamond and gem-set===

Pavé, baguette-indices, and mixed-cut configurations. Factory examples often pair with the 1804 sub-reference's diamond bezel. Baton-and-diamond Buckley-adjacent 1803 dials exist, including the "Break Point" 1803 (Pucci Papaleo), a pink-gold 1962 example with baton pink-gold indexes alternating with round-cut diamonds at the 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 positions. Aftermarket gem-setting on 1803s is rampant; factory gem-set examples carry Rolex paperwork confirmation.

===Wood-marquetry, doorstop, grey ghost, café-au-lait===

Wood-marquetry dials appear in the late 1970s, more common on the 18038 than the 1803. The doorstop dial (collector-coined for thick sharp-edged baton indices on certain non-luminous 1803s, particularly Japanese-market) and the grey ghost (a specialist-coined term for a specific grey 1803 dial in pink gold) are micro-variants. The 1976 final-year café-au-lait with white pad-printing that fades at certain angles closes the run with another short-term idiom.

===Tropical===

Black or brown dials aging to chocolate or olive across the run. The dye chemistry of 1960s lacquers oxidises unevenly. Genuine factory-tropical examples, as opposed to sun-faded original-black, require same-batch documentation.

===Day-disc language variants===

Day-disc was available in approximately 26 languages across the production, with Rolex rotating the catalogue and roughly 11 simultaneously available to an order-form 1803 buyer: English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Roman/Latin, Arabic, and Japanese. Arabic is the rarest survivor on the 1803 specifically; Japanese-market 1803s are over-represented in non-luminous configurations. Day-wheel swapping is endemic in the vintage market and the Sotheby's collector guide flags it explicitly; authentication runs on cross-checking day-disk against case serial against caseback markings.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes==

The 1803 case is 36mm in diameter, approximately 12-13mm thick, 44mm lug-to-lug, with a 20mm lug width. Three-piece construction (case, screw-down crown, screw-down caseback) with a Twinlock screw-down crown carrying the two-dot crown marking on the gold variants.

The caseback is screw-down and stamped internally with "1803" plus quarter-year Roman-numeral lot codes that date the caseback's manufacturing run, not the watch's final assembly date. Coronet engraving on the caseback evolves subtly across the eighteen years, sharper and more upright on later production. Outer casebacks are plain gold on civilian examples.

Cases were manufactured in-house in Geneva. The 18k yellow gold case material dominates production by a wide margin. 18k white gold is uncommon. 18k pink and rose gold are scarce; Oliver & Clarke frames pink gold as "infinitely rarer than yellow gold versions from this era." Rolex paused rose-gold production in the 1970s and only revived it (with the rebranded Everose alloy) at the end of the 1990s, so genuine 1803 pink-and-rose-gold cases concentrate in the earlier years of the run.

The fluted bezel is the visual signature, carved from solid gold on every metal variant. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish: the 1804 carries a factory gem-set bezel, the 1807 the bark finish, the 1811 the Morellis (moiré) finish.

==Bracelet, end-links, clasp==

The President bracelet 8385 with 55B end-links is the canonical 1803 fitment from approximately 1969 onward. Three-piece semi-circular link construction with the hidden Crownclasp, introduced approximately 1969. Earlier 1803 production through approximately 1968 shipped on the visible-clasp 7205 or 7836 President bracelets, period-correct but pre-Crownclasp.

Hollow centre links are typical for the era. The 18038 era moves to solid centre links. Made by Gay Frères through 1998, when Rolex acquired the supplier. Date codes inside the clasp leaf should roughly match the watch-head serial year; clasps far ahead or behind the case serial typically indicate later service-replacement.

Jubilee bracelet on a 1803 is period-correct but uncommon. The 1803-on-Jubilee combination shows up most frequently on Tiffany & Co. double-signed examples and Saudi-market commissioned configurations.

==Auction record==

The Nasser 1803 is the headline result and the single most important provenance 1803 in the public record.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! date
! house
! configuration
! result
|-
| Dec 6 2024
| Sotheby's New York Important Watches
| Gamal Abdel Nasser 1803 yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day/date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" (gift from Sadat to Nasser)
| USD 840,000 (estimate USD 30,000–60,000)
|-
| Heritage Auctions lot 54041 (sale 5515)
| Heritage
| Lyndon B. Johnson 1803 yellow gold, gifted by LBJ family to Lawrence J. Klein (caretaker of LBJ Ranch / Western White House)
| result undisclosed
|-
| 2023
| Sotheby's collector guide reference
| Tom Landry 1803 yellow gold
| USD 88,900
|-
| May 8 2015
| Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Geneva lot 6
| "Bart Simpson" 1970s yellow gold with canary-yellow lacquered Stella dial
| estimate CHF 50,000–100,000
|-
| May 8 2015
| Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Geneva lot 49
| Left-Crown 1803 chocolate-brown lacquered dial 1969, "possibly unique" special-order left-hand crown configuration
| estimate CHF 50,000–100,000
|-
| Pucci Papaleo Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex
| Auction-documented
| 1974 pink-gold 1803 stone-dial
| CHF 167,000
|-
| —
| specialist-dealer documented
| Khanjar Oman 1803 white gold with blue Stella ground, Khimji Ramdas import marking with Asprey crossed-swords inside caseback
| asking USD 48,000
|-
| —
| Sotheby's Important Watches N09952
| Tiffany & Co.-signed 1803 yellow gold, 1973
| published lot reference
|-
| 2020
| Sotheby's Watches Weekly Geneva
| Yellow-gold diamond-set 1803 c. 1970, factory gem-set
| published lot reference
|}

Standard 1803 market bands across 2025-2026 run roughly USD 10,000 to 15,000 for honest yellow gold, USD 12,000 to 18,000 for white gold, and USD 18,000 to 28,000-plus for pink and rose gold. Stella sits in the USD 60,000 to 150,000-plus band. Buckley examples carry a 30 to 50 percent premium over standard, Wide-Boy a 20 to 50 percent premium, Tiffany double-signed two to three times standard, and Khanjar three to five times standard. Nasser-tier provenance is one-off territory. Unpolished case premium adds 20 to 40 percent, original lume-match 30 to 50 percent, and matching box, papers, and serials another 15 to 30 percent.

==Notable owners and the "President" advertising nickname==

Lyndon B. Johnson wore an 1803 yellow gold across his presidency. Johnson is the president who gave the watch its "President" advertising nickname; Rolex began advertising the Johnson-Day-Date link by 1966 and the nickname stuck across the 1803's run and through the subsequent five- and six-digit Day-Date generations.

Sotheby's collector guide lists Gamal Abdel Nasser, Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, and Andy Warhol among documented 1803 wearers. Nasser's example carries the Sadat-to-Nasser caseback engraving and is the single most important provenance lot in the 1803 auction record (Sotheby's December 2024, USD 840,000 hammer against a USD 30,000-60,000 estimate).

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a GMT-Master 1675, not a 1803. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million, with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the 1803 has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305 on Jubilee, gifted to him in 1951, five years before the Day-Date existed.

John Lennon and 1803: no documented 1803 surfaces in the auction or specialist record for Lennon. Treat as unverified.

==Special branches and retailer signatures==

===Tiffany & Co. double-signed===

Production through the late 1970s. 1803 Tiffany examples come in yellow, rose, and white gold, in both Buckley-style Roman-numeral and standard baton configurations. Sotheby's Important Watches lot N09952/7 (yellow gold, 1973) is one of the documented public lots. Double-signed 1803s consistently trade at two to three times standard equivalents.

===Asprey of London===

Primary conduit for Omani Khanjar 1803s. The Asprey crossed-swords stamp inside the caseback identifies the London-retail chain. On Omani examples the Asprey mark is often paired with Khimji Ramdas (KR) import marks for Muscat distribution.

===Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos===

Crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold, the Omani flag colours. Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970-2020). Qaboos signature dials (the Sultan's hand-printed signature) and Royal Oman Police insignia variants also appear. The Khanjar branch is the most-priced retailer-signed 1803 category, trading at three to five times standard equivalents.

===Saudi Khanjar / crossed swords===

Less common than Omani; ordered through similar diplomatic channels. Surfaces less frequently on the public market.

===Brazilian and Spanish-market day discs===

Period-correct retail commissions in Latin American and Iberian markets occasionally surface with native-language day discs (Portuguese, Spanish). Authenticated against same-period delivery documentation.

==Sources==

===Primary and specialist===

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history/ ''Rolex Day-Date Volume (Mondani Editore)'' — Mondani Family, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date/ ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo Editore, Spin Edizioni, 2015-05]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/bourn-in-oman-the-rolex-collection/ Daniel Bourn, "Bourn in Oman: The Rolex Collection", Revolution Watches]
* [https://www.phillips.com/ Phillips Watches Department, "Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Geneva May 2015 — Bart Simpson lot 6 + Left-Crown lot 49", Phillips, 2015-05-08]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's Watches Department, "Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 — Nasser 1803", Sotheby's, 2024-12-06]
* [https://www.heritageauctions.com/ Heritage Watches Department, "Heritage Auctions Lot 54041 (sale 5515) — LBJ-family-to-Klein 1803", Heritage Auctions]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]

===Editorial and market===

* [https://ottuhr.com/index/rolex/day-date-president/rolex-day-date-1803/ Ottuhr editorial, "Rolex Day-Date 1803 Reference Report", Ottuhr]
* [https://acollectedman.com/blogs/journal/the-colourful-world-of-rolex-stella-dials A Collected Man editorial, "The Colourful World of Rolex Stella Dials", A Collected Man]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/watch-guide-rolex-stone-dials/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "Watch Guide: Rolex Stone Dials", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/ Hairspring editorial, "Hairspring — Khanjar Oman 1803 White Gold Blue Stella", Hairspring]
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/ Hairspring editorial, "Hairspring — Coral Stella 1803", Hairspring]
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/ Hairspring editorial, "Hairspring — Grey Ghost 1803", Hairspring]
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/ Hairspring editorial, "Hairspring — Doorstop 1803", Hairspring]
* [https://rolexpassionmarket.com/watches/rolex-break-point-rose-gold-1803 Rolex Passion Market editorial, "Rolex Break Point Rose Gold 1803", Rolex Passion Market]
* [https://rolexpassionmarket.com/watches/rolex-red-quarters-day-date-ref-1803 Rolex Passion Market editorial, "Rolex Red Quarters Day-Date 1803", Rolex Passion Market]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/the-stella-revolution/ Revolution Watches editorial, "The Stella Revolution", Revolution Watches]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/history-rolex-tiffany-dials Bob's Watches editorial, "History of Rolex Tiffany Dials", Bob's Watches]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/quickset-vintage-day-date-models.html Bob's Watches editorial, "Quickset Vintage Day-Date Models", Bob's Watches]
* [https://www.craftandtailored.com/ Craft & Tailored editorial, "Craft & Tailored — 1963 1803 Underline Dial", Craft & Tailored]
* [https://www.craftandtailored.com/ Craft & Tailored editorial, "Craft & Tailored — 1970 1803 Wide-Boy Yellow Gold", Craft & Tailored]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/1556 Watchbase editorial, "Rolex Caliber 1556 — Watchbase", Watchbase]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=11327271 Rolex Forums community, "Rolex Forums — 1803 Owners and Enablers Thread", Rolex Forums]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=679606 Rolex Forums community, "Rolex Forums — 1803 Presidential Unusual Finishes", Rolex Forums]
* [https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vintagerolexforum/ Vintage Rolex Forum community, "Vintage Rolex Forum — 1803 Threads (Tapatalk index)", Vintage Rolex Forum (Tapatalk)]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-08T01:59:33Z

Klaudiusz: Fix: 1806 is the Florentine-finish reference (case/bezel/lugs + brick bracelet), not bark — bark belongs to the 1807

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| 1804 || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Diamond-set bezel sub-reference; often paired with diamond dial.
|-
| 1806 || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| 1807 || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| 1811 || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| 18028 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier.
|-
| 18048 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| 18078 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 18248 / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel siblings.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| 118235 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President from that point.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| 218206 || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803 early || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803 mid-and-late || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:1807

2026-06-08T00:48:43Z

Klaudiusz: Fix: 1811 is the Morellis (moiré) finish (bezel + bracelet centre links), not smooth — correct sibling descriptions

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 1807 Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 1807 Day-Date — Bark-Finish President | BezelBase
|description=The 1807 is the bark-finish (écorce) 4-digit Day-Date: a coarse vertical texture on the bezel and on the President bracelet's center links, sibling to the fluted 1803 and Florentine 1806. 36mm 18k gold, caliber 1555/1556, 1960s into the 1970s.
|keywords=Rolex 1807, Day-Date, bark finish, écorce, President, 1803, 1806, 1811, caliber 1556, 18078
|image=Ref 1807 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 1807 in yellow gold with bark-finish bezel and bracelet
|type=article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''1807'''

The 1807 is the bark-finish Day-Date. It shares the 4-digit President's case, movement and dial catalogue with the fluted [[Reference:1803|1803]] and differs in one thing: the gold carries a coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, across the bezel and the bracelet's center links. Rolex sold it through the 1960s and into the 1970s as one of a small group of decorated 4-digit references, next to the Florentine 1806 and the Morellis-finish 1811. The finish drew few buyers when new. It reads very differently now.

[[File:Ref 1807 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 1807 in yellow gold with bark-finish bezel and bracelet|The 1807 in yellow gold: bark finish on the bezel and the President bracelet's center links, champagne stick dial. Photo: CollectorsSquare]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 1807
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1960s into the 1970s (4-digit era)
|-
| movement
| caliber 1555 (to c. 1965), then caliber 1556 to the end of the run; hacking from 1972; no quickset
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k gold President — yellow, white, pink/rose gold
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| bark (écorce) finish
|-
| bracelet
| President with bark-finished center links
|-
| dial
| the 4-digit Day-Date catalogue (champagne and silver stick the volume choice; the same special dials offered on the 1803)
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| sibling references
| 1803 (fluted), 1804 (gem-set), 1806 (Florentine), 1811 (Morellis moiré)
|-
| predecessor
| originals-era 6610 / 6611 / 6612 cluster
|-
| successor
| 5-digit 18078, which carries the bark finish forward
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 1807 is one of the 1803's decorated siblings. The 4-digit Day-Date split by finish rather than by movement or size. The 1803 took the fluted bezel, the 1804 a gem-set bezel, the 1806 the finer Florentine engine-turning, and the 1807 the coarser bark; the 1811 the Morellis moiré finish. Most sources separate the 1806 and 1807 by that texture, Florentine against bark, though BezelBase's own [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry groups the textured references slightly differently and reads the 1806 as a bark-bezel reference. What is not in dispute is the 1807 itself: the bark covers both the bezel and the bracelet center links.

Everything else is 1803. The 36mm gold case, the President bracelet, the caliber 1555 and 1556 movements, and the dial catalogue are shared, and the bark is the only thing that makes an 1807 an 1807. The [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry carries the full dial taxonomy, the movement transition, and the President bracelet history for the whole 4-digit group.

==Production outline==

The bark finish ran through the 1960s and into the 1970s alongside the plain 1803. No Rolex production figure has surfaced, and the texture sold slowly when new, so the bark and Florentine references are scarcer in the record than the fluted 1803 for the simple reason that fewer buyers chose them. Documented examples cover the span: silver- and champagne-dialled yellow-gold pieces in the mid-1960s on the caliber 1555, later examples into the early 1970s on the hacking caliber 1556. The finish outlived the reference and reappeared in the 5-digit era on the 18078.

==Movement notes==

The 1807 uses the movement of the rest of the 4-digit Day-Date: caliber 1555 from the start of the run, replaced by the caliber 1556 around 1965. The 1556 raised the beat to 19,800 vph and brought the free-sprung Microstella balance; hacking seconds arrived across the 1500 family in 1972. No 4-digit Day-Date has quickset, so the date and day advance only by running the hands through midnight. The [[Reference:Movements]] page holds the caliber lineage, and the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry covers the 1555-to-1556 transition in detail.

==Dial map==

The 1807 came with the standard 4-digit Day-Date dials, champagne and silver with applied gold stick markers most common, and as a catalogue sibling of the 1803 it could be ordered with the same special dials. Documented bark examples include linen-textured Sigma dials and darker grey and Havana-brown dials read against the gold bark. The dial does not define the reference. The bark does, and the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry carries the dial-variant taxonomy that applies across the group.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
[[File:Ref 1807 bark detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Bark écorce texture on a Rolex 1807 bezel and bracelet|The bark texture up close on a grey-dial 1807, running across the bezel and the bracelet center links. Photo: CollectorsSquare]]

The case is the 36mm three-piece gold Oyster shared across the 4-digit Day-Date, with a Twinlock screw-down crown, screw-down caseback and acrylic crystal. The defining feature is the bezel. In place of the 1803's fluting the 1807 carries a bark finish, a coarse vertical texture deeper and more irregular than the engine-turning on a Datejust and meant to resemble tree bark. It was made in yellow, white and pink gold to match the case.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 1807 wears the President, with the bark carried onto the bracelet's center links so the texture runs the length of the bracelet rather than stopping at the bezel. That full-length bark is what separates the 1807 from a watch that simply has a textured bezel. As with any vintage President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet rather than the watch head, and the [[Reference:Bracelets]] page holds the cross-family bracelet detail.

==Special branches==

===The bark family===

The 1807 belongs to a small group of textured 4-digit Day-Dates: the Florentine 1806, the bark 1807, and the Morellis 1811. These were a 1960s fashion, and Rolex let them go as taste returned to polished and fluted gold. Survivors are comparatively scarce and now wanted precisely because the texture is unusual. The bark itself outlasted the 4-digit era and returned on the 5-digit 18078.

==Auction record==

Bark 1807s surface mainly through the dealer market rather than the major auction houses, which reflects the reference's modest standing rather than any great rarity. Documented yellow-gold examples run from mid-1960s silver-dial pieces to early-1970s examples on the hacking caliber 1556. The value driver is an original bark bracelet: decades of service often swapped bark center links for plain ones, so a watch that keeps its full original bark is worth more than the dial alone would suggest.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.thebeautifulwatch.com/blogs/news/a-brief-history-of-the-rolex-day-date The Beautiful Watch editorial, "A Brief History of the Rolex Day-Date", The Beautiful Watch]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2010/09/1956-very-first-rolex-day-date.html Jake Ehrlich, "1956 — The Very First Rolex Day-Date", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2010-09]
* [https://ottuhr.com/index/rolex/day-date-president/rolex-day-date-1803/ Ottuhr editorial, "Rolex Day-Date 1803 Reference Report", Ottuhr]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=679606 Rolex Forums community, "Rolex Forums — 1803 Presidential Unusual Finishes", Rolex Forums]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:1803

2026-06-08T00:48:43Z

Klaudiusz: Fix: 1811 is the Morellis (moiré) finish (bezel + bracelet centre links), not smooth — correct sibling descriptions

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 1803 Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 1803 Day-Date — Stella, Stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Nasser provenance | BezelBase
|description=The 1803 is the canonical 4-digit Day-Date — 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555/1556, 36mm President. Stella lacquer, Stern stone dials, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Tiffany double-signed, Khanjar Oman, and the Sotheby's 2024 Nasser hammer at USD 840,000.
|keywords=Rolex 1803, Day-Date, President, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, cal 1555, cal 1556, Nasser, LBJ, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed
|image=Ref 1803 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 1803 Lacquered Stella dial
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[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] -> '''1803'''

The 1803 is the canonical 4-digit Day-Date. Physical production begins in 1959, catalogue presence runs from 1961 per Mondani's printed-archive research, and the line ends in 1977-78 when the 5-digit 18038 takes over. Eighteen years on a single reference, the longest run in the 4-digit Day-Date era. The fluted bezel is the visual signature that separates the 1803 from its catalogue siblings: the 1804 with gem-set bezel, the 1807 with bark finish, the 1811 with Morellis (moiré) finish. Inside that bezel sits the most dial-variant-dense Rolex reference in the modern catalogue. The production-volume silver and champagne stick share the case with the Buckley Roman, the Wide-Boy, the Underline, the Red Quarters, the Sigma, Stella lacquered colours from oxblood through Bart Simpson yellow, Stern Frères stone dials from onyx to malachite to coral, diamond-pavé and mother-of-pearl, the Khanjar Oman, and the Tiffany double-signed. The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex routinely attached to the 1803 in casual press is a GMT-Master 1675, not a Day-Date. The presidents who actually wore the watch, with Lyndon B. Johnson on top, gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward.

[[File:Ref 1803 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 1803 — 36mm 18k yellow gold President, champagne stick-index dial, fluted bezel. Eighteen-year run on cal 1555 then cal 1556, the volume reference of the vintage Day-Date era. Image via Monochrome.|Rolex Day-Date 1803 — 36mm 18k yellow gold President, champagne stick-index dial, fluted bezel. Eighteen-year run on cal 1555 then cal 1556, the volume reference of the vintage Day-Date era. Image via Monochrome.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 1803
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1959 (physical) / 1961 (catalogue) through 1977-78
|-
| run length
| 18 years — longest 4-digit Day-Date
|-
| movement
| caliber 1555 (1959 to c. 1965) → caliber 1556 (c. 1965 to end) with hacking added 1972
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k gold (yellow / white / pink / rose) President
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| fluted
|-
| bracelet
| President 8385 with 55B end-links, hidden Crownclasp from c. 1969 (earlier 7205 / 7836 visible-clasp)
|-
| dial families
| silver/champagne stick (volume) plus Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Stella lacquer, stone, mother-of-pearl, diamond/gem-set, Tiffany/Asprey/Khanjar special branches
|-
| production volume
| "tens of thousands across all metals" (Ottuhr); ~1,200 Stella-dialled examples per A Collected Man
|-
| predecessor
| originals era 6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B
|-
| successor
| 18038
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 1803 is the volume Day-Date of the vintage era. The originals-era cluster (6510, 6511, 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B) ran 1956-1959 in low numbers, initially on the Jubilee bracelet, with the President bracelet introduced on the 6611 in 1957. The 1803 inherits the cal 1055-derived movement architecture, transitions to the longer-run 1500-series calibers, and becomes the watch that turns the Day-Date into a category. Catalogue siblings split off from the 1803's case architecture by bezel finish: the 1804 with a gem-set bezel (often platinum or pink-gold), the 1806 with bark bezel, the 1807 with bark centre links and full bark coverage, the 1811 with Morellis finish, and the 1830 / 1831 / 1832 carrying further bezel-and-material variation.

Dial experimentation arrives on the 1803. The originals-era cluster ran production stick-indices with the occasional Roman-numeral commission. The 1803 opens to Stella lacquered colour, Stern Frères stone dials, the Buckley Roman commercial run, the Red Quarters Arabic minute track, and the Pucci Papaleo "Break Point" and "Purple Rose" specials. Collector attention to that depth surfaces through the 1990s and 2000s, with Stella examples reviving as a distinct dealer category around 2015. A Collected Man's tally places roughly 1,200 Stella 1803s across the entire production.

The 1803 also sits at the movement's architectural pivot point. The cal 1555 (1959 to c. 1965) carries the 18,000 vph, 25-jewel spec of the cal 1055-derived early Day-Date family. The cal 1556 (c. 1965 to end of run) jumps to 19,800 vph and 26 jewels with the free-sprung Microstella balance the modern Rolex line takes forward. Hacking seconds arrive across the entire 1500 family in 1972, a mid-1556 introduction rather than a feature of the caliber change. Pre-1972 cal 1556 examples do not hack; post-1972 examples do. Older sources that say "1965 introduces hacking" conflate the caliber change with the hacking change. No 1803 has quickset, ever; date and day advance only by running the hands through midnight.

==Production outline==

===Late 1959 production start, 1961 catalogue arrival===

Earliest documented 1803 case serials sit around 550,000, in the 1960 production-year range. Mondani's printed-Rolex-catalogue research puts the 1803's first catalogue appearance in 1961, alongside the 1804 and 1806. A 1959 pie-pan 1803 example surfaces in the dealer record, putting physical production ahead of catalogue presence. The pragmatic reading is late 1959 production start, 1961 retail-catalogue launch.

===1960s, Wide-Boy and Underline transitional===

Early 1960s production carries two short-run transitional dials. The Underline dial appears in 1963: a luminous-material marker stamped under the SCOC text at six o'clock, indicating a chemistry transition during the period when Rolex moved away from earlier lume compounds toward tritium. A 1963 Underline 1803 is documented in the specialist dealer record.

The Wide-Boy dial sits in the same short window. Oversized block indices pair with "cigarette" or "wide-boy" hands, sometimes called "cigarette-boat" hands when narrowed to 1963-64 production. Phillips lot CH080515/215 sold a 1970 yellow-gold Wide-Boy 1803 in 2015. Non-luminous Japanese-market specification is the most-collected sub-variant.

===Mid-1960s, caliber transition and Buckley arrival===

The cal 1555 transitions to cal 1556 around 1965. The change brings 19,800 vph and 26 jewels but no hacking; hacking arrives in 1972. The Buckley dial enters production in this window, printed Roman numerals on lacquered ground in champagne, silver, white, blue, grey, and "olive grey" variants. The name comes from New York vintage dealer John Buckley, who collected them when the market did not. By the 2000s and 2010s the Buckley reads as top-tier collectable, with thin-Buckley sub-variants (per Oliver & Clarke) commanding additional premium.

===Late 1960s, Red Quarters and clasp evolution===

The Red Quarters dial, an Arabic minute track with red 15/30/45/60 numerals, runs from the late 1960s through the early 1970s. Yellow gold dominates the survival count, pink-gold examples are rarer, and Red Quarters sit among the rarest "ordinary" 1803 dials in any year.

The bracelet evolves around 1969. Earlier 1803s shipped on the visible-clasp 7205 or 7836 President bracelets. From approximately 1969 onward the President 8385 with 55B end-links and the hidden Crownclasp becomes the period-correct fitment: three-piece semi-circular link construction, hollow centre links typical of the era, made by Gay Frères through 1998 (the year Rolex acquired Gay Frères).

===1970s, Stella, Stern stone-dial era, hacking seconds===

The Stella period dominates 1970s collector interest. Stella S.A. of Châtelaine, Geneva supplied lacquered dials to Rolex from approximately 1970 into the late 1980s. The colour catalogue across the 1803 run runs deep: oxblood (the more common of the reds), coral and cherry (markedly rarer), burgundy, pink, mauve, lilac (the Pucci Papaleo "Purple Rose" 1803 is the lilac), Bart Simpson canary yellow, orange or pumpkin (uncommon), turquoise, seafoam and forest green, blue (the official "core" Stella colour), lemon, white, and black. The "Stella" name belongs to the lacquer supplier; Rolex's own paperwork uses "Lacquered Stella" rather than treating it as a marketing nickname. A Collected Man's tally places approximately 1,200 Stella-dialled 1803s across the entire production, the canonical denominator for the variant market.

The Stern Frères / Stern Création stone-dial collaboration begins around 1970 and runs through approximately 1990. The 1803 dial roster spans onyx, lapis lazuli, malachite, tiger's eye, jasper, bloodstone, mother-of-pearl, coral, and jade, plus rarer materials including opal, sodalite, chrysoprase, rubellite, petrified wood, howlite, and pyrite. Italian Watch Spotter notes only two Day-Dates with pyrite known across the full catalogue. The cutting waste rate is approximately 80 percent, the reason stone dials never reached high-volume production. Coral on pink gold and onyx on platinum are the two genre-defining pairings; the platinum case is normally a 1804 reference, so factory-platinum 1803 cases sit at edge-case territory.

Hacking seconds arrive across the 1500 family in 1972. Cal 1556 examples produced 1965-1971 do not hack; 1972-onward examples do.

===Mid-1970s, Sigma transitional===

The Sigma dial carries small σ σ flanking T SWISS T at the bottom, an industry-wide convention from c. 1973 indicating solid-gold applied indices. Sigma is a transitional 1970s feature found on later 1803 production. The 1976 final-year café-au-lait with white pad-printing, the printing fading at certain angles, closes the run with another short-term dial idiom.

===1977-1978, end of run===

Catalogue serials extend to approximately 5,865,000 by 1978. The 5-digit 18038 takes over with sapphire crystal, cal 3055, and single quickset date. Catalogue presence of the 1803 continues briefly into the early 1980s as remaining inventory clears.

==Movement notes==

The caliber 1555 (1959 to c. 1965) is the early Day-Date specification: 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz), 25 jewels, 42-hour power reserve, free-sprung Microstella balance with Breguet overcoil, no hacking, no quickset, day-and-date complications via the 1055-derived architecture.

The caliber 1556 (c. 1965 to end) is the longer-run movement. 19,800 vph (2.75 Hz), one frequency step up. 26 jewels, one more than the 1555. 42-hour power reserve. 28.50mm diameter. Free-sprung Microstella balance and Breguet overcoil carry over from the 1555. Hacking seconds were added in 1972: Beckertime, Ottuhr, and the broader specialist literature converge on 1972 for the hacking-seconds introduction across the 1500 family, so pre-1972 cal 1556 examples do not hack. Quickset never arrives on the 1803; date and day advance only by running the hands through midnight.

Both calibers are COSC chronometer-certified. The cal 1556 is the fourth-generation Day-Date movement, after the original cal 1055, the upgraded 1055, and the cal 1555. Service intervals at Rolex Service Centre run ten years officially, five to seven per independent watchmakers.

==Dial map==

The 1803 dial taxonomy is the deepest in vintage Rolex. The catalogue below documents what surfaces in the auction record, the print references, and the specialist forum work.

===Production-volume dials===

Silver and champagne stick indices on a pie-pan profile. The 1803 is the last Day-Date to carry the pie-pan dial; the 18038 moves to flat. Sunburst, satin, and matte finishes appear within both colour families. Dauphine hands on the earliest production transition to alpha hands on later 1803s.

===Wide-Boy (1963-1964 short run)===
[[File:Ref 1803 wideboy phillips.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 1803 Wide Boy dial — oversized applied baton markers and matching extra-wide "cigarette" hands. Phillips Geneva lot CH080515/215.|1803 Wide Boy — oversized applied baton markers and matching "cigarette" hands. Short-run dial variant approximately 1963-1964. Phillips Geneva lot CH080515/215.]]

Oversized block indices paired with cigarette / wide-boy hands. The Wide-Boy dial sits in a narrow window of early-to-mid-1960s production. Documented examples include the Phillips Geneva lot CH080515/215 yellow-gold 1970 example sold in 2015. Non-luminous Japanese-market Wide-Boys are the most-collected sub-variant.

===Underline (early 1960s, 1963 documented)===

Transitional luminous-material marker under the SCOC text, a chemistry-transition indicator. Genuine Underline 1803s carry the line printed during a specific lume-compound shift; aftermarket re-prints are common and need authentication against original-lume same-batch documentation.

===Buckley Roman (c. 1965 onward)===

Printed Roman numerals on lacquered ground, in champagne, silver, white, blue, grey, and olive grey variants. Named for New York vintage dealer John Buckley. Thin-Buckley dials are a documented sub-variant per Oliver & Clarke. The Buckley is among the most-collected non-special 1803 dial families.

===Red Quarters (late 1960s through early 1970s)===

Arabic minute track with red 15/30/45/60 numerals. Yellow gold dominant, pink-gold rarer. A Red Quarters 1803 is documented in the Rolex Passion Market named-collector archive.

===Sigma (c. 1973 transitional)===

Small σ σ flanking T SWISS T at six o'clock. Industry-wide convention from c. 1973 indicating solid-gold applied indices. Sigma is a late-1803 transitional feature, not a stand-alone variant.

===Linen / textured===

Fabric-like surface pattern in silver or champagne. Scarce. Period-correct production but uncommon in surfaced examples.

===Stella lacquered (c. 1970 to late 1980s)===
[[File:Ref 1803 coral stella phillips.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 1803 with flamboyant coral Stella lacquer dial, yellow gold case and President bracelet. Phillips Geneva Watch Auction FIVE, 13-14 May 2017, Lot 18.|1803 coral Stella — Phillips Geneva Watch Auction FIVE Lot 18 (May 2017). The 1803 anchors the Stella-era production window 1970-1977.]]

The supplier Stella S.A. of Châtelaine, Geneva made the lacquered dials Rolex applied across the line. Production runs approximately 1970 through the late 1980s; the 1803 carries Stella from approximately 1970 to 1977-78. A Collected Man's tally places approximately 1,200 Stella-dialled 1803s across the full production.

The red family covers oxblood (the more common of the reds, trading nearer USD 75,000), coral and cherry (markedly rarer), and burgundy, with the broader Stella band running USD 60,000 to 150,000-plus depending on colour and metal pairing. Pink, mauve, lilac, and purple-rose tones include the Pucci Papaleo "Purple Rose" 1803, a yellow-gold case with lilac Stella documented in the ''Day-Date — the Presidential Rolex'' monograph. Yellow and canary covers the "Bart Simpson" colourway; Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Geneva May 2015 lot 6 sold a Bart Simpson 1803 against an estimate of CHF 50,000-100,000. Orange and pumpkin are uncommon. Turquoise reaches the top tier of desirability alongside coral-on-pink-gold and onyx-on-platinum, with documented turquoise 1803s in the USD 100,000-plus band, the level coral and turquoise on white-metal cases reach at the upper end. Seafoam and forest green run beyond the official 1986 Rolex four-colour Stella list (blue, green, red, yellow). Blue is the official core Stella colour, and lacquered blue ground regularly carries Khanjar overlay on Omani Asprey examples. Lemon, white, and black sit on the periphery of the broader Stella catalogue, more 18038-era than 1803.

===Stone dials (c. 1970 onward, Stern Frères supplied)===

Stern Frères / Stern Création supplied stone-cut dials to Rolex. The 1803 dial roster surfaces in onyx, lapis lazuli, malachite, tiger's eye, jasper, bloodstone, mother-of-pearl, coral, and jade across the production. Rarer materials documented in the catalogue include opal, sodalite, chrysoprase, rubellite, petrified wood, howlite, and pyrite, with Italian Watch Spotter noting only two Day-Dates with pyrite known across the full catalogue. The cutting waste rate during stone-dial production was approximately 80 percent, the reason stone dials never reached high volume.

Coral on pink gold and onyx on platinum are the two genre-defining factory pairings. The platinum case is normally 1804 territory, so onyx-on-platinum 1803s are edge cases.

===Diamond and gem-set===

Pavé, baguette-indices, and mixed-cut configurations. Factory examples often pair with the 1804 sub-reference's diamond bezel. Baton-and-diamond Buckley-adjacent 1803 dials exist, including the "Break Point" 1803 (Pucci Papaleo), a pink-gold 1962 example with baton pink-gold indexes alternating with round-cut diamonds at the 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 positions. Aftermarket gem-setting on 1803s is rampant; factory gem-set examples carry Rolex paperwork confirmation.

===Wood-marquetry, doorstop, grey ghost, café-au-lait===

Wood-marquetry dials appear in the late 1970s, more common on the 18038 than the 1803. The doorstop dial (collector-coined for thick sharp-edged baton indices on certain non-luminous 1803s, particularly Japanese-market) and the grey ghost (a specialist-coined term for a specific grey 1803 dial in pink gold) are micro-variants. The 1976 final-year café-au-lait with white pad-printing that fades at certain angles closes the run with another short-term idiom.

===Tropical===

Black or brown dials aging to chocolate or olive across the run. The dye chemistry of 1960s lacquers oxidises unevenly. Genuine factory-tropical examples, as opposed to sun-faded original-black, require same-batch documentation.

===Day-disc language variants===

Day-disc was available in approximately 26 languages across the production, with Rolex rotating the catalogue and roughly 11 simultaneously available to an order-form 1803 buyer: English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Roman/Latin, Arabic, and Japanese. Arabic is the rarest survivor on the 1803 specifically; Japanese-market 1803s are over-represented in non-luminous configurations. Day-wheel swapping is endemic in the vintage market and the Sotheby's collector guide flags it explicitly; authentication runs on cross-checking day-disk against case serial against caseback markings.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes==

The 1803 case is 36mm in diameter, approximately 12-13mm thick, 44mm lug-to-lug, with a 20mm lug width. Three-piece construction (case, screw-down crown, screw-down caseback) with a Twinlock screw-down crown carrying the two-dot crown marking on the gold variants.

The caseback is screw-down and stamped internally with "1803" plus quarter-year Roman-numeral lot codes that date the caseback's manufacturing run, not the watch's final assembly date. Coronet engraving on the caseback evolves subtly across the eighteen years, sharper and more upright on later production. Outer casebacks are plain gold on civilian examples.

Cases were manufactured in-house in Geneva. The 18k yellow gold case material dominates production by a wide margin. 18k white gold is uncommon. 18k pink and rose gold are scarce; Oliver & Clarke frames pink gold as "infinitely rarer than yellow gold versions from this era." Rolex paused rose-gold production in the 1970s and only revived it (with the rebranded Everose alloy) at the end of the 1990s, so genuine 1803 pink-and-rose-gold cases concentrate in the earlier years of the run.

The fluted bezel is the visual signature, carved from solid gold on every metal variant. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish: the 1804 carries a factory gem-set bezel, the 1807 the bark finish, the 1811 the Morellis (moiré) finish.

==Bracelet, end-links, clasp==

The President bracelet 8385 with 55B end-links is the canonical 1803 fitment from approximately 1969 onward. Three-piece semi-circular link construction with the hidden Crownclasp, introduced approximately 1969. Earlier 1803 production through approximately 1968 shipped on the visible-clasp 7205 or 7836 President bracelets, period-correct but pre-Crownclasp.

Hollow centre links are typical for the era. The 18038 era moves to solid centre links. Made by Gay Frères through 1998, when Rolex acquired the supplier. Date codes inside the clasp leaf should roughly match the watch-head serial year; clasps far ahead or behind the case serial typically indicate later service-replacement.

Jubilee bracelet on a 1803 is period-correct but uncommon. The 1803-on-Jubilee combination shows up most frequently on Tiffany & Co. double-signed examples and Saudi-market commissioned configurations.

==Auction record==

The Nasser 1803 is the headline result and the single most important provenance 1803 in the public record.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! date
! house
! configuration
! result
|-
| Dec 6 2024
| Sotheby's New York Important Watches
| Gamal Abdel Nasser 1803 yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day/date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" (gift from Sadat to Nasser)
| USD 840,000 (estimate USD 30,000–60,000)
|-
| Heritage Auctions lot 54041 (sale 5515)
| Heritage
| Lyndon B. Johnson 1803 yellow gold, gifted by LBJ family to Lawrence J. Klein (caretaker of LBJ Ranch / Western White House)
| result undisclosed
|-
| 2023
| Sotheby's collector guide reference
| Tom Landry 1803 yellow gold
| USD 88,900
|-
| May 8 2015
| Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Geneva lot 6
| "Bart Simpson" 1970s yellow gold with canary-yellow lacquered Stella dial
| estimate CHF 50,000–100,000
|-
| May 8 2015
| Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Geneva lot 49
| Left-Crown 1803 chocolate-brown lacquered dial 1969, "possibly unique" special-order left-hand crown configuration
| estimate CHF 50,000–100,000
|-
| Pucci Papaleo Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex
| Auction-documented
| 1974 pink-gold 1803 stone-dial
| CHF 167,000
|-
| —
| specialist-dealer documented
| Khanjar Oman 1803 white gold with blue Stella ground, Khimji Ramdas import marking with Asprey crossed-swords inside caseback
| asking USD 48,000
|-
| —
| Sotheby's Important Watches N09952
| Tiffany & Co.-signed 1803 yellow gold, 1973
| published lot reference
|-
| 2020
| Sotheby's Watches Weekly Geneva
| Yellow-gold diamond-set 1803 c. 1970, factory gem-set
| published lot reference
|}

Standard 1803 market bands across 2025-2026 run roughly USD 10,000 to 15,000 for honest yellow gold, USD 12,000 to 18,000 for white gold, and USD 18,000 to 28,000-plus for pink and rose gold. Stella sits in the USD 60,000 to 150,000-plus band. Buckley examples carry a 30 to 50 percent premium over standard, Wide-Boy a 20 to 50 percent premium, Tiffany double-signed two to three times standard, and Khanjar three to five times standard. Nasser-tier provenance is one-off territory. Unpolished case premium adds 20 to 40 percent, original lume-match 30 to 50 percent, and matching box, papers, and serials another 15 to 30 percent.

==Notable owners and the "President" advertising nickname==

Lyndon B. Johnson wore an 1803 yellow gold across his presidency. Johnson is the president who gave the watch its "President" advertising nickname; Rolex began advertising the Johnson-Day-Date link by 1966 and the nickname stuck across the 1803's run and through the subsequent five- and six-digit Day-Date generations.

Sotheby's collector guide lists Gamal Abdel Nasser, Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, and Andy Warhol among documented 1803 wearers. Nasser's example carries the Sadat-to-Nasser caseback engraving and is the single most important provenance lot in the 1803 auction record (Sotheby's December 2024, USD 840,000 hammer against a USD 30,000-60,000 estimate).

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a GMT-Master 1675, not a 1803. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million, with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the 1803 has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305 on Jubilee, gifted to him in 1951, five years before the Day-Date existed.

John Lennon and 1803: no documented 1803 surfaces in the auction or specialist record for Lennon. Treat as unverified.

==Special branches and retailer signatures==

===Tiffany & Co. double-signed===

Production through the late 1970s. 1803 Tiffany examples come in yellow, rose, and white gold, in both Buckley-style Roman-numeral and standard baton configurations. Sotheby's Important Watches lot N09952/7 (yellow gold, 1973) is one of the documented public lots. Double-signed 1803s consistently trade at two to three times standard equivalents.

===Asprey of London===

Primary conduit for Omani Khanjar 1803s. The Asprey crossed-swords stamp inside the caseback identifies the London-retail chain. On Omani examples the Asprey mark is often paired with Khimji Ramdas (KR) import marks for Muscat distribution.

===Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos===

Crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold, the Omani flag colours. Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970-2020). Qaboos signature dials (the Sultan's hand-printed signature) and Royal Oman Police insignia variants also appear. The Khanjar branch is the most-priced retailer-signed 1803 category, trading at three to five times standard equivalents.

===Saudi Khanjar / crossed swords===

Less common than Omani; ordered through similar diplomatic channels. Surfaces less frequently on the public market.

===Brazilian and Spanish-market day discs===

Period-correct retail commissions in Latin American and Iberian markets occasionally surface with native-language day discs (Portuguese, Spanish). Authenticated against same-period delivery documentation.

==Sources==

===Primary and specialist===

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history/ ''Rolex Day-Date Volume (Mondani Editore)'' — Mondani Family, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date/ ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo Editore, Spin Edizioni, 2015-05]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/bourn-in-oman-the-rolex-collection/ Daniel Bourn, "Bourn in Oman: The Rolex Collection", Revolution Watches]
* [https://www.phillips.com/ Phillips Watches Department, "Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Geneva May 2015 — Bart Simpson lot 6 + Left-Crown lot 49", Phillips, 2015-05-08]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's Watches Department, "Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 — Nasser 1803", Sotheby's, 2024-12-06]
* [https://www.heritageauctions.com/ Heritage Watches Department, "Heritage Auctions Lot 54041 (sale 5515) — LBJ-family-to-Klein 1803", Heritage Auctions]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]

===Editorial and market===

* [https://ottuhr.com/index/rolex/day-date-president/rolex-day-date-1803/ Ottuhr editorial, "Rolex Day-Date 1803 Reference Report", Ottuhr]
* [https://acollectedman.com/blogs/journal/the-colourful-world-of-rolex-stella-dials A Collected Man editorial, "The Colourful World of Rolex Stella Dials", A Collected Man]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/watch-guide-rolex-stone-dials/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "Watch Guide: Rolex Stone Dials", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/ Hairspring editorial, "Hairspring — Khanjar Oman 1803 White Gold Blue Stella", Hairspring]
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/ Hairspring editorial, "Hairspring — Coral Stella 1803", Hairspring]
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/ Hairspring editorial, "Hairspring — Grey Ghost 1803", Hairspring]
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/ Hairspring editorial, "Hairspring — Doorstop 1803", Hairspring]
* [https://rolexpassionmarket.com/watches/rolex-break-point-rose-gold-1803 Rolex Passion Market editorial, "Rolex Break Point Rose Gold 1803", Rolex Passion Market]
* [https://rolexpassionmarket.com/watches/rolex-red-quarters-day-date-ref-1803 Rolex Passion Market editorial, "Rolex Red Quarters Day-Date 1803", Rolex Passion Market]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/the-stella-revolution/ Revolution Watches editorial, "The Stella Revolution", Revolution Watches]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/history-rolex-tiffany-dials Bob's Watches editorial, "History of Rolex Tiffany Dials", Bob's Watches]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/quickset-vintage-day-date-models.html Bob's Watches editorial, "Quickset Vintage Day-Date Models", Bob's Watches]
* [https://www.craftandtailored.com/ Craft & Tailored editorial, "Craft & Tailored — 1963 1803 Underline Dial", Craft & Tailored]
* [https://www.craftandtailored.com/ Craft & Tailored editorial, "Craft & Tailored — 1970 1803 Wide-Boy Yellow Gold", Craft & Tailored]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/1556 Watchbase editorial, "Rolex Caliber 1556 — Watchbase", Watchbase]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=11327271 Rolex Forums community, "Rolex Forums — 1803 Owners and Enablers Thread", Rolex Forums]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=679606 Rolex Forums community, "Rolex Forums — 1803 Presidential Unusual Finishes", Rolex Forums]
* [https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vintagerolexforum/ Vintage Rolex Forum community, "Vintage Rolex Forum — 1803 Threads (Tapatalk index)", Vintage Rolex Forum (Tapatalk)]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:day-date

2026-06-08T00:48:42Z

Klaudiusz: Fix: 1811 is the Morellis (moiré) finish (bezel + bracelet centre links), not smooth — correct sibling descriptions

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date — Production, References, Movements, Provenance | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| 1804 || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Diamond-set bezel sub-reference; often paired with diamond dial.
|-
| 1806 || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Bark-finish bezel.
|-
| 1807 || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| 1811 || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| 18028 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier.
|-
| 18048 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| 18078 || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 18248 / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel siblings.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| 118235 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President from that point.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| 218206 || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803 early || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803 mid-and-late || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:18238

2026-06-07T23:20:18Z

Klaudiusz: Create Day-Date 18238 — double-quickset 5-digit President (cal 3155, 1988-2000); successor to 18038, bridge to 118238; 10 sources, 2 images

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 18238 Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 18238 Day-Date — Double-Quickset 5-Digit President | BezelBase
|description=The 18238 (1988–2000) is the double-quickset 5-digit Day-Date: caliber 3155 sets both day and date from the crown, in the 36mm yellow-gold fluted President with sapphire crystal. Successor to the 18038, bridge to the 6-digit 118238.
|keywords=Rolex 18238, Day-Date, President, caliber 3155, double quickset, 18038, 118238, 18248, yellow gold
|image=Ref 18238 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 18238 in yellow gold with fluted bezel and black tapestry dial
|type=article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''18238'''

The 18238 is the Day-Date that finally became easy to set. It took over from the [[Reference:18038|18038]] in 1988 and kept the same 36mm yellow-gold President, the same fluted bezel and sapphire crystal, but swapped in the caliber 3155. That movement added the one thing the line had never had: a quickset for the day as well as the date, both indexed from the crown. For the first time an owner could correct a stopped Day-Date in seconds instead of winding the hands through midnight twice. The 18238 ran until about 2000, when the 6-digit [[Reference:118238|118238]] replaced it.

[[File:Ref 18238 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18238 in yellow gold with fluted bezel and black tapestry dial|The 18238 in yellow gold: fluted bezel, sapphire crystal, black tapestry dial, "T SWISS MADE T" tritium. Photo: CollectorsSquare]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 18238
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1988 to about 2000
|-
| movement
| caliber 3155, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, ~48h power reserve, COSC; double quickset (day and date both set from the crown)
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k yellow gold President
|-
| crystal
| sapphire
|-
| bezel
| fluted
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down, 100m water resistance
|-
| bracelet
| President 8385 with hidden Crownclasp
|-
| lume
| tritium ("T SWISS MADE T") early, Luminova on the latest examples
|-
| siblings
| 18248 (diamond bezel), 18239 / 18249 white gold, the 18228 smooth and platinum variants of the 3155 generation
|-
| predecessor
| 18038 (single quickset, caliber 3055)
|-
| successor
| 118238 (6-digit, caliber 3155)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 18238 is the second of the three sapphire-crystal President generations. The [[Reference:18038|18038]] brought sapphire and quickset date to the 36mm Day-Date in 1977 on the caliber 3055. The 18238 follows in 1988 with the caliber 3155 and double quickset. The 6-digit [[Reference:118238|118238]] takes over around 2000 with the same 3155 movement in a redesigned case with the Cyclops-free crystal and solid-link bracelet. The 18238 is the bridge between the vintage-derived 5-digit Presidents and the modern 6-digit ones, and the cheapest way into a sapphire-crystal President that still wears the slim 1803-era case.

The catalogue splits the 3155 generation by bezel and metal the way the 18038 family did. The 18238 is the yellow-gold fluted reference and the volume seller. The 18248 carries a factory diamond bezel, the 18239 and 18249 are the white-gold fluted and diamond versions, and smooth-bezel and platinum variants round out the generation. Pink gold stays absent at this spec, returning only with the 6-digit Everose references. The full bezel-and-metal taxonomy carries over from the [[Reference:18038|18038]] entry.

==Production outline==

The 18238 ran for roughly twelve years, one of the longest single-reference runs in the Day-Date catalogue. Across that span the only running change of note is the lume. Early examples carry tritium, marked "T SWISS MADE T" at the foot of the dial; the latest examples, near the 2000 handover to the 6-digit line, switch to Luminova without the tritium designation. No quartz, no case change, no movement change inside the reference: the 18238 is a stable, single-spec watch for its whole run, which is part of why it trades as a dependable known quantity rather than a variant hunt.

Serial numbers track the standard Rolex stream for the period, running through the letter-prefix series of the 1990s. The reference overlaps the start of the 6-digit era briefly before giving way to the 118238.

==Movement notes==

The caliber 3155 is the 18238's reason to exist. It keeps the 28,800 vph rate and roughly 48-hour reserve of the 3055 and adds the day quickset, so both the day disc and the date wheel index from crown position two. The earlier 3055 quickset the date only; the day still had to be advanced by running the hands. The 3155 closes that gap and becomes the long-serving modern Day-Date movement, carried forward unchanged into the 6-digit 118238. The 31-jewel, COSC-certified 3155 also underpins the Day-Date II caliber 3156 that follows in 2008. The full caliber lineage sits on [[Reference:Movements]].

==Dial map==
[[File:Ref 18238 detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 18238 with a stone dial and diamond hour markers|A stone-dial 18238 with diamond hour markers, one of the special-order dials offered across the President range. Photo: CollectorsSquare]]

The 18238 was offered across the standard President dial range: champagne and silver with applied gold markers as the volume choice, Roman-numeral and diamond-hour-marker dials, mother-of-pearl, and the occasional stone or special-order dial. By the 1990s the wilder Stella lacquer and Stern Frères stone dials of the 1803 era had largely given way to more restrained options, so a special-dial 18238 is scarcer than a special-dial 1803. The dial does not define the reference; for the deep dial-variant taxonomy that spans the President line, the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry carries the full account.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The case is the 36mm three-piece yellow-gold Oyster the President has used since the 1803, here with a sapphire crystal and the fluted bezel that is the Day-Date signature. The Twinlock screw-down crown gives 100m of water resistance. Nothing about the case dimensions changed from the 18038; the 18238 keeps the slim profile that separates the 5-digit Presidents from the slightly thicker 6-digit cases that followed.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 18238 wears the President bracelet, reference 8385, with the concealed Crownclasp that hides the buckle under a flip-up crown medallion. The bracelet is solid 18k gold and integral to the watch's wrist feel. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet rather than the head, and the cross-family bracelet detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

==Special branches==

===The 3155 generation siblings===

The 18238 anchors a generation that splits by bezel and metal: the diamond-bezel 18248, the white-gold 18239 and 18249, and the smooth-bezel and platinum variants. They share the caliber 3155 and the sapphire-crystal President case, and differ only in finish and material the way the 18038 family did before them. The diamond and white-gold versions are scarcer than the yellow-gold fluted 18238; the platinum variant is the rarity of the group.

==Auction record==

The 18238 is a liquid, well-understood watch rather than an auction-record reference. Plain champagne and silver examples trade as the accessible entry to a gold President; the value moves with metal, dial, and the condition of the soft 18k gold case and bracelet, which wear and stretch with use. Diamond-bezel 18248s, special dials, and full sets with box and papers carry the premiums. Because the run is long and the spec stable, condition rather than rarity sets price across most of the reference.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/exploring-evergreens-the-rolex-day-date-18238/ Fratello editorial, "Exploring Evergreens: The Rolex Day-Date 18238", Fratello Watches]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/3155 WatchBase, "Rolex caliber 3155 (registry page)", WatchBase]
* [https://beckertime.com/blog/rolex-decades-the-90s-day-date-versus-the-2000s-day-date/ Beckertime editorial, "Rolex Decades: The 90s Day-Date vs the 2000s Day-Date", Beckertime]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/quickset-vintage-day-date-models.html Bob's Watches editorial, "Quickset Vintage Day-Date Models", Bob's Watches]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:1807

2026-06-07T16:23:38Z

Klaudiusz: Create Day-Date 1807 — bark-finish (écorce) 4-digit President; bark bezel + bracelet center links; cal 1555/1556; sibling of 1803/1806/1811; 10 sources, 2 images

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 1807 Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 1807 Day-Date — Bark-Finish President | BezelBase
|description=The 1807 is the bark-finish (écorce) 4-digit Day-Date: a coarse vertical texture on the bezel and on the President bracelet's center links, sibling to the fluted 1803 and Florentine 1806. 36mm 18k gold, caliber 1555/1556, 1960s into the 1970s.
|keywords=Rolex 1807, Day-Date, bark finish, écorce, President, 1803, 1806, 1811, caliber 1556, 18078
|image=Ref 1807 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 1807 in yellow gold with bark-finish bezel and bracelet
|type=article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''1807'''

The 1807 is the bark-finish Day-Date. It shares the 4-digit President's case, movement and dial catalogue with the fluted [[Reference:1803|1803]] and differs in one thing: the gold carries a coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, across the bezel and the bracelet's center links. Rolex sold it through the 1960s and into the 1970s as one of a small group of decorated 4-digit references, next to the Florentine 1806 and the fully textured 1811. The finish drew few buyers when new. It reads very differently now.

[[File:Ref 1807 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 1807 in yellow gold with bark-finish bezel and bracelet|The 1807 in yellow gold: bark finish on the bezel and the President bracelet's center links, champagne stick dial. Photo: CollectorsSquare]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 1807
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1960s into the 1970s (4-digit era)
|-
| movement
| caliber 1555 (to c. 1965), then caliber 1556 to the end of the run; hacking from 1972; no quickset
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k gold President — yellow, white, pink/rose gold
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| bark (écorce) finish
|-
| bracelet
| President with bark-finished center links
|-
| dial
| the 4-digit Day-Date catalogue (champagne and silver stick the volume choice; the same special dials offered on the 1803)
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| sibling references
| 1803 (fluted), 1804 (gem-set), 1806 (Florentine), 1811 (textured incl. case)
|-
| predecessor
| originals-era 6610 / 6611 / 6612 cluster
|-
| successor
| 5-digit 18078, which carries the bark finish forward
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 1807 is one of the 1803's decorated siblings. The 4-digit Day-Date split by finish rather than by movement or size. The 1803 took the fluted bezel, the 1804 a gem-set bezel, the 1806 the finer Florentine engine-turning, and the 1807 the coarser bark; the 1811 ran the texture across the case as well. Most sources separate the 1806 and 1807 by that texture, Florentine against bark, though BezelBase's own [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry groups the textured references slightly differently and reads the 1806 as a bark-bezel reference. What is not in dispute is the 1807 itself: the bark covers both the bezel and the bracelet center links.

Everything else is 1803. The 36mm gold case, the President bracelet, the caliber 1555 and 1556 movements, and the dial catalogue are shared, and the bark is the only thing that makes an 1807 an 1807. The [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry carries the full dial taxonomy, the movement transition, and the President bracelet history for the whole 4-digit group.

==Production outline==

The bark finish ran through the 1960s and into the 1970s alongside the plain 1803. No Rolex production figure has surfaced, and the texture sold slowly when new, so the bark and Florentine references are scarcer in the record than the fluted 1803 for the simple reason that fewer buyers chose them. Documented examples cover the span: silver- and champagne-dialled yellow-gold pieces in the mid-1960s on the caliber 1555, later examples into the early 1970s on the hacking caliber 1556. The finish outlived the reference and reappeared in the 5-digit era on the 18078.

==Movement notes==

The 1807 uses the movement of the rest of the 4-digit Day-Date: caliber 1555 from the start of the run, replaced by the caliber 1556 around 1965. The 1556 raised the beat to 19,800 vph and brought the free-sprung Microstella balance; hacking seconds arrived across the 1500 family in 1972. No 4-digit Day-Date has quickset, so the date and day advance only by running the hands through midnight. The [[Reference:Movements]] page holds the caliber lineage, and the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry covers the 1555-to-1556 transition in detail.

==Dial map==

The 1807 came with the standard 4-digit Day-Date dials, champagne and silver with applied gold stick markers most common, and as a catalogue sibling of the 1803 it could be ordered with the same special dials. Documented bark examples include linen-textured Sigma dials and darker grey and Havana-brown dials read against the gold bark. The dial does not define the reference. The bark does, and the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry carries the dial-variant taxonomy that applies across the group.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
[[File:Ref 1807 bark detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Bark écorce texture on a Rolex 1807 bezel and bracelet|The bark texture up close on a grey-dial 1807, running across the bezel and the bracelet center links. Photo: CollectorsSquare]]

The case is the 36mm three-piece gold Oyster shared across the 4-digit Day-Date, with a Twinlock screw-down crown, screw-down caseback and acrylic crystal. The defining feature is the bezel. In place of the 1803's fluting the 1807 carries a bark finish, a coarse vertical texture deeper and more irregular than the engine-turning on a Datejust and meant to resemble tree bark. It was made in yellow, white and pink gold to match the case.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 1807 wears the President, with the bark carried onto the bracelet's center links so the texture runs the length of the bracelet rather than stopping at the bezel. That full-length bark is what separates the 1807 from a watch that simply has a textured bezel. As with any vintage President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet rather than the watch head, and the [[Reference:Bracelets]] page holds the cross-family bracelet detail.

==Special branches==

===The bark family===

The 1807 belongs to a small group of textured 4-digit Day-Dates: the Florentine 1806, the bark 1807, and the 1811, which extends the texture onto the case flanks. These were a 1960s fashion, and Rolex let them go as taste returned to polished and fluted gold. Survivors are comparatively scarce and now wanted precisely because the texture is unusual. The bark itself outlasted the 4-digit era and returned on the 5-digit 18078.

==Auction record==

Bark 1807s surface mainly through the dealer market rather than the major auction houses, which reflects the reference's modest standing rather than any great rarity. Documented yellow-gold examples run from mid-1960s silver-dial pieces to early-1970s examples on the hacking caliber 1556. The value driver is an original bark bracelet: decades of service often swapped bark center links for plain ones, so a watch that keeps its full original bark is worth more than the dial alone would suggest.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.thebeautifulwatch.com/blogs/news/a-brief-history-of-the-rolex-day-date The Beautiful Watch editorial, "A Brief History of the Rolex Day-Date", The Beautiful Watch]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2010/09/1956-very-first-rolex-day-date.html Jake Ehrlich, "1956 — The Very First Rolex Day-Date", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2010-09]
* [https://ottuhr.com/index/rolex/day-date-president/rolex-day-date-1803/ Ottuhr editorial, "Rolex Day-Date 1803 Reference Report", Ottuhr]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=679606 Rolex Forums community, "Rolex Forums — 1803 Presidential Unusual Finishes", Rolex Forums]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:6612

2026-06-07T05:24:12Z

Klaudiusz: Create Day-Date 6612 — smooth-bezel 66xx cluster member (cal 1055B, President, SCOC); platinum rarity + 6612B sub-variant; 10 sources incl Field Manual + Phillips lot 43

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6612 Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 6612 Day-Date — Smooth-Bezel President of the 66xx Cluster | BezelBase
|description=The 6612 (1957–1959) is the smooth-bezel Day-Date of the second-generation 66xx cluster, sibling to the fluted 6611 and diamond-bezel 6613. 36mm 18k gold (rare platinum), caliber 1055B with free-sprung Microstella balance, President bracelet, and the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial.
|keywords=Rolex 6612, Day-Date, President, smooth bezel, 66xx cluster, 6611, 6613, caliber 1055B, 6612B, platinum Day-Date
|image=Ref 6612 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 6612 in platinum with smooth bezel and grey diamond dial
|type=article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''6612'''

The 6612 is the smooth-bezel member of the Day-Date's second-generation cluster. It arrived in 1957 alongside the fluted [[Reference:6611|6611]] and the diamond-bezel 6613, about a year after the [[Reference:6510|6510]] and [[Reference:6511|6511]] originals, and it carries the same three upgrades that turned the Day-Date into the President: the President bracelet, the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial line, and the rebuilt caliber 1055 with a free-sprung Microstella balance. Where the 6611 wears the fluted "Millerighe" bezel, the 6612 wears a plain polished one. That is the whole difference between them.

The shared origin story — the day-disc patents, the Presidential nickname, the full cluster roster — belongs to the [[Reference:6510|6510]] entry, and the bracelet-and-caliber bundle that defines the cluster is set out on the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. What follows is specific to the 6612: the smooth bezel, the metals it came in including a platinum pair that sits among the rarest early Day-Dates, and the 6612B sub-variant.

[[File:Ref 6612 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 6612 in platinum with smooth bezel and grey diamond dial|The 6612 in platinum — smooth bezel, grey dial with diamond markers, Spanish day disc, on the President bracelet. One of the documented platinum examples. Photo: Phillips / EveryWatch]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6612
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1957–1959
|-
| movement
| caliber 1055 second generation (1055B) — free-sprung Microstella balance, Breguet overcoil, COSC-certified, instant midnight changeover
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k gold Oyster — yellow, pink, white gold; platinum (rare)
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| smooth (polished)
|-
| bracelet
| President
|-
| dial designation
| "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified"
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| predecessor
| 6510 (smooth) / 6511 (fluted), 1956 originals
|-
| cluster siblings
| 6611 (fluted bezel), 6613 (diamond bezel)
|-
| successor
| 1803 and the 4-digit era, from c.1959
|-
| sub-variant
| 6612B (movement plate about 0.1mm thicker)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 6612 belongs to the 66xx cluster that succeeds the 1956 originals around 1957. Within the cluster the bezel is the divider: the 6611 takes the fluted bezel, the 6612 the smooth, and the 6613 a factory diamond-set bezel. The smooth bezel links the 6612 back to the first-generation [[Reference:6510|6510]], the only other early Day-Date to wear one; everything inside the watch is second-generation. By about 1959 the [[Reference:1803|1803]] and its siblings replace the whole cluster and the Day-Date settles into its long 4-digit era.

Dating the cluster is not quite unanimous. Sotheby's groups the 66xx references with the 1956 launch, while Monochrome and WatchBase place them at 1957. The 1957 reading is the common one and matches the President bracelet's own introduction.

==Production outline==

The 6612 shares the cluster's defining move: in 1957 the President bracelet, the rebuilt chronometer-certified caliber, and the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial arrived together, and the smooth-bezel reference in that group was the 6612. It kept the 36mm Oyster case and the gold-and-platinum catalogue of the period and ran for about three years.

No Rolex archival production figure has surfaced, and the smooth-bezel 6612 is scarcer in the record than the fluted 6611 — most early Day-Dates that reach the market wear the fluted bezel that became the line's signature. Case numbers fall in the same late-1950s band as the rest of the cluster; the platinum pair below carries numbers around 403,680, consistent with 1958.

==Movement notes==

The 6612 carries the second-generation caliber 1055, the version registries label 1055B, the same movement as the fluted 6611. It keeps the first-generation running gear (automatic, 25 jewels, 18,000 vph, 28.50mm across) and adds the two upgrades that define the cluster: a free-sprung balance with Rolex's Microstella regulating screws paired with a Breguet overcoil, and COSC chronometer certification. The midnight changeover becomes instant, fixing the slow day-and-date roll-over that hobbled the first-generation 1055 and is usually blamed for the one-year run of the 6510 and 6511. The full caliber lineage sits on [[Reference:Movements]].

==Dial map==

The 6612 carries the four-line "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" text at six o'clock that the cluster introduced, with the spelled-out day at twelve, the date at three, applied faceted gold indices, and the period's shift toward alpha hands. Day discs follow the retail market — English, French, German, Italian and Spanish discs are all documented across the cluster.

Two dial directions are worth separating on the 6612. The standard configuration is a champagne or silvered dial with applied gold batons. The platinum examples instead carry a grey dial set with round- and baguette-cut diamond markers, the configuration Phillips documented in 2015. Diamond hour markers otherwise belong to the precious-metal and diamond-bezel configurations rather than a standard gold 6612.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The 6612 uses the 36mm three-piece Oyster case shared across the cluster: screw-down Twinlock crown, screw-down caseback, acrylic crystal. The bezel is the plain polished one, the single feature that separates the 6612 from the fluted 6611 and the reason the two share everything else but a reference number.

The metals are yellow, pink and white gold, with yellow the common case material. Platinum is the outlier: a pair of 1958 platinum examples with consecutive case numbers is documented, one of which Phillips catalogued as one of only two known. Platinum with a diamond-set dial places these among the scarcest early Day-Dates.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 6612 wears the President, the three-piece semi-circular-link bracelet designed for the Day-Date and introduced with this cluster in 1957. The bracelet's name predates the Johnson-era association: a 1957 Italian advertisement reproduced by Rolex Magazine already calls it the President. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]]. As ever, a clasp date code dates the bracelet, not the watch head, and service swaps over seventy years are common.

==Special branches==

===Platinum===

The platinum 6612 is the reference's headline rarity. Phillips sold a 1958 example, case 403,680, with a grey dial set with round- and baguette-cut diamond markers at the Glamorous Day-Date sale in Geneva in May 2015, cataloguing it as one of only two platinum 6612s known and noting that the two carry consecutive case numbers. A platinum early Day-Date is unusual in any reference; documented in the smooth-bezel 6612, it is among the rarest configurations of the whole 66xx group.

===The 6612B===

A late sub-variant, the 6612B, carries a movement plate about 0.1mm thicker than the standard 6612, the same plate change tracked by the 1055B caliber designation and mirrored on the fluted 6611B. The external case is stamped 6612; the "B" appears in service paperwork and registries. It turns up across metals, including a yellow-gold example with a black dial.

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! sale
! date
! metal
! notes
|-
| Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 43
| 9 May 2015
| platinum
| case 403,680 (1958), grey dial with round- and baguette-cut diamond markers; catalogued as one of two platinum 6612s known, with consecutive case numbers
|}

Plain gold 6612s trade in the same modest band as the gold 6611, with the smooth bezel making them marginally harder to find; the platinum pair is the clear exception on rarity. Documentation specific to the 6612 is thinner than for its fluted sibling — most cluster lots that reach the major houses are 6611s — so the smooth-bezel reference is best understood through the cluster rather than through a deep run of its own results.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2010/09/1956-very-first-rolex-day-date.html Jake Ehrlich, "1956 — The Very First Rolex Day-Date", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2010-09]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2021/10/rolex-president-ad-from-1957-uncovered.html Jake Ehrlich, "Rolex President Ad From 1957 Uncovered", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2021-10]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/1055b WatchBase, "Rolex caliber 1055B (registry page)", WatchBase]
* [https://www.phillips.com/ Phillips Watches Department, "Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Geneva May 2015 lot 43 — platinum 6612", Phillips, 2015-05-09]
* [https://rolexpassionmarket.com/watches/rolex-the-gold-black-day-date-ref-6612b/ Rolex Passion Market editorial, "Rolex Day-Date 6612B Gold Black Dial", Rolex Passion Market]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:214270

2026-06-04T05:18:57Z

Klaudiusz: Imagery: restore Mk2 numeral macro with corrected caption (lume cream in daylight, glows blue; verified Mk2)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 214270 Explorer}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 214270 Explorer — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The 214270 is the Explorer that broke with tradition. In 2010, Rolex increased the Explorer case from 36mm to 39mm — the first size change in over 57…
|keywords=Rolex, 214270, Explorer, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 214270 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-16T04:29:18Z
|modified_time=2026-04-29T02:48:34Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:explorer|Explorer]] → '''214270'''

The 214270 is the Explorer that broke with tradition. In 2010, Rolex increased the Explorer case from 36mm to 39mm, the first size change in over 57 years of the model’s history. The Explorer had been 36mm since the 6610 in 1953. The decision divided collectors in a way that few Rolex specification changes ever have, and the debate ran for the reference’s entire eleven-year production life.

Two versions exist within this reference number. The Mark 1 (2010-2016) drew criticism for short hands and unluminous 3-6-9 numerals. The Mark 2 (2016-2021) corrected both. In 2021, the 124270 replaced the 214270 and returned the Explorer to 36mm. Whether that return was an acknowledgment or a coincidence is contested.



[[File:Ref 214270 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer|Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 214270
|-
| family
| Explorer I
|-
| production
| 2010 to 2021 (~11 years)
|-
| movement
| caliber 3132, Paraflex shock absorbers, blue Parachrom hairspring, 28,800 vph, ~48-hour power reserve
|-
| case
| 39mm 904L steel Oyster, 100m water resistance
|-
| crystal
| flat sapphire
|-
| crown
| Twinlock double waterproof
|-
| bezel
| flat polished steel
|-
| dial
| black, “Explorer” text at 6 o’clock
|-
| numerals (Mk1)
| uncoated white gold 3-6-9, no lume fill
|-
| numerals (Mk2)
| luminous-filled 3-6-9 (first since 1016)
|-
| hands (Mk1)
| Mercedes/lollipop — short, don’t reach minute track
|-
| hands (Mk2)
| Mercedes/lollipop — longer, fatter, fill the dial properly
|-
| lume
| blue Chromalight on markers and hands throughout; the Mk2 update also fills the 3-6-9 numerals
|-
| bracelet
| Oyster with solid end links
|-
| certification
| Superlative Chronometer (from July 2015): +/-2 sec/day
|-
| predecessor
| 114270
|-
| successor
| 124270
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

[[File:Ref 214270 explorer heritage.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 Mark 1 laid over a black-and-white polar-expedition portrait|The Mark 1 214270 against a polar-expedition portrait. The Explorer line traces to the 1953 Everest ascent. Photo: Monochrome Watches]]

The 214270 follows the 114270 and precedes the 124270. It is the only modern Explorer reference to use a case size other than 36mm, and it is bracketed on both sides by 36mm references. That makes it an outlier in the Explorer’s history: a decade-long experiment with size that Rolex later reversed.

The size change was not made in isolation. The late 2000s and early 2010s pushed the whole market toward larger watches, and Rolex grew other references in the same period. The 214270 rode that wave. But the Explorer’s identity (compact, understated, the antithesis of statement jewelry) made the size increase more controversial here than it was on sportier references with busier dials.

The 124270’s return to 36mm in 2021 reads to some as Rolex siding with the traditionalists. Even so, the 214270’s own collector following has grown since it left the catalog.


== Production outline ==

[[File:Ref 214270 mark-1 dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 Mark 1 dial with short hands and bare white-gold numerals|Mark 1 (2010–2016): the 39mm launch dial, short hands and bare white-gold 3-6-9 numerals. Photo: Monochrome Watches]]

Eleven years, two distinct versions, one caliber.

Mark 1 (2010–2016) is the launch specification: 39mm case with caliber 3132, uncoated white gold 3-6-9 numerals without luminous fill, and hands that were criticized for being too short to reach the minute track. The hour markers and hands carried Rolex's blue Chromalight, but the white gold 3-6-9 numerals were left bare. The Explorer model name moved to the 6 o'clock position on the dial.

Mark 2 (2016–2021) is the corrected version. Same case and movement, but with longer and fatter hands that properly fill the 39mm dial, and 3-6-9 numerals now filled with luminous material, the first luminous Explorer numerals since reference 1016. The Chromalight that already lit the markers and hands now reached the numerals, so the whole dial reads in the dark. The result is a sportier, more historically grounded watch.

From July 2015, production examples received Rolex’s Superlative Chronometer certification, guaranteeing +/-2 seconds per day accuracy, tighter than the standard COSC specification. This applies to late Mark 1 and all Mark 2 examples.


== Movement notes ==

Caliber 3132 is the 114270 movement plus Paraflex and Parachrom-era refinement. The mechanical story is cleaner than the dial debate on this reference.

The 3132 runs at 28,800 vph with about 48-hour power reserve. COSC chronometer certified throughout, with the tighter Superlative Chronometer standard applied from July 2015.

The movement is shared with other Rolex references of the era and is the mature state of the 31xx caliber family, the last of the line before the 32xx series arrived.


== Dial map ==

The 214270 has two clearly defined dial versions. The differences are subtle enough to require side-by-side comparison but significant enough to create distinct collector tiers.


=== Mark 1 (2010-2016) ===

The Mark 1 complaint is simple: the 3-6-9 numerals do not glow, the hands do not reach far enough, and the watch reads less clearly in low light than buyers expected from an Explorer.

The short hands and unluminous numerals created a watch that looked incomplete to many collectors. The hands that had worked at 36mm did not scale to 39mm. Whether Rolex used the same physical hands as the 114270 or designed new (but still too-short) hands is not definitively documented.


=== Mark 2 (2016-2021) ===

[[File:Ref 214270 mark-2 dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 Mark 2 dial with longer hands and lume-filled numerals|Mark 2 (2016–2021): longer hands reach the minute track and the 3-6-9 numerals are filled with Chromalight. Photo: Monochrome Watches]]

The 3-6-9 numerals are now filled with luminous material, the first Explorer since reference 1016 to carry luminous 3-6-9 numerals. The 1016, launched in 1963, used painted numerals to throw as much glow as possible; the 2016 dial returns to that intent in white gold. In low light the full dial glows: indices, numerals, and hands together. The hands are longer and fatter, with the minute hand now reaching the minute track and the hour hand proportionally wider; the overall effect is a watch that fills its 39mm case properly. The blue Chromalight is unchanged from the Mark 1; James Stacey, reviewing the launch for aBlogtoWatch in 2016, noted that the hands and markers already glowed Chromalight, and the update only brought the numerals into the lume. The Explorer text remains at 6 o'clock.

The Mark 2 is the more historically grounded version. Luminous numerals reconnect with the 1016’s dial language. Properly proportioned hands solve the Mark 1’s most criticized flaw.


=== Mark 1 vs. Mark 2 summary ===

[[File:Ref 214270 mark-2 numeral lume.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Macro of the Mark 2 white-gold 9 numeral filled with luminous material|Mark 2 dial macro: the white-gold 3-6-9 numerals filled with Chromalight, the first lumed Explorer numerals since the 1016. In daylight the lume reads cream; it glows blue in the dark. Photo: Monochrome Watches]]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! feature
! Mark 1 (2010-2016)
! Mark 2 (2016-2021)
|-
| 3-6-9 numerals
| uncoated white gold, no lume
| luminous-filled
|-
| hands
| short — don’t reach minute track
| longer and fatter — proper proportion
|-
| lume
| blue Chromalight
| blue Chromalight (now incl. numerals)
|-
| case / movement
| identical
| identical
|-
| bracelet
| identical
| identical
|-
| collector perception
| criticized, now gaining interest
| the “corrected” version
|}


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==

The case is 39mm Oyster in 904L stainless steel, the defining specification change. The Explorer had been 36mm for 57 years. The increase to 39mm changed the watch’s wrist presence, visual weight, and relationship to the wearer’s arm. On smaller wrists, the 214270 can wear large by Explorer standards. On larger wrists, it fills space that the 36mm predecessors left empty.

The case finishing follows the Explorer standard: brushed lug tops, polished sides.

The crystal is flat sapphire without Cyclops: no date window, no magnifier. The crown is the Twinlock double-waterproof system carried over from the predecessors, rated to 100m and consistent with the Explorer line's non-diving spec. The bezel is flat polished smooth steel with no markings or rotation; the Explorer bezel has been a plain steel ring since the line's inception.


== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==

Oyster bracelet with solid end links throughout both Mark 1 and Mark 2 production. The exact bracelet reference number is not confirmed. The clasp is an Oysterlock type with Easylink comfort extension.

No bracelet changes occurred between Mark 1 and Mark 2. The bracelet architecture is shared with the 114270’s solid end-link system and is the settled state of the Explorer bracelet before the 124270’s generation.


== Mark 1 collectibility — special branch ==

The Mark 1’s shorter production run (about six years, vs. the Mark 2’s five) and its distinctive, criticized features have started to feed a collector narrative. The unluminous numerals and short hands, once seen as design failures, are now markers of a specific and relatively brief production era.

This follows a pattern seen across Rolex collecting: features that were criticized or anomalous during production become desirable precisely because they were different. The Submariner 16610LV’s “Flat 4” bezel, the Daytona’s inverted 6, the Explorer 14270’s Blackout: collector interest often concentrates on the variants that broke from the standard.

Whether the Mark 1 214270 follows this trajectory fully depends on market forces that are still playing out. The watch was produced in significant numbers, which limits scarcity-driven appreciation. But it is the only Explorer in history with unluminous 3-6-9 numerals and the only one whose hands did not reach the minute track. That uniqueness has value.


== The size debate ==

The 39mm case deserves direct treatment because it is inseparable from the 214270’s identity.

The case for 39mm runs like this. The Explorer was designed in an era when 36mm was a large men's watch; by 2010, average wrist expectations had shifted. The 39mm case gave the Explorer presence it had lacked on modern wrists, legibility improved, and the watch looked less like a dress piece and more like the tool it was meant to be.

The case against 39mm runs the other way. The Explorer's identity is discretion — the watch worn when the wearer does not want people to notice the watch. The 36mm case was part of that identity, compact and understated, disappearing under a shirt cuff. At 39mm, the Explorer started competing visually with sportier references and lost the quiet authority that made it distinctive.

The resolution came with the 124270 in 2021, which returned the Explorer to 36mm. That does not mean the 39mm was wrong; it means Rolex decided 36mm was more right for the Explorer's next chapter. The 214270 remains the only 39mm Explorer, which gives it a specific historical identity regardless of which side of the debate one favors.

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-from-1953-36mm-1016-14270-114270-214270-124270-in-depth-review/ The History of the Rolex Explorer, The All-Rounder Watch] — Frank Geelen, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-explorer-reference-points A Comprehensive Collector's Guide To The Rolex Explorer I] — Jon Bues, Hodinkee
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-214270-vs-previous-214270-review-history-rolex-explorer/ Rolex Explorer 214270 2016 IN-DEPTH REVIEW] — Ilias Giannopoulos, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-explorer-214270-watch-2016/ Rolex Explorer 214270 Watch For 2016 Hands-On] — James Stacey, aBlogtoWatch
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/new-rolex-explorer-reference-214270/ The New Rolex Explorer Reference 214270 — Our Thoughts] — Robert-Jan Broer, Fratello Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-214270-new-hands-new-indexes-2016-edition-live-photos-price/ Rolex Explorer 214270 — New Hands, New Indexes, 2016 Edition] — Brice Goulard, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/rolex-info/rolex-explorer.html Rolex Explorer Guide] — Bob's Watches editorial, Bob's Watches

[[Category:Explorer]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

Reference:214270

2026-06-04T05:00:40Z

Klaudiusz: Imagery: remove Mk2 numeral macro (flagged as wrong image) pending a verified replacement

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 214270 Explorer}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 214270 Explorer — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The 214270 is the Explorer that broke with tradition. In 2010, Rolex increased the Explorer case from 36mm to 39mm — the first size change in over 57…
|keywords=Rolex, 214270, Explorer, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 214270 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-16T04:29:18Z
|modified_time=2026-04-29T02:48:34Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:explorer|Explorer]] → '''214270'''

The 214270 is the Explorer that broke with tradition. In 2010, Rolex increased the Explorer case from 36mm to 39mm, the first size change in over 57 years of the model’s history. The Explorer had been 36mm since the 6610 in 1953. The decision divided collectors in a way that few Rolex specification changes ever have, and the debate ran for the reference’s entire eleven-year production life.

Two versions exist within this reference number. The Mark 1 (2010-2016) drew criticism for short hands and unluminous 3-6-9 numerals. The Mark 2 (2016-2021) corrected both. In 2021, the 124270 replaced the 214270 and returned the Explorer to 36mm. Whether that return was an acknowledgment or a coincidence is contested.



[[File:Ref 214270 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer|Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 214270
|-
| family
| Explorer I
|-
| production
| 2010 to 2021 (~11 years)
|-
| movement
| caliber 3132, Paraflex shock absorbers, blue Parachrom hairspring, 28,800 vph, ~48-hour power reserve
|-
| case
| 39mm 904L steel Oyster, 100m water resistance
|-
| crystal
| flat sapphire
|-
| crown
| Twinlock double waterproof
|-
| bezel
| flat polished steel
|-
| dial
| black, “Explorer” text at 6 o’clock
|-
| numerals (Mk1)
| uncoated white gold 3-6-9, no lume fill
|-
| numerals (Mk2)
| luminous-filled 3-6-9 (first since 1016)
|-
| hands (Mk1)
| Mercedes/lollipop — short, don’t reach minute track
|-
| hands (Mk2)
| Mercedes/lollipop — longer, fatter, fill the dial properly
|-
| lume
| blue Chromalight on markers and hands throughout; the Mk2 update also fills the 3-6-9 numerals
|-
| bracelet
| Oyster with solid end links
|-
| certification
| Superlative Chronometer (from July 2015): +/-2 sec/day
|-
| predecessor
| 114270
|-
| successor
| 124270
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

[[File:Ref 214270 explorer heritage.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 Mark 1 laid over a black-and-white polar-expedition portrait|The Mark 1 214270 against a polar-expedition portrait. The Explorer line traces to the 1953 Everest ascent. Photo: Monochrome Watches]]

The 214270 follows the 114270 and precedes the 124270. It is the only modern Explorer reference to use a case size other than 36mm, and it is bracketed on both sides by 36mm references. That makes it an outlier in the Explorer’s history: a decade-long experiment with size that Rolex later reversed.

The size change was not made in isolation. The late 2000s and early 2010s pushed the whole market toward larger watches, and Rolex grew other references in the same period. The 214270 rode that wave. But the Explorer’s identity (compact, understated, the antithesis of statement jewelry) made the size increase more controversial here than it was on sportier references with busier dials.

The 124270’s return to 36mm in 2021 reads to some as Rolex siding with the traditionalists. Even so, the 214270’s own collector following has grown since it left the catalog.


== Production outline ==

[[File:Ref 214270 mark-1 dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 Mark 1 dial with short hands and bare white-gold numerals|Mark 1 (2010–2016): the 39mm launch dial, short hands and bare white-gold 3-6-9 numerals. Photo: Monochrome Watches]]

Eleven years, two distinct versions, one caliber.

Mark 1 (2010–2016) is the launch specification: 39mm case with caliber 3132, uncoated white gold 3-6-9 numerals without luminous fill, and hands that were criticized for being too short to reach the minute track. The hour markers and hands carried Rolex's blue Chromalight, but the white gold 3-6-9 numerals were left bare. The Explorer model name moved to the 6 o'clock position on the dial.

Mark 2 (2016–2021) is the corrected version. Same case and movement, but with longer and fatter hands that properly fill the 39mm dial, and 3-6-9 numerals now filled with luminous material, the first luminous Explorer numerals since reference 1016. The Chromalight that already lit the markers and hands now reached the numerals, so the whole dial reads in the dark. The result is a sportier, more historically grounded watch.

From July 2015, production examples received Rolex’s Superlative Chronometer certification, guaranteeing +/-2 seconds per day accuracy, tighter than the standard COSC specification. This applies to late Mark 1 and all Mark 2 examples.


== Movement notes ==

Caliber 3132 is the 114270 movement plus Paraflex and Parachrom-era refinement. The mechanical story is cleaner than the dial debate on this reference.

The 3132 runs at 28,800 vph with about 48-hour power reserve. COSC chronometer certified throughout, with the tighter Superlative Chronometer standard applied from July 2015.

The movement is shared with other Rolex references of the era and is the mature state of the 31xx caliber family, the last of the line before the 32xx series arrived.


== Dial map ==

The 214270 has two clearly defined dial versions. The differences are subtle enough to require side-by-side comparison but significant enough to create distinct collector tiers.


=== Mark 1 (2010-2016) ===

The Mark 1 complaint is simple: the 3-6-9 numerals do not glow, the hands do not reach far enough, and the watch reads less clearly in low light than buyers expected from an Explorer.

The short hands and unluminous numerals created a watch that looked incomplete to many collectors. The hands that had worked at 36mm did not scale to 39mm. Whether Rolex used the same physical hands as the 114270 or designed new (but still too-short) hands is not definitively documented.


=== Mark 2 (2016-2021) ===

[[File:Ref 214270 mark-2 dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 Mark 2 dial with longer hands and lume-filled numerals|Mark 2 (2016–2021): longer hands reach the minute track and the 3-6-9 numerals are filled with Chromalight. Photo: Monochrome Watches]]

The 3-6-9 numerals are now filled with luminous material, the first Explorer since reference 1016 to carry luminous 3-6-9 numerals. The 1016, launched in 1963, used painted numerals to throw as much glow as possible; the 2016 dial returns to that intent in white gold. In low light the full dial glows: indices, numerals, and hands together. The hands are longer and fatter, with the minute hand now reaching the minute track and the hour hand proportionally wider; the overall effect is a watch that fills its 39mm case properly. The blue Chromalight is unchanged from the Mark 1; James Stacey, reviewing the launch for aBlogtoWatch in 2016, noted that the hands and markers already glowed Chromalight, and the update only brought the numerals into the lume. The Explorer text remains at 6 o'clock.

The Mark 2 is the more historically grounded version. Luminous numerals reconnect with the 1016’s dial language. Properly proportioned hands solve the Mark 1’s most criticized flaw.


=== Mark 1 vs. Mark 2 summary ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! feature
! Mark 1 (2010-2016)
! Mark 2 (2016-2021)
|-
| 3-6-9 numerals
| uncoated white gold, no lume
| luminous-filled
|-
| hands
| short — don’t reach minute track
| longer and fatter — proper proportion
|-
| lume
| blue Chromalight
| blue Chromalight (now incl. numerals)
|-
| case / movement
| identical
| identical
|-
| bracelet
| identical
| identical
|-
| collector perception
| criticized, now gaining interest
| the “corrected” version
|}


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==

The case is 39mm Oyster in 904L stainless steel, the defining specification change. The Explorer had been 36mm for 57 years. The increase to 39mm changed the watch’s wrist presence, visual weight, and relationship to the wearer’s arm. On smaller wrists, the 214270 can wear large by Explorer standards. On larger wrists, it fills space that the 36mm predecessors left empty.

The case finishing follows the Explorer standard: brushed lug tops, polished sides.

The crystal is flat sapphire without Cyclops: no date window, no magnifier. The crown is the Twinlock double-waterproof system carried over from the predecessors, rated to 100m and consistent with the Explorer line's non-diving spec. The bezel is flat polished smooth steel with no markings or rotation; the Explorer bezel has been a plain steel ring since the line's inception.


== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==

Oyster bracelet with solid end links throughout both Mark 1 and Mark 2 production. The exact bracelet reference number is not confirmed. The clasp is an Oysterlock type with Easylink comfort extension.

No bracelet changes occurred between Mark 1 and Mark 2. The bracelet architecture is shared with the 114270’s solid end-link system and is the settled state of the Explorer bracelet before the 124270’s generation.


== Mark 1 collectibility — special branch ==

The Mark 1’s shorter production run (about six years, vs. the Mark 2’s five) and its distinctive, criticized features have started to feed a collector narrative. The unluminous numerals and short hands, once seen as design failures, are now markers of a specific and relatively brief production era.

This follows a pattern seen across Rolex collecting: features that were criticized or anomalous during production become desirable precisely because they were different. The Submariner 16610LV’s “Flat 4” bezel, the Daytona’s inverted 6, the Explorer 14270’s Blackout: collector interest often concentrates on the variants that broke from the standard.

Whether the Mark 1 214270 follows this trajectory fully depends on market forces that are still playing out. The watch was produced in significant numbers, which limits scarcity-driven appreciation. But it is the only Explorer in history with unluminous 3-6-9 numerals and the only one whose hands did not reach the minute track. That uniqueness has value.


== The size debate ==

The 39mm case deserves direct treatment because it is inseparable from the 214270’s identity.

The case for 39mm runs like this. The Explorer was designed in an era when 36mm was a large men's watch; by 2010, average wrist expectations had shifted. The 39mm case gave the Explorer presence it had lacked on modern wrists, legibility improved, and the watch looked less like a dress piece and more like the tool it was meant to be.

The case against 39mm runs the other way. The Explorer's identity is discretion — the watch worn when the wearer does not want people to notice the watch. The 36mm case was part of that identity, compact and understated, disappearing under a shirt cuff. At 39mm, the Explorer started competing visually with sportier references and lost the quiet authority that made it distinctive.

The resolution came with the 124270 in 2021, which returned the Explorer to 36mm. That does not mean the 39mm was wrong; it means Rolex decided 36mm was more right for the Explorer's next chapter. The 214270 remains the only 39mm Explorer, which gives it a specific historical identity regardless of which side of the debate one favors.

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-from-1953-36mm-1016-14270-114270-214270-124270-in-depth-review/ The History of the Rolex Explorer, The All-Rounder Watch] — Frank Geelen, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-explorer-reference-points A Comprehensive Collector's Guide To The Rolex Explorer I] — Jon Bues, Hodinkee
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-214270-vs-previous-214270-review-history-rolex-explorer/ Rolex Explorer 214270 2016 IN-DEPTH REVIEW] — Ilias Giannopoulos, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-explorer-214270-watch-2016/ Rolex Explorer 214270 Watch For 2016 Hands-On] — James Stacey, aBlogtoWatch
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/new-rolex-explorer-reference-214270/ The New Rolex Explorer Reference 214270 — Our Thoughts] — Robert-Jan Broer, Fratello Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-214270-new-hands-new-indexes-2016-edition-live-photos-price/ Rolex Explorer 214270 — New Hands, New Indexes, 2016 Edition] — Brice Goulard, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/rolex-info/rolex-explorer.html Rolex Explorer Guide] — Bob's Watches editorial, Bob's Watches

[[Category:Explorer]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

Reference:214270

2026-06-04T04:57:01Z

Klaudiusz: Imagery: add Mark 1 / Mark 2 dial shots + Chromalight-numeral macro + heritage shot (Monochrome); note 1016 painted-numeral lineage

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 214270 Explorer}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 214270 Explorer — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The 214270 is the Explorer that broke with tradition. In 2010, Rolex increased the Explorer case from 36mm to 39mm — the first size change in over 57…
|keywords=Rolex, 214270, Explorer, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 214270 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-16T04:29:18Z
|modified_time=2026-04-29T02:48:34Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:explorer|Explorer]] → '''214270'''

The 214270 is the Explorer that broke with tradition. In 2010, Rolex increased the Explorer case from 36mm to 39mm, the first size change in over 57 years of the model’s history. The Explorer had been 36mm since the 6610 in 1953. The decision divided collectors in a way that few Rolex specification changes ever have, and the debate ran for the reference’s entire eleven-year production life.

Two versions exist within this reference number. The Mark 1 (2010-2016) drew criticism for short hands and unluminous 3-6-9 numerals. The Mark 2 (2016-2021) corrected both. In 2021, the 124270 replaced the 214270 and returned the Explorer to 36mm. Whether that return was an acknowledgment or a coincidence is contested.



[[File:Ref 214270 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer|Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 214270
|-
| family
| Explorer I
|-
| production
| 2010 to 2021 (~11 years)
|-
| movement
| caliber 3132, Paraflex shock absorbers, blue Parachrom hairspring, 28,800 vph, ~48-hour power reserve
|-
| case
| 39mm 904L steel Oyster, 100m water resistance
|-
| crystal
| flat sapphire
|-
| crown
| Twinlock double waterproof
|-
| bezel
| flat polished steel
|-
| dial
| black, “Explorer” text at 6 o’clock
|-
| numerals (Mk1)
| uncoated white gold 3-6-9, no lume fill
|-
| numerals (Mk2)
| luminous-filled 3-6-9 (first since 1016)
|-
| hands (Mk1)
| Mercedes/lollipop — short, don’t reach minute track
|-
| hands (Mk2)
| Mercedes/lollipop — longer, fatter, fill the dial properly
|-
| lume
| blue Chromalight on markers and hands throughout; the Mk2 update also fills the 3-6-9 numerals
|-
| bracelet
| Oyster with solid end links
|-
| certification
| Superlative Chronometer (from July 2015): +/-2 sec/day
|-
| predecessor
| 114270
|-
| successor
| 124270
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

[[File:Ref 214270 explorer heritage.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 Mark 1 laid over a black-and-white polar-expedition portrait|The Mark 1 214270 against a polar-expedition portrait. The Explorer line traces to the 1953 Everest ascent. Photo: Monochrome Watches]]

The 214270 follows the 114270 and precedes the 124270. It is the only modern Explorer reference to use a case size other than 36mm, and it is bracketed on both sides by 36mm references. That makes it an outlier in the Explorer’s history: a decade-long experiment with size that Rolex later reversed.

The size change was not made in isolation. The late 2000s and early 2010s pushed the whole market toward larger watches, and Rolex grew other references in the same period. The 214270 rode that wave. But the Explorer’s identity (compact, understated, the antithesis of statement jewelry) made the size increase more controversial here than it was on sportier references with busier dials.

The 124270’s return to 36mm in 2021 reads to some as Rolex siding with the traditionalists. Even so, the 214270’s own collector following has grown since it left the catalog.


== Production outline ==

[[File:Ref 214270 mark-1 dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 Mark 1 dial with short hands and bare white-gold numerals|Mark 1 (2010–2016): the 39mm launch dial, short hands and bare white-gold 3-6-9 numerals. Photo: Monochrome Watches]]

Eleven years, two distinct versions, one caliber.

Mark 1 (2010–2016) is the launch specification: 39mm case with caliber 3132, uncoated white gold 3-6-9 numerals without luminous fill, and hands that were criticized for being too short to reach the minute track. The hour markers and hands carried Rolex's blue Chromalight, but the white gold 3-6-9 numerals were left bare. The Explorer model name moved to the 6 o'clock position on the dial.

Mark 2 (2016–2021) is the corrected version. Same case and movement, but with longer and fatter hands that properly fill the 39mm dial, and 3-6-9 numerals now filled with luminous material, the first luminous Explorer numerals since reference 1016. The Chromalight that already lit the markers and hands now reached the numerals, so the whole dial reads in the dark. The result is a sportier, more historically grounded watch.

From July 2015, production examples received Rolex’s Superlative Chronometer certification, guaranteeing +/-2 seconds per day accuracy, tighter than the standard COSC specification. This applies to late Mark 1 and all Mark 2 examples.


== Movement notes ==

Caliber 3132 is the 114270 movement plus Paraflex and Parachrom-era refinement. The mechanical story is cleaner than the dial debate on this reference.

The 3132 runs at 28,800 vph with about 48-hour power reserve. COSC chronometer certified throughout, with the tighter Superlative Chronometer standard applied from July 2015.

The movement is shared with other Rolex references of the era and is the mature state of the 31xx caliber family, the last of the line before the 32xx series arrived.


== Dial map ==

The 214270 has two clearly defined dial versions. The differences are subtle enough to require side-by-side comparison but significant enough to create distinct collector tiers.


=== Mark 1 (2010-2016) ===

The Mark 1 complaint is simple: the 3-6-9 numerals do not glow, the hands do not reach far enough, and the watch reads less clearly in low light than buyers expected from an Explorer.

The short hands and unluminous numerals created a watch that looked incomplete to many collectors. The hands that had worked at 36mm did not scale to 39mm. Whether Rolex used the same physical hands as the 114270 or designed new (but still too-short) hands is not definitively documented.


=== Mark 2 (2016-2021) ===

[[File:Ref 214270 mark-2 dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 Mark 2 dial with longer hands and lume-filled numerals|Mark 2 (2016–2021): longer hands reach the minute track and the 3-6-9 numerals are filled with Chromalight. Photo: Monochrome Watches]]

The 3-6-9 numerals are now filled with luminous material, the first Explorer since reference 1016 to carry luminous 3-6-9 numerals. The 1016, launched in 1963, used painted numerals to throw as much glow as possible; the 2016 dial returns to that intent in white gold. In low light the full dial glows: indices, numerals, and hands together. The hands are longer and fatter, with the minute hand now reaching the minute track and the hour hand proportionally wider; the overall effect is a watch that fills its 39mm case properly. The blue Chromalight is unchanged from the Mark 1; James Stacey, reviewing the launch for aBlogtoWatch in 2016, noted that the hands and markers already glowed Chromalight, and the update only brought the numerals into the lume. The Explorer text remains at 6 o'clock.

The Mark 2 is the more historically grounded version. Luminous numerals reconnect with the 1016’s dial language. Properly proportioned hands solve the Mark 1’s most criticized flaw.


=== Mark 1 vs. Mark 2 summary ===

[[File:Ref 214270 mark-2 numeral lume.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Macro of the Mark 2 white-gold 9 numeral filled with Chromalight luminous material|The Mark 2 "9" filled with blue Chromalight — the first lumed Explorer numerals since the 1016. Photo: Monochrome Watches]]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! feature
! Mark 1 (2010-2016)
! Mark 2 (2016-2021)
|-
| 3-6-9 numerals
| uncoated white gold, no lume
| luminous-filled
|-
| hands
| short — don’t reach minute track
| longer and fatter — proper proportion
|-
| lume
| blue Chromalight
| blue Chromalight (now incl. numerals)
|-
| case / movement
| identical
| identical
|-
| bracelet
| identical
| identical
|-
| collector perception
| criticized, now gaining interest
| the “corrected” version
|}


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==

The case is 39mm Oyster in 904L stainless steel, the defining specification change. The Explorer had been 36mm for 57 years. The increase to 39mm changed the watch’s wrist presence, visual weight, and relationship to the wearer’s arm. On smaller wrists, the 214270 can wear large by Explorer standards. On larger wrists, it fills space that the 36mm predecessors left empty.

The case finishing follows the Explorer standard: brushed lug tops, polished sides.

The crystal is flat sapphire without Cyclops: no date window, no magnifier. The crown is the Twinlock double-waterproof system carried over from the predecessors, rated to 100m and consistent with the Explorer line's non-diving spec. The bezel is flat polished smooth steel with no markings or rotation; the Explorer bezel has been a plain steel ring since the line's inception.


== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==

Oyster bracelet with solid end links throughout both Mark 1 and Mark 2 production. The exact bracelet reference number is not confirmed. The clasp is an Oysterlock type with Easylink comfort extension.

No bracelet changes occurred between Mark 1 and Mark 2. The bracelet architecture is shared with the 114270’s solid end-link system and is the settled state of the Explorer bracelet before the 124270’s generation.


== Mark 1 collectibility — special branch ==

The Mark 1’s shorter production run (about six years, vs. the Mark 2’s five) and its distinctive, criticized features have started to feed a collector narrative. The unluminous numerals and short hands, once seen as design failures, are now markers of a specific and relatively brief production era.

This follows a pattern seen across Rolex collecting: features that were criticized or anomalous during production become desirable precisely because they were different. The Submariner 16610LV’s “Flat 4” bezel, the Daytona’s inverted 6, the Explorer 14270’s Blackout: collector interest often concentrates on the variants that broke from the standard.

Whether the Mark 1 214270 follows this trajectory fully depends on market forces that are still playing out. The watch was produced in significant numbers, which limits scarcity-driven appreciation. But it is the only Explorer in history with unluminous 3-6-9 numerals and the only one whose hands did not reach the minute track. That uniqueness has value.


== The size debate ==

The 39mm case deserves direct treatment because it is inseparable from the 214270’s identity.

The case for 39mm runs like this. The Explorer was designed in an era when 36mm was a large men's watch; by 2010, average wrist expectations had shifted. The 39mm case gave the Explorer presence it had lacked on modern wrists, legibility improved, and the watch looked less like a dress piece and more like the tool it was meant to be.

The case against 39mm runs the other way. The Explorer's identity is discretion — the watch worn when the wearer does not want people to notice the watch. The 36mm case was part of that identity, compact and understated, disappearing under a shirt cuff. At 39mm, the Explorer started competing visually with sportier references and lost the quiet authority that made it distinctive.

The resolution came with the 124270 in 2021, which returned the Explorer to 36mm. That does not mean the 39mm was wrong; it means Rolex decided 36mm was more right for the Explorer's next chapter. The 214270 remains the only 39mm Explorer, which gives it a specific historical identity regardless of which side of the debate one favors.

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-from-1953-36mm-1016-14270-114270-214270-124270-in-depth-review/ The History of the Rolex Explorer, The All-Rounder Watch] — Frank Geelen, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-explorer-reference-points A Comprehensive Collector's Guide To The Rolex Explorer I] — Jon Bues, Hodinkee
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-214270-vs-previous-214270-review-history-rolex-explorer/ Rolex Explorer 214270 2016 IN-DEPTH REVIEW] — Ilias Giannopoulos, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-explorer-214270-watch-2016/ Rolex Explorer 214270 Watch For 2016 Hands-On] — James Stacey, aBlogtoWatch
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/new-rolex-explorer-reference-214270/ The New Rolex Explorer Reference 214270 — Our Thoughts] — Robert-Jan Broer, Fratello Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-214270-new-hands-new-indexes-2016-edition-live-photos-price/ Rolex Explorer 214270 — New Hands, New Indexes, 2016 Edition] — Brice Goulard, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/rolex-info/rolex-explorer.html Rolex Explorer Guide] — Bob's Watches editorial, Bob's Watches

[[Category:Explorer]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

Reference:214270

2026-06-04T04:44:36Z

Klaudiusz: Text audit: voice, clarity, source links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 214270 Explorer}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 214270 Explorer — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The 214270 is the Explorer that broke with tradition. In 2010, Rolex increased the Explorer case from 36mm to 39mm — the first size change in over 57…
|keywords=Rolex, 214270, Explorer, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 214270 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-16T04:29:18Z
|modified_time=2026-04-29T02:48:34Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:explorer|Explorer]] → '''214270'''

The 214270 is the Explorer that broke with tradition. In 2010, Rolex increased the Explorer case from 36mm to 39mm, the first size change in over 57 years of the model’s history. The Explorer had been 36mm since the 6610 in 1953. The decision divided collectors in a way that few Rolex specification changes ever have, and the debate ran for the reference’s entire eleven-year production life.

Two versions exist within this reference number. The Mark 1 (2010-2016) drew criticism for short hands and unluminous 3-6-9 numerals. The Mark 2 (2016-2021) corrected both. In 2021, the 124270 replaced the 214270 and returned the Explorer to 36mm. Whether that return was an acknowledgment or a coincidence is contested.



[[File:Ref 214270 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer|Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 214270
|-
| family
| Explorer I
|-
| production
| 2010 to 2021 (~11 years)
|-
| movement
| caliber 3132, Paraflex shock absorbers, blue Parachrom hairspring, 28,800 vph, ~48-hour power reserve
|-
| case
| 39mm 904L steel Oyster, 100m water resistance
|-
| crystal
| flat sapphire
|-
| crown
| Twinlock double waterproof
|-
| bezel
| flat polished steel
|-
| dial
| black, “Explorer” text at 6 o’clock
|-
| numerals (Mk1)
| uncoated white gold 3-6-9, no lume fill
|-
| numerals (Mk2)
| luminous-filled 3-6-9 (first since 1016)
|-
| hands (Mk1)
| Mercedes/lollipop — short, don’t reach minute track
|-
| hands (Mk2)
| Mercedes/lollipop — longer, fatter, fill the dial properly
|-
| lume
| blue Chromalight on markers and hands throughout; the Mk2 update also fills the 3-6-9 numerals
|-
| bracelet
| Oyster with solid end links
|-
| certification
| Superlative Chronometer (from July 2015): +/-2 sec/day
|-
| predecessor
| 114270
|-
| successor
| 124270
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 214270 follows the 114270 and precedes the 124270. It is the only modern Explorer reference to use a case size other than 36mm, and it is bracketed on both sides by 36mm references. That makes it an outlier in the Explorer’s history: a decade-long experiment with size that Rolex later reversed.

The size change was not made in isolation. The late 2000s and early 2010s pushed the whole market toward larger watches, and Rolex grew other references in the same period. The 214270 rode that wave. But the Explorer’s identity (compact, understated, the antithesis of statement jewelry) made the size increase more controversial here than it was on sportier references with busier dials.

The 124270’s return to 36mm in 2021 reads to some as Rolex siding with the traditionalists. Even so, the 214270’s own collector following has grown since it left the catalog.


== Production outline ==

Eleven years, two distinct versions, one caliber.

Mark 1 (2010–2016) is the launch specification: 39mm case with caliber 3132, uncoated white gold 3-6-9 numerals without luminous fill, and hands that were criticized for being too short to reach the minute track. The hour markers and hands carried Rolex's blue Chromalight, but the white gold 3-6-9 numerals were left bare. The Explorer model name moved to the 6 o'clock position on the dial.

Mark 2 (2016–2021) is the corrected version. Same case and movement, but with longer and fatter hands that properly fill the 39mm dial, and 3-6-9 numerals now filled with luminous material, the first luminous Explorer numerals since reference 1016. The Chromalight that already lit the markers and hands now reached the numerals, so the whole dial reads in the dark. The result is a sportier, more historically grounded watch.

From July 2015, production examples received Rolex’s Superlative Chronometer certification, guaranteeing +/-2 seconds per day accuracy, tighter than the standard COSC specification. This applies to late Mark 1 and all Mark 2 examples.


== Movement notes ==

Caliber 3132 is the 114270 movement plus Paraflex and Parachrom-era refinement. The mechanical story is cleaner than the dial debate on this reference.

The 3132 runs at 28,800 vph with about 48-hour power reserve. COSC chronometer certified throughout, with the tighter Superlative Chronometer standard applied from July 2015.

The movement is shared with other Rolex references of the era and is the mature state of the 31xx caliber family, the last of the line before the 32xx series arrived.


== Dial map ==

The 214270 has two clearly defined dial versions. The differences are subtle enough to require side-by-side comparison but significant enough to create distinct collector tiers.


=== Mark 1 (2010-2016) ===

The Mark 1 complaint is simple: the 3-6-9 numerals do not glow, the hands do not reach far enough, and the watch reads less clearly in low light than buyers expected from an Explorer.

The short hands and unluminous numerals created a watch that looked incomplete to many collectors. The hands that had worked at 36mm did not scale to 39mm. Whether Rolex used the same physical hands as the 114270 or designed new (but still too-short) hands is not definitively documented.


=== Mark 2 (2016-2021) ===

The 3-6-9 numerals are now filled with luminous material, the first Explorer since reference 1016 to carry luminous 3-6-9 numerals. In low light the full dial glows: indices, numerals, and hands together. The hands are longer and fatter, with the minute hand now reaching the minute track and the hour hand proportionally wider; the overall effect is a watch that fills its 39mm case properly. The blue Chromalight is unchanged from the Mark 1; James Stacey, reviewing the launch for aBlogtoWatch in 2016, noted that the hands and markers already glowed Chromalight, and the update only brought the numerals into the lume. The Explorer text remains at 6 o'clock.

The Mark 2 is the more historically grounded version. Luminous numerals reconnect with the 1016’s dial language. Properly proportioned hands solve the Mark 1’s most criticized flaw.


=== Mark 1 vs. Mark 2 summary ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! feature
! Mark 1 (2010-2016)
! Mark 2 (2016-2021)
|-
| 3-6-9 numerals
| uncoated white gold, no lume
| luminous-filled
|-
| hands
| short — don’t reach minute track
| longer and fatter — proper proportion
|-
| lume
| blue Chromalight
| blue Chromalight (now incl. numerals)
|-
| case / movement
| identical
| identical
|-
| bracelet
| identical
| identical
|-
| collector perception
| criticized, now gaining interest
| the “corrected” version
|}


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==

The case is 39mm Oyster in 904L stainless steel, the defining specification change. The Explorer had been 36mm for 57 years. The increase to 39mm changed the watch’s wrist presence, visual weight, and relationship to the wearer’s arm. On smaller wrists, the 214270 can wear large by Explorer standards. On larger wrists, it fills space that the 36mm predecessors left empty.

The case finishing follows the Explorer standard: brushed lug tops, polished sides.

The crystal is flat sapphire without Cyclops: no date window, no magnifier. The crown is the Twinlock double-waterproof system carried over from the predecessors, rated to 100m and consistent with the Explorer line's non-diving spec. The bezel is flat polished smooth steel with no markings or rotation; the Explorer bezel has been a plain steel ring since the line's inception.


== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==

Oyster bracelet with solid end links throughout both Mark 1 and Mark 2 production. The exact bracelet reference number is not confirmed. The clasp is an Oysterlock type with Easylink comfort extension.

No bracelet changes occurred between Mark 1 and Mark 2. The bracelet architecture is shared with the 114270’s solid end-link system and is the settled state of the Explorer bracelet before the 124270’s generation.


== Mark 1 collectibility — special branch ==

The Mark 1’s shorter production run (about six years, vs. the Mark 2’s five) and its distinctive, criticized features have started to feed a collector narrative. The unluminous numerals and short hands, once seen as design failures, are now markers of a specific and relatively brief production era.

This follows a pattern seen across Rolex collecting: features that were criticized or anomalous during production become desirable precisely because they were different. The Submariner 16610LV’s “Flat 4” bezel, the Daytona’s inverted 6, the Explorer 14270’s Blackout: collector interest often concentrates on the variants that broke from the standard.

Whether the Mark 1 214270 follows this trajectory fully depends on market forces that are still playing out. The watch was produced in significant numbers, which limits scarcity-driven appreciation. But it is the only Explorer in history with unluminous 3-6-9 numerals and the only one whose hands did not reach the minute track. That uniqueness has value.


== The size debate ==

The 39mm case deserves direct treatment because it is inseparable from the 214270’s identity.

The case for 39mm runs like this. The Explorer was designed in an era when 36mm was a large men's watch; by 2010, average wrist expectations had shifted. The 39mm case gave the Explorer presence it had lacked on modern wrists, legibility improved, and the watch looked less like a dress piece and more like the tool it was meant to be.

The case against 39mm runs the other way. The Explorer's identity is discretion — the watch worn when the wearer does not want people to notice the watch. The 36mm case was part of that identity, compact and understated, disappearing under a shirt cuff. At 39mm, the Explorer started competing visually with sportier references and lost the quiet authority that made it distinctive.

The resolution came with the 124270 in 2021, which returned the Explorer to 36mm. That does not mean the 39mm was wrong; it means Rolex decided 36mm was more right for the Explorer's next chapter. The 214270 remains the only 39mm Explorer, which gives it a specific historical identity regardless of which side of the debate one favors.

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-from-1953-36mm-1016-14270-114270-214270-124270-in-depth-review/ The History of the Rolex Explorer, The All-Rounder Watch] — Frank Geelen, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-explorer-reference-points A Comprehensive Collector's Guide To The Rolex Explorer I] — Jon Bues, Hodinkee
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-214270-vs-previous-214270-review-history-rolex-explorer/ Rolex Explorer 214270 2016 IN-DEPTH REVIEW] — Ilias Giannopoulos, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-explorer-214270-watch-2016/ Rolex Explorer 214270 Watch For 2016 Hands-On] — James Stacey, aBlogtoWatch
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/new-rolex-explorer-reference-214270/ The New Rolex Explorer Reference 214270 — Our Thoughts] — Robert-Jan Broer, Fratello Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-214270-new-hands-new-indexes-2016-edition-live-photos-price/ Rolex Explorer 214270 — New Hands, New Indexes, 2016 Edition] — Brice Goulard, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/rolex-info/rolex-explorer.html Rolex Explorer Guide] — Bob's Watches editorial, Bob's Watches

[[Category:Explorer]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

Reference:214270

2026-06-04T04:44:35Z

Klaudiusz: Fact: 214270 lume is blue Chromalight throughout — 2016 Mk2 fills the 3-6-9 numerals (not a green->blue color change), per Stacey/aBlogtoWatch, Broer/Fratello, Giannopoulos/Monochrome 2016; fix review byline; +3 editorial sources

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 214270 Explorer}}
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|title=Rolex 214270 Explorer — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The 214270 is the Explorer that broke with tradition. In 2010, Rolex increased the Explorer case from 36mm to 39mm — the first size change in over 57…
|keywords=Rolex, 214270, Explorer, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 214270 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer
|type=Article
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|published_time=2026-04-16T04:29:18Z
|modified_time=2026-04-29T02:48:34Z
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[[Reference:explorer|Explorer]] → '''214270'''

The 214270 is the Explorer that broke with tradition. In 2010, Rolex increased the Explorer case from 36mm to 39mm, the first size change in over 57 years of the model’s history. The Explorer had been 36mm since the 6610 in 1953. The decision divided collectors in a way that few Rolex specification changes ever have, and the debate ran for the reference’s entire eleven-year production life.

Two versions exist within this reference number. The Mark 1 (2010-2016) drew criticism for short hands and unluminous 3-6-9 numerals. The Mark 2 (2016-2021) corrected both, reconnecting with Explorer heritage. In 2021, the 124270 replaced the 214270 and returned the Explorer to 36mm. Whether that return was an acknowledgment or a coincidence is contested.



[[File:Ref 214270 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer|Rolex Explorer 214270 — the 39mm Explorer]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 214270
|-
| family
| Explorer I
|-
| production
| 2010 to 2021 (~11 years)
|-
| movement
| caliber 3132, Paraflex shock absorbers, blue Parachrom hairspring, 28,800 vph, ~48-hour power reserve
|-
| case
| 39mm 904L steel Oyster, 100m water resistance
|-
| crystal
| flat sapphire
|-
| crown
| Twinlock double waterproof
|-
| bezel
| flat polished steel
|-
| dial
| black, “Explorer” text at 6 o’clock
|-
| numerals (Mk1)
| uncoated white gold 3-6-9, no lume fill
|-
| numerals (Mk2)
| luminous-filled 3-6-9 (first since 1016)
|-
| hands (Mk1)
| Mercedes/lollipop — short, don’t reach minute track
|-
| hands (Mk2)
| Mercedes/lollipop — longer, fatter, fill the dial properly
|-
| lume
| blue Chromalight on markers and hands throughout; the Mk2 update also fills the 3-6-9 numerals
|-
| bracelet
| Oyster with solid end links
|-
| certification
| Superlative Chronometer (from July 2015): +/-2 sec/day
|-
| predecessor
| 114270
|-
| successor
| 124270
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 214270 follows the 114270 and precedes the 124270. It is the only modern Explorer reference to use a case size other than 36mm, and it is bracketed on both sides by 36mm references. That makes it an outlier in the Explorer’s history: a decade-long experiment with size that Rolex later reversed.

The size change was not made in isolation. The late 2000s and early 2010s saw a broad market trend toward larger watches. Rolex increased other references in the same period. The 214270 was part of that wave. But the Explorer’s identity (compact, understated, the antithesis of statement jewelry) made the size increase more controversial here than it was on sportier references with busier dials.

Some collectors praised the 39mm case for improved wrist presence and legibility on larger wrists. Others felt it betrayed the Explorer’s fundamental character. Both positions are well-represented in the enthusiast literature, and neither has definitively won. The 124270’s return to 36mm suggests Rolex heard the traditionalists, but the 214270’s own collector following is growing.


== Production outline ==

Eleven years, two distinct versions, one caliber.

Mark 1 (2010–2016) is the launch specification: 39mm case with caliber 3132, uncoated white gold 3-6-9 numerals without luminous fill, and hands that were criticized for being too short to reach the minute track. The hour markers and hands carried Rolex's blue Chromalight, but the white gold 3-6-9 numerals were left bare. The Explorer model name moved to the 6 o'clock position on the dial.

Mark 2 (2016–2021) is the corrected version. Same case and movement, but with longer and fatter hands that properly fill the 39mm dial, and 3-6-9 numerals now filled with luminous material, the first luminous Explorer numerals since reference 1016. The Chromalight that already lit the markers and hands now reached the numerals, so the whole dial reads in the dark. The result is a sportier, more historically grounded watch.

From July 2015, production examples received Rolex’s Superlative Chronometer certification, guaranteeing +/-2 seconds per day accuracy, tighter than the standard COSC specification. This applies to late Mark 1 and all Mark 2 examples.


== Movement notes ==

Caliber 3132 is the 114270 movement plus Paraflex and Parachrom-era refinement. The mechanical story is cleaner than the dial debate on this reference.

The 3132 runs at 28,800 vph with about 48-hour power reserve. COSC chronometer certified throughout, with the tighter Superlative Chronometer standard applied from July 2015.

The movement is shared with other Rolex references of the era and represents the mature state of the 31xx caliber family before the next-generation 32xx series arrived.


== Dial map ==

The 214270 has two clearly defined dial versions. The differences are subtle enough to require side-by-side comparison but significant enough to create distinct collector tiers.


=== Mark 1 (2010-2016) ===

The Mark 1 complaint is simple: the 3-6-9 numerals do not glow, the hands do not reach far enough, and the watch reads less clearly in low light than buyers expected from an Explorer.

The short hands and unluminous numerals created a watch that looked incomplete to many collectors. The hands that had worked at 36mm did not scale to 39mm. Whether Rolex used the same physical hands as the 114270 or designed new (but still too-short) hands is not definitively documented.


=== Mark 2 (2016-2021) ===

The 3-6-9 numerals are now filled with luminous material, the first Explorer since reference 1016 to carry luminous 3-6-9 numerals. In low light the full dial glows: indices, numerals, and hands together. The hands are longer and fatter, with the minute hand now reaching the minute track and the hour hand proportionally wider; the overall effect is a watch that fills its 39mm case properly. The blue Chromalight is unchanged from the Mark 1; James Stacey, reviewing the launch for aBlogtoWatch in 2016, noted that the hands and markers already glowed Chromalight, and the update only brought the numerals into the lume. The Explorer text remains at 6 o'clock.

The Mark 2 is the more historically grounded version. Luminous numerals reconnect with the 1016’s dial language. Properly proportioned hands solve the Mark 1’s most criticized flaw.


=== Mark 1 vs. Mark 2 summary ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! feature
! Mark 1 (2010-2016)
! Mark 2 (2016-2021)
|-
| 3-6-9 numerals
| uncoated white gold, no lume
| luminous-filled
|-
| hands
| short — don’t reach minute track
| longer and fatter — proper proportion
|-
| lume
| blue Chromalight
| blue Chromalight (now incl. numerals)
|-
| case / movement
| identical
| identical
|-
| bracelet
| identical
| identical
|-
| collector perception
| criticized, now gaining interest
| the “corrected” version
|}


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==

The case is 39mm Oyster in 904L stainless steel, the defining specification change. The Explorer had been 36mm for 57 years. The increase to 39mm changed the watch’s wrist presence, visual weight, and relationship to the wearer’s arm. On smaller wrists, the 214270 can wear large by Explorer standards. On larger wrists, it fills space that the 36mm predecessors left empty.

The case finishing follows the Explorer standard: brushed lug tops, polished sides. The flat polished bezel is smooth steel.

The crystal is flat sapphire without Cyclops: no date window, no magnifier. The crown is the Twinlock double-waterproof system carried over from the predecessors, rated to 100m and consistent with the Explorer line's non-diving spec. The bezel is flat polished smooth steel with no markings or rotation; the Explorer bezel has been a plain steel ring since the line's inception.


== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==

Oyster bracelet with solid end links throughout both Mark 1 and Mark 2 production. The exact bracelet reference number is not confirmed. The clasp is an Oysterlock type with Easylink comfort extension.

No bracelet changes occurred between Mark 1 and Mark 2. The bracelet architecture is shared with the 114270’s solid end-link system and represents the settled state of the Explorer bracelet before the 124270’s generation.


== Mark 1 collectibility — special branch ==

The Mark 1’s shorter production run (about six years, vs. the Mark 2’s five) and its distinctive, criticized features are creating an emerging collector narrative. The unluminous numerals and short hands, once seen as design failures, are now markers of a specific and relatively brief production era.

This follows a pattern seen across Rolex collecting: features that were criticized or anomalous during production become desirable precisely because they were different. The Submariner 16610LV’s “Flat 4” bezel, the Daytona’s inverted 6, the Explorer 14270’s Blackout: collector interest often concentrates on the variants that broke from the standard.

Whether the Mark 1 214270 follows this trajectory fully depends on market forces that are still playing out. The watch was produced in significant numbers, which limits scarcity-driven appreciation. But it is the only Explorer in history with unluminous 3-6-9 numerals and the only one with hands that deliberately did not reach the minute track. That uniqueness has value.


== The size debate ==

The 39mm case deserves direct treatment because it is inseparable from the 214270’s identity.

The case for 39mm runs like this. The Explorer was designed in an era when 36mm was a large men's watch; by 2010, average wrist expectations had shifted. The 39mm case gave the Explorer presence it had lacked on modern wrists, legibility improved, and the watch looked less like a dress piece and more like the tool it was meant to be.

The case against 39mm runs the other way. The Explorer's identity is discretion — the watch worn when the wearer does not want people to notice the watch. The 36mm case was part of that identity, compact and understated, disappearing under a shirt cuff. At 39mm, the Explorer started competing visually with sportier references and lost the quiet authority that made it distinctive.

The resolution came with the 124270 in 2021, which returned the Explorer to 36mm. That does not mean the 39mm was wrong; it means Rolex decided 36mm was more right for the Explorer's next chapter. The 214270 remains the only 39mm Explorer, which gives it a specific historical identity regardless of which side of the debate one favors.

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-from-1953-36mm-1016-14270-114270-214270-124270-in-depth-review/ The History of the Rolex Explorer, The All-Rounder Watch] — Frank Geelen, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-explorer-reference-points A Comprehensive Collector's Guide To The Rolex Explorer I] — Jon Bues, Hodinkee
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-214270-vs-previous-214270-review-history-rolex-explorer/ Rolex Explorer 214270 2016 IN-DEPTH REVIEW] — Ilias Giannopoulos, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-explorer-214270-watch-2016/ Rolex Explorer 214270 Watch For 2016 Hands-On] — James Stacey, aBlogtoWatch
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/new-rolex-explorer-reference-214270/ The New Rolex Explorer Reference 214270 — Our Thoughts] — Robert-Jan Broer, Fratello Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-214270-new-hands-new-indexes-2016-edition-live-photos-price/ Rolex Explorer 214270 — New Hands, New Indexes, 2016 Edition] — Brice Goulard, Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/rolex-info/rolex-explorer.html Rolex Explorer Guide] — Bob's Watches editorial, Bob's Watches

[[Category:Explorer]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

User talk:Admin

2026-06-02T22:46:34Z

Klaudiusz: Pending audit edit on Reference:6511 (proposal #38) needs review

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== Pending audit edit: Reference:6511 ==
Pipeline proposal #38 is awaiting review on [[Reference:6511]] (revid 5273). [https://bezelbase.org/w/index.php?title=Reference:6511&diff=5273&oldid=5248 View diff] · [https://bezelbase.org/wiki/Special:PendingChanges Special:PendingChanges] [[User:Klaudiusz|Klaudiusz]] ([[User talk:Klaudiusz|talk]]) 22:46, 2 June 2026 (UTC)

Reference:6511

2026-06-02T22:46:34Z

Klaudiusz: [bot-audit] proposal #38 ref=6511 agents=researcher,auditor,bar_raiser (FlaggedRevs pending review)

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 6511 Day-Date — The Fluted-Bezel 1956 Original, Caliber 1055, Jubilee Bracelet | BezelBase
|description=The 6511 is the fluted-bezel half of the original 1956 Day-Date, sibling to the smooth-bezel 6510. First-generation caliber 1055, 36mm 18k gold Oyster on a Jubilee bracelet, pre-SCOC dial. The fluted bezel became the Day-Date signature; the President bracelet arrives a year later with the 6611.
|keywords=Rolex 6511, Day-Date, fluted bezel, caliber 1055, Jubilee bracelet, 6510, 6611, Basel 1956
|image=Ref 6511 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 6511 — the fluted-bezel 1956 original in yellow gold on a Jubilee bracelet
|type=article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''6511'''

The 6511 is the fluted-bezel half of the original Day-Date. Rolex showed it at the Basel Fair in 1956 next to the smooth-bezel [[Reference:6510|6510]]; the two references are mechanically identical and parted only by the finish of their bezels. The fluted bezel the 6511 carried became the visual signature of the Day-Date and has stayed on the model for seventy years. The 6510's smooth bezel did not survive the originals era. Both wear the first-generation caliber 1055, and both launched on a Jubilee bracelet rather than the President — the bracelet that gives the line its nickname arrives a year later with the 6611.

The cataloged run lasts a single year before the 6611 takes over. Surviving cases push the production window earlier than the launch itself: the two earliest documented examples were made in 1955, ahead of the Basel debut. The patent history, the origin of the Presidential nickname, and the full originals-era roster belong to the [[Reference:6510|6510]] entry. What follows is specific to the 6511 — its bezel, its dials, its metals, and a well-populated auction record.

[[File:Ref 6511 hero.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 6511 in yellow gold on a Jubilee bracelet|Rolex Day-Date 6511 in 18k yellow gold on a Jubilee bracelet — the fluted Millerighe bezel that became the Day-Date signature.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6511
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| catalogue debut
| Basel Fair 1956
|-
| production
| 1956–1957 cataloged; earliest documented cases made 1955
|-
| movement
| caliber 1055, first generation (no Microstella, no COSC, gradual midnight changeover, pre-SCOC dial line)
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k gold Oyster — yellow gold (production-volume), pink gold (uncommon), white gold (rare, disputed at launch)
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| fluted ("Millerighe")
|-
| bracelet
| Jubilee (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957)
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| sibling
| 6510 (smooth/domed bezel, parallel 1956 launch)
|-
| successor
| 6611 (1957 — Microstella cal 1055B, COSC, President bracelet)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 6510 and 6511 launched together as a bezel-finish pair. Everything else about them matches: the 36mm Oyster case, the Twinlock crown, the acrylic crystal, the first-generation caliber 1055, the Jubilee bracelet, the single cataloged year. The bezel is the one intended difference. The 6510 took the smooth, gently domed bezel; the 6511 took the fluted "Millerighe" bezel, the corrugated edge Rolex had used on the Datejust through the early 1950s. Of the two finishes, the fluted one became the Day-Date's identity, which is why the 6511 reads today as the more familiar of the originals even though the 6510 carries the lower number.

The pair sit apart from the rest of the originals-era cluster on two counts. They are the only Day-Date references to use the first-generation cal 1055, and the only two to ship on the Jubilee. From the 6611 onward the line moves to the Microstella-regulated, COSC-certified second-generation caliber and to the President bracelet, and the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial designation appears for the first time. The 6511 is the last fluted-bezel Day-Date before the President bracelet that the design is now inseparable from.

==Production outline==

Rolex debuted the 6510 and 6511 together at the Basel Fair in 1956, but production had already started: the earliest documented 6511 cases, 111,654 and 134,692, were both made in 1955, before the public launch. Case numbers on surfaced examples run from that 1955 cluster up to 166,725 in 1956, a narrow band consistent with a short run. No Rolex archival production figure has surfaced for the reference.

By 1957 the 6611 replaces the 6511. The change is mechanical and aesthetic at once: the upgraded caliber, the President bracelet, and the new chronometer-certified dial all arrive together, so the 6511 marks the end of the first Jubilee-and-1055 phase of the Day-Date rather than a model that ran alongside its successor. The whole originals-era cluster gives way to the 1803 and its siblings around 1959.

==Movement notes==

The 6511 carries the first-generation caliber 1055, the founding day-date complication movement and a caliber it shares only with the 6510. It runs at 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz) on 25 jewels, measures 28.50mm across and about 7.0mm tall, and holds roughly 42 hours. It has no Microstella balance, no COSC certification, and a gradual rather than instant changeover at midnight: the early caliber lacks the stored torque to flip both the day disc and the date through in a single impulse, so the two calendars settle into place over a window either side of twelve. That changeover is the deficiency usually blamed for the reference's single-year life. The 6611's second-generation caliber, internally a 1055B, fixed it in 1957 alongside the free-sprung Microstella balance and COSC certification. The full caliber lineage sits on [[Reference:Movements]].

Auction movement descriptions add useful texture to the plain specification sheet. A 1956 example was catalogued with a rhodium-plated cal. 1055, oeil-de-perdrix decoration, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to temperatures and five positions, shock protection, and a self-compensating Breguet balance spring. Those details fit the 6511's odd place in the line: technically ambitious and chronometer-minded, but still before the Microstella-regulated generation that made the Day-Date formula stable.

The dial designation on the 6511 is pre-SCOC, reading either "Superlative Chronometer by Official Test" or "Officially Certified Chronometer" depending on the example; the four-line "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" block is the 6611's introduction. Auction catalogues occasionally mis-state the caliber. Phillips listed the movement of its 1955 yellow-gold lot as a 1555, a caliber that did not exist until the 1803 era; a watch of this date carries the 1055.

==Dial map==

[[File:Ref 6511 dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=6511 pre-SCOC dial|The pre-SCOC dial reading "Officially Certified Chronometer", with the full-word day aperture at twelve. Image via Antiquorum.]]

Surfaced 6511 examples spread across several factory dial colours, all sharing the period layout: the full-word day aperture at twelve, the date at three under a Cyclops, applied faceted gold indices, dauphine or alpha hands, and radium lume.

The red printing carries information beyond colour. The 1955 yellow-gold example with case 111,654 places the red "Day-Date" signature at six o'clock and pairs it with a red date wheel, while other early examples move toward the more familiar chronometer text hierarchy. The 6511 dial map is therefore less settled than later Day-Dates: Rolex was still deciding where the model name, chronometer line, and calendar colour should sit on a flagship calendar dial.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! dial
! indices / detail
! chronometer line
! documented on
|-
| champagne / gold
| applied faceted gold batons, red printed "Day-Date", red date wheel
| pre-SCOC
| yellow gold (Phillips 2015 lot 40)
|-
| silvered / white
| applied faceted gold batons, red "Day-Date"
| "Officially Certified Chronometer"
| yellow gold (Antiquorum 2008 lot 81; Monaco Legend 2024 lot 220)
|-
| black gloss / lacquer
| applied gold indices, radium plots
| pre-SCOC
| less common; yellow and pink gold
|-
| pink
| red-and-black date
| none printed
| pink gold (Phillips 2015 lot 41)
|}

The pink-gold Phillips lot is the clearest evidence that some early dials carry no chronometer line at all, a pre-certification quirk rather than a refinish. A small number of examples add a depth rating to the dial. One Monaco Legend yellow-gold lot reads "50 m = 165 ft" beneath the centre, a holdover from period Oyster dial practice. Day discs follow the retail market: English is the rule, and a Portuguese-calendar disc is documented on at least one yellow-gold example. Grey and tropical-brown dials surface on aged examples, the result of radium oxidation and lacquer breakdown over seventy years rather than a separate factory finish; black-dial pink-gold examples that have gone tropical command their own following.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The 6511 uses the 36mm three-piece Oyster case that becomes the Day-Date standard for the next five decades: screw-down Twinlock crown, screw-down caseback, acrylic crystal. The case is the same one the 6510 wears; the bezel is what sets the reference apart.

That bezel is the fluted "Millerighe," the finely corrugated ring Rolex carried over from the early Datejust. Sources differ on what to call it: some describe the early pattern as fluted, others as a tighter "coin-edge" cut, but the labels point at the same physical bezel rather than a factual split. The flutes are cut into solid 18k gold matching the case. This is the bezel that defines the Day-Date silhouette, and the 6511 is where it enters the line.

The metals are where the sources genuinely disagree. Yellow gold is the production-volume case material and pink gold is confirmed but uncommon, the pink-gold Phillips lot settling that variant directly. White gold and platinum are contested: Fratello lists both among the originals' metals, while Rolex Magazine limits the 1956 launch to 18k pink and yellow gold, and no white-gold or platinum 6511 has surfaced in the auction record. The documented platinum piece of the originals era is the diamond-set 6612, not a 6511.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

[[File:Ref 6511 bracelet.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=6511 yellow-gold Jubilee bracelet|The 18k yellow-gold Jubilee bracelet — the period-correct fitment before the President bracelet arrived with the 6611.]]

The period-correct 6511 fitment is the Jubilee, the five-link bracelet Rolex had used as its house luxury band since the late 1940s. A Monaco Legend yellow-gold lot still wearing its original yellow-gold Jubilee is the cleanest confirmation. The President bracelet, the three-link semi-circular band designed for this watch, does not arrive until the 6611 in 1957, and here the sources split: Fratello describes the originals as delivered on the President under an earlier name, while Monochrome and the surfaced examples place them on the Jubilee.

The period advertising case is stronger than the later summary articles. The Basel-era material reproduced by Rolex Magazine shows the first Day-Date on a Jubilee bracelet and states the 1956 launch in 18k pink or yellow gold on Jubilee, with the President bracelet added the following year. Treat later President bracelets on 6511s as plausible period-correct wear, not proof of original delivery.

In practice the bracelet on a surviving 6511 proves little. Confirmed lots turn up on Presidents, on "Big Logo" bracelets, and on later brick-link bands — a Bonhams example wears an 18ct bracelet hallmarked 1959, three years after the case. These are period swaps and service replacements; the clasp code dates the bracelet, not the watch head.

==Auction record==

The 6511 is the better-documented of the two originals at auction, helped by Phillips's inaugural watch sale. Confirmed lots:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! sale
! date
! metal
! result
! notes
|-
| Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 40
| 9 May 2015
| yellow gold
| CHF 191,000
| case 111,654 (Q4 1955), full set with guarantee dated 7 May 1957, wallet and box; highest standard-gold result and earliest documented case
|-
| Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 41
| 9 May 2015
| pink gold
| CHF 56,250
| case 134,692 (1955), pink dial with no chronometer line; confirms the pink-gold variant
|-
| Monaco Legend, Exclusive Timepieces 35, lot 220
| 19 Oct 2024
| yellow gold
| EUR 50,700
| case 166,725 (1956), original yellow-gold Jubilee, "50 m = 165 ft" dial
|-
| Monaco Legend, Exclusive Timepieces 31, lot 22
| 22 Apr 2023
| yellow gold
| EUR 35,100
| case 111,695 (1956), grey patinated dial, Portuguese day disc
|-
| Antiquorum, Revolution, New York, lot 81
| 17 Apr 2008
| yellow gold
| USD 24,000
| "Officially Certified Chronometer" dial; billed as the first yellow-gold 6511 at the house
|-
| Bonhams, London, lot 156
| 23 Nov 2004
| yellow gold
| unsold
| Glasgow import mark 1956; later 1959-hallmarked bracelet
|}

A clean standard-gold 6511 has settled into roughly the EUR 35,000–55,000 band in recent sales, with the Phillips full-set yellow-gold lot a clear outlier on the strength of its papers and pre-launch date. Further pink-gold and tropical-dial lots appear in the aggregated record at Christie's and Antiquorum but have not been confirmed against the houses' own lot pages.

One result sits outside the band entirely. Monaco Legend sold a steel 1955 prototype with a tropical dial and a gold bezel for EUR 1,196,000 in October 2024, an example from John Goldberger's collection published in Pucci Papaleo Editore's ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' (Spin Edizioni, 2015). Its reference is disputed: Monaco Legend catalogued it as a 6511, while Sotheby's and Monochrome attribute the five known steel pre-launch prototypes to the 6611. Either way it is a record-tier one-off, not a guide to the standard-production market.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history/ ''Rolex Day-Date Volume (Mondani Editore)'' — Mondani Family, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date/ ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo Editore, Spin Edizioni, 2015-05]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/rolex-day-date-guide-1237586374/ Robb Report editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: a Guide to Everything You Need to Know", Robb Report]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2010/09/1956-very-first-rolex-day-date.html Jake Ehrlich, "1956 — The Very First Rolex Day-Date", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2010-09]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/day-date/ref-rolex-6511/lpi Collectors Square editorial, "Rolex Day-Date Ref. 6511 — auction price index and lot listings", Collectors Square]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080115/40 Phillips (in association with Bacs & Russo), "Rolex Ref. 6511, yellow gold, Phillips Glamorous Day-Date lot 40", Phillips, 2015-05-09]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080115/41 Phillips (in association with Bacs & Russo), "Rolex Ref. 6511, pink gold, Phillips Glamorous Day-Date lot 41", Phillips, 2015-05-09]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-204-81 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 6511, yellow gold, Antiquorum Revolution: The Evolution of the Rolex Sport Watch lot 81", Antiquorum, 2008-04-17]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/10769/lot/156/ Bonhams, "Rolex Ref. 6511, 18ct gold, Glasgow import mark 1956, Bonhams lot 156", Bonhams, 2004-11-23]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-35/lot-220 Monaco Legend Auctions, "Rolex Ref. 6511, yellow gold on Jubilee, Monaco Legend Exclusive Timepieces 35 lot 220", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2024-10-19]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-31/lot-22 Monaco Legend Auctions, "Rolex Ref. 6511, yellow gold, Monaco Legend Exclusive Timepieces 31 lot 22", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2023-04-22]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-35/lot-110 Monaco Legend Auctions, "Rolex steel Day-Date prototype sold as Ref. 6511 (ex-Goldberger), Monaco Legend lot 110", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2024-10-19]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/day-date/ref-rolex-6511/lpi Christie's, "Rolex Ref. 6511, pink gold black tropical dial, Christie's Watches Online Geneva", Christie's, 2021-11-16]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

User talk:Admin

2026-06-02T22:31:48Z

Klaudiusz: Pending audit edit on Reference:6611 (proposal #37) needs review

Reference:6611

2026-06-02T22:31:48Z

Klaudiusz: [bot-audit] proposal #37 ref=6611 agents=researcher,auditor,bar_raiser (FlaggedRevs pending review)

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 6611 Day-Date — First President Bracelet, First "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" Dial | BezelBase
|description=The 6611 (1957–1959) is the fluted-bezel Day-Date that introduced the President bracelet and the first "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial, on the upgraded Microstella caliber 1055/1055B. 36mm 18k gold; the fluted reference of the 66xx cluster alongside the 6612 and 6613.
|keywords=Rolex 6611, Day-Date, President bracelet, Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified, caliber 1055B, Microstella, 6611B, 6510, 6511
|image=Ref 6611 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 6611 in yellow gold on the President bracelet
|type=article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''6611'''

The 6611 is the reference that turned the Day-Date into the President. It arrived in 1957, about a year after the [[Reference:6510|6510]] and [[Reference:6511|6511]] originals, and it brought three firsts at once: the President bracelet, the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial line, and a rebuilt caliber with a free-sprung Microstella balance and chronometer certification. The 6510 and 6511 invented the complication; the 6611 fixed its weak points and gave the line the bracelet and the dial text that define it today.

Within the second-generation cluster the 6611 is the fluted-bezel reference, sitting alongside the smooth-bezel 6612 and the diamond-bezel 6613. It kept the 36mm Oyster case and the 18k gold-only catalogue of the originals, and ran for three years before the 1803 and its siblings replaced the whole group around 1959. The shared origin story (Marc Huguenin's patents, the Presidential nickname, the full cluster roster) belongs to the [[Reference:6510|6510]] entry. What follows is specific to the 6611: the bracelet and dial it introduced, the upgraded caliber, its metals and sub-variants, and the steel examples that complicate its history.

[[File:Ref 6611 hero.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 6611 in yellow gold on the President bracelet|Rolex Day-Date 6611 in 18k yellow gold on the President bracelet — the fluted bezel that the 6611 carried into the second generation. Image via Phillips.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6611
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1957–1959
|-
| movement
| caliber 1055 second generation (1055B) — free-sprung Microstella balance, Breguet overcoil, COSC-certified, instant midnight changeover
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k gold Oyster — yellow gold, pink gold, white gold
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| fluted ("Millerighe")
|-
| bracelet
| President (the first Day-Date to carry it)
|-
| dial designation
| "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" — the first Rolex dial to carry it
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| predecessor
| 6511 (fluted) / 6510 (smooth), 1956 originals on Jubilee and the first-generation caliber
|-
| cluster siblings
| 6612 (smooth bezel), 6613 (diamond bezel)
|-
| successor
| 1803 and the 4-digit era, from c.1959
|-
| sub-variant
| 6611B (movement plate about 0.1mm thicker)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 6611 succeeds the 6510 and 6511 roughly a year after their 1956 Basel launch. The dating is not quite unanimous: Sotheby's groups the 6611 with the 1956 originals, while Monochrome and Rolex Magazine place it at 1957. The 1957 reading is the common one and matches the President bracelet's own introduction date.

The reference anchors the second-generation 66xx cluster. The 6611 takes the fluted bezel, the 6612 the smooth bezel, and the 6613 a factory diamond-set bezel; the late 6611B carries a slightly thicker movement plate. This three-bezel lineup is something the 6510/6511 pair never had — the originals were a two-watch, bezel-finish pair, while the 66xx cluster is a proper range. By about 1959 the 1803 and its siblings take over and the Day-Date moves into its long 4-digit era.

==Production outline==

Everything that separates the 6611 from the originals arrived in one step in 1957: the President bracelet, the rebuilt caliber, and the new chronometer-certified dial. That bundling is why the 6611 reads as the start of the modern Day-Date rather than a minor update. The reference kept the 36mm Oyster case and the gold-only catalogue, and ran for three years.

Case numbers from the auction record sit a little above the originals' range (214,124 on a 1956/57 yellow-gold example, 401,546 on a 1958 white-gold 6611B), consistent with the 1957–1959 window. No Rolex archival production figure has surfaced. The cluster as a whole gives way to the 1803 around 1959, and from that point the President bracelet and the SCOC dial that the 6611 introduced become Day-Date standards.

==Movement notes==

The 6611 carries the second-generation caliber 1055, the version watch registries label 1055B. It keeps the running gear of the first-generation movement (automatic, 25 jewels, 18,000 vph, 28.50mm across) but stands about 0.1mm taller at roughly 7.1mm and adds the two upgrades that matter. The balance becomes free-sprung with Rolex's Microstella regulating screws, paired with a Breguet overcoil, and the movement is COSC chronometer-certified. The midnight changeover becomes instant, fixing the gradual day-and-date transition that hobbled the first-generation 1055 and is usually blamed for the 6510/6511's single-year run. The full caliber lineage sits on [[Reference:Movements]].

Auction catalogues mislabel these early movements. Antiquorum's 2002 steel lot lists the caliber as a 1556, a movement that did not exist until the 1803 era; the watch in fact carries the second-generation 1055. The label to trust is the dial and the construction, the Microstella balance and the chronometer certification, not the caliber number a cataloguer reached for decades later.

==Dial map==

[[File:Ref 6611 dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=6611 Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified dial|The four-line "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial the 6611 introduced. Image via Antiquorum.]]

The 6611 introduces the four-line "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" text at six o'clock, the first Rolex of any line to carry it. The wording is a direct consequence of the COSC certification the upgraded caliber earned, and it replaces the pre-SCOC lines of the 6510/6511 ("Superlative Chronometer by Official Test" or "Officially Certified Chronometer"). Beyond the text, the dials follow the period layout: the full-word day aperture at twelve, the date at three, applied faceted gold indices, and a shift toward alpha hands where the originals ran dauphine.

Hands and lume vary across surviving examples. The yellow-gold Serpico y Laino 6611B was catalogued with luminous alpha hands and applied faceted baton indexes, while the white-gold Phillips 6611B carried non-luminous leaf-shaped hands, black enamel hand centres, and no luminous dots at the hour markers. On these early Day-Dates, dial language, market disc, metal, and lume package move independently.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! dial
! indices / detail
! text
! documented on
|-
| champagne / gold
| applied faceted gold batons, pie-pan profile
| English SCOC
| yellow gold (Antiquorum 2017 lot 136, Serpico y Laino)
|-
| pale champagne / silvered
| applied baton markers, pie-pan, no diamonds
| English SCOC
| white gold 6611B (Phillips 2015 lot 154)
|-
| German-script
| German day disc, oversized "DAY-DATE", red date
| "Superlativer Chronometer Amtlich Geprüft"
| yellow gold (Phillips 2015 lot 50, probably unique)
|-
| satiné silver
| tritium baton indices
| English SCOC
| steel École prize watch (Antiquorum 2002 lot 37)
|}

The day disc follows the retail market — English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese discs are all documented, and the German-script Phillips lot, catalogued as probably unique, was likely built to win orders in German-speaking markets. The 6611 era is also where Arabic day discs first appear: SJX dates the spelled-out-Arabic dials to the late 1950s, with the date wheel kept in the Western "roulette" style, odd numbers in red and even in black. Diamond hour markers belong to the diamond-bezel 6613 and the precious-metal configurations rather than the standard 6611.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

[[File:Ref 6611 pink-gold.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=pink-gold 6611|An 18k pink-gold 6611 with a fluted pink-gold bezel and warm radium dial patina.]]

The 6611 uses the 36mm three-piece Oyster case carried over from the originals: screw-down Twinlock crown, screw-down caseback, acrylic crystal. The bezel is the fluted "Millerighe" in 18k gold matching the case, the finish that became the Day-Date signature and the one that separates the 6611 from its smooth-bezel sibling, the 6612.

The metals are yellow, pink and white gold. Yellow gold is the common case material; pink and white gold are scarcer, and the white-gold examples are usually diamond-set, which is what made the plain white-gold 6611B at Phillips notable enough to call out. Platinum and factory diamond-set dials are sometimes listed among the cluster's options, but no platinum or factory-diamond 6611 has surfaced at auction — Sotheby's treats the early references as gold only, and the diamond-bezel reference of the cluster is the 6613. The safe reading is that platinum and diamond-set examples belong to the 6613, not the 6611.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 6611 is the first Day-Date to wear the President, the three-piece semi-circular-link bracelet designed for this watch and now inseparable from it. The 6510 and 6511 launched on the Jubilee; the President arrives here in 1957. One of the earliest examples in the record is the President on the German-script Phillips lot, its folding clasp stamped 2.57. The bracelet is widely attributed to Gay Frères on contract to Rolex, though that maker attribution rests on dealer and blog sources rather than primary documentation. The bracelet's name is older than the watch's: a 1957 Italian newspaper advertisement reproduced by Rolex Magazine already calls it the "President," years before Lyndon Johnson's presidency attached the name to the watch itself in the mid-1960s. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

That advertisement is useful because it names the bracelet, not just the watch. The Italian copy describes the Day-Date as solid 18k gold with bracelet "PRESIDENT" 7286/16; the same Rolex Magazine piece also reproduces a 1958 Canary Islands catalogue and a 1959 German advertisement using the President/Präsident bracelet language. For the 6611, that makes the bracelet name a launch-period sales term rather than a later American political nickname applied backwards.

As with the originals, the bracelet on a surviving 6611 does not always match the head: clasp date codes date the bracelet, not the watch, and service swaps are common across seventy years.

==Special branches==

===Steel examples===

A small number of 6611s exist in stainless steel, and they are among the most argued-over watches in the Day-Date story. Two overlapping populations sit behind them. One is a set of École d'Horlogerie de Genève prize watches, their casebacks engraved "Ecole d'Horlogerie de Genève – 1963" and given to top graduates of the Geneva watchmaking school; Antiquorum sold one in 2002 and catalogued the reference as 6611 while noting, in the same lot, that the model "was first created under the reference No. 6511." The other is a run of factory prototype or scholar pieces made before the launch, cased without reference numbers.

The sources do not agree on how many exist or what to call them. Antiquorum counts six, Monochrome five, and Phillips four; the prize-watch and prototype framings are treated as one population by some and two by others. The most expensive of them, an ex-John Goldberger steel example with case number 99,272, was sold by Monaco Legend in 2024 as a reference 6511, not a 6611, on the strength of its first-generation caliber 1055 and riveted Oyster bracelet. The steel Day-Date is best treated as a disputed branch shared between the two reference numbers rather than a settled 6611 variant.

Antiquorum's 2002 lot essay gives one more version of the steel story: it says the six steel watches followed a marketing test in which demand proved stronger for gold, after which Rolex stopped steel production and kept the Day-Date in precious metals. That explanation should be treated as an auction-house account, not Rolex archive, but it explains why steel 6611s sit awkwardly between prototype, school-prize watch, and aborted-commercial-reference categories.

===The 6611B===

[[File:Ref 6611 white-gold.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=white-gold 6611B|A white-gold 6611B with a pale-champagne pie-pan dial and no diamonds — the rare plain configuration. Image via Phillips.]]

A late sub-variant, the 6611B, carries a movement plate about 0.1mm thicker than the standard 6611 — the same plate change that the 1055B caliber designation tracks. It is rare and turns up across metals: a plain white-gold example at Phillips, a Serpico y Laino-retailed yellow-gold example at Antiquorum. The external case is stamped 6611; the "B" appears in service paperwork and registries.

The Serpico y Laino example is more than a retailer signature. Antiquorum's 2017 lot records case no. 386,339, a matching Spanish day disc, and a "big logo" Rolex bracelet dated 1958, describing the package as made for Spanish markets. That gives the 6611B a documented export-market branch, not just a late movement-code branch.

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! sale
! date
! metal
! result
! notes
|-
| Phillips, The Geneva Watch Auction TWO, lot 154
| 7 Nov 2015
| white gold (6611B)
| CHF 93,750
| case 401,546 (1958), pale-champagne pie-pan dial, no diamonds — prized for being plain
|-
| Antiquorum, Exceptional Horological Works of Art, lot 37
| 19 Oct 2002
| stainless steel
| CHF 50,600
| École d'Horlogerie de Genève prize watch, caseback engraved 1963, one of about six steel examples
|-
| Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 50
| 9 May 2015
| yellow gold
| CHF 45,000
| case 214,124, German-script SCOC dial, probably unique; President clasp stamped 2.57
|}

A plain gold 6611 is a comparatively modest buy, with examples clearing in roughly the CHF 12,000–20,000 range; the white-gold 6611B and the steel prize watch are the clear exceptions on rarity. Pink-gold and yellow-gold 6611B examples appear in the record at Sotheby's, and a Serpico y Laino yellow-gold 6611B at Antiquorum documents the English-SCOC dial, but several of those lot pages are now delisted and their results are not confirmed. The ex-Goldberger steel example sold for EUR 1,196,000 in 2024, but it was catalogued as a 6511, and as a one-off prototype it sits outside any 6611 price band.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history/ ''Rolex Day-Date Volume (Mondani Editore)'' — Mondani Family, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date/ ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo Editore, Spin Edizioni, 2015-05]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/more-precious-than-gold-the-rolex-day-date-ref-6611-in-steel/ Monochrome editorial, "More Precious Than Gold! — The Rolex Day-Date ref. 6611 in STEEL", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/1055b WatchBase, "Rolex caliber 1055B (registry page)", WatchBase]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2010/09/1956-very-first-rolex-day-date.html Jake Ehrlich, "1956 — The Very First Rolex Day-Date", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2010-09]
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2016/09/hands-on-with-the-rolex-day-date-40-eastern-arabic-middle-east-edition-plus-a-brief-history-of-the-arabic-day-date.html Adel Al-Rahmani with Eric Ku, "A Brief History of the Arabic Day-Date (with the Day-Date 40 Arabic special edition hands-on)", SJX Watches, 2016-09]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2021/10/rolex-president-ad-from-1957-uncovered.html Jake Ehrlich, "Rolex President Ad From 1957 Uncovered", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2021-10]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-31-37 Antiquorum, "Rolex Day-Date Ref. 6611 steel, École d'Horlogerie de Genève prize watch, Antiquorum lot 37", Antiquorum, 2002-10-19]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080115/50 Phillips (in association with Bacs & Russo), "Rolex Ref. 6611 yellow gold, German-script SCOC dial, Phillips Glamorous Day-Date lot 50", Phillips, 2015-05-09]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080515/154 Phillips (in association with Bacs & Russo), "Rolex Ref. 6611B white gold (no diamonds), Phillips The Geneva Watch Auction TWO lot 154", Phillips, 2015-11-07]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6611b-lot-307-136 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 6611B yellow gold, Serpico y Laino, English SCOC dial, Antiquorum lot 136", Antiquorum, 2017-05-14]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-35/lot-110 Monaco Legend Auctions, "Rolex steel Day-Date prototype sold as Ref. 6511 (ex-Goldberger), Monaco Legend lot 110", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2024-10-19]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

User talk:Admin

2026-06-02T18:33:08Z

Klaudiusz: Pending audit edit on Reference:116528 (proposal #36) needs review

Reference:116528

2026-06-02T18:33:08Z

Klaudiusz: [bot-audit] proposal #36 ref=116528 agents=researcher,auditor,bar_raiser (FlaggedRevs pending review)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 116528 Daytona}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 116528 Daytona — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The 116528 is the full yellow gold in-house Daytona on gold Oyster bracelet — the cal 4130 successor to the Zenith-era 16528. Produced from 2000 to 2016,…
|keywords=Rolex, 116528, Daytona, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 116528 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116528 — in-house cal 4130 in 18k yellow gold
|type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-19T13:52:27Z
|modified_time=2026-04-29T02:46:00Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> '''116528'''

The 116528 is the full yellow gold Daytona of the in-house era: the cal 4130 successor to the Zenith-based 16528, on a solid 18k yellow gold Oyster bracelet. Produced from 2000 to 2016, it ran alongside the steel 116520 and the Rolesor 116523 as the gold-bracelet flagship of Rolex's first in-house chronograph generation. Same 40mm case profile as the 116520, same vertical-clutch column-wheel movement, same 72-hour reserve, wrapped in 18k yellow gold from bezel to bracelet end link.

[[File:Ref 116528 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116528 — in-house cal 4130 in 18k yellow gold|Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116528 — in-house cal 4130 in 18k yellow gold]]


== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 116528
|-
| family
| Daytona (Cosmograph, automatic)
|-
| production
| 2000–2016
|-
| case
| 40mm, 18k yellow gold
|-
| crystal
| sapphire (flat)
|-
| bezel
| engraved 18k yellow gold tachymetre
|-
| crown
| Triplock, screw-down, gold
|-
| water resistance
| 100m / 330ft
|-
| movement
| Rolex cal 4130 (first in-house chronograph)
|-
| frequency
| 28,800 vph
|-
| jewels
| 44
|-
| power reserve
| 72 hours
|-
| chronometer
| COSC certified
|-
| bracelet
| 18k yellow gold Oyster, SEL
|-
| siblings
| 116520 (steel), 116523 (Rolesor)
|-
| predecessor
| 16528 (Zenith cal 4030, 1988–2000)
|-
| successor
| post-2016 ceramic-bezel gold Daytona
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 116528 is the full-gold-bracelet variant in the in-house cal 4130 launch. It sits alongside the steel 116520 and the two-tone 116523, both of which also ship on Oyster bracelets and share the same 40mm case profile. The in-house generation does not include a white gold Daytona on leather strap in Rolex's standard catalogue — that configuration ended with the Zenith era — so the 116528 is the full-gold choice in the cal 4130 line.

The predecessor is the [[Reference:16528|16528]] in the same full-gold-on-gold-Oyster configuration, under the Zenith-based cal 4030. The 2000 transition brought the in-house movement, the 72-hour power reserve, and the SEL (solid end links) Oyster bracelet to the full-gold reference; case dimensions, bezel design, and crown position carried over. The successor in Rolex's catalogue is the Cerachrom-bezel full-gold Daytona that arrived alongside the steel 116500LN in 2016 and sits outside this article's scope. The 116528 is the last engraved-gold-bezel full-yellow-gold Daytona Rolex produced.


== Production outline ==

Production runs from 2000 to 2016, sixteen continuous years. The 116528 tracks the 116520's production chronology across that span — there is no distinct 116528 generation timeline, only the shared cal 4130 platform with full-gold finishing. The watch opens the in-house era in 2000 alongside the 116520 and 116523.

The serial story is simple: letter-prefix through mid-2010, random after that. The documented P- and Y-serial auction examples are enough to anchor first-year and early-run production.

Sotheby's 2021 Important Watches lot 2150 is the useful hard anchor here: a white-dial 116528 with case number P421022, guarantee, instruction manual, and box, catalogued as circa 2000. That matters because it puts the full-yellow-gold reference in the first cal. 4130 production year rather than treating it as a later precious-metal follow-on.

The lume transitions mid-life. Early 116528 production carries Luminova; Super-Luminova replaces it within the first few years; Chromalight arrives later in the run. The exact cutover years are debated, and published sources do not converge on specific dates. Every 116528 sits on the post-tritium side of the 1998–2000 cutover that ended radioactive lume on Rolex Sport models.

The 116528 does not host the APH error dial that marks a portion of 116520 black and white dial production starting around 2009–2010. Phillips (Logan Baker) frames the APH misprint as specific to the steel reference's dial-printing batch; the 116528's gold-dial production does not appear in that variant.


== Movement notes ==

Every 116528 runs caliber 4130, the same movement that powers the 116520 and 116523. Vertical-clutch chronograph coupling (the clutch engages vertically from above, eliminating the start-judder visible on a lateral clutch), column-wheel switching rather than cam, 72-hour power reserve, 44 jewels, 28,800 vph, COSC certification, and a Parachrom blue hairspring on later production. Hour and minute counters share a single side of the movement, and the mainspring can be replaced without uncasing the watch.

The 4130 is also a much simpler service object than the 4030 it replaced. Caliber Corner records 201 total components, a 30.5mm overall diameter, 6.5mm height, bidirectional winding through reversers, and a ball-bearing rotor using seven ceramic balls. Its no-date architecture leaves the crown with a single time-setting position, which is one reason the 116528 avoids the date-position handling found on modified base movements.

The headline detail is shared across the generation: cal 4130 is Rolex's first wholly in-house chronograph. Thirty-seven years of bought-in chronograph bases — the Valjoux 72 family from 1963, the Zenith El Primero base from 1988 — ended when the 4130 launched in 2000. The 116528 sits at the start of that transition. For the full caliber lineage and the 4030-to-4130 architecture comparison, see [[Reference:Movements#cal-4130]].


== Dial map ==

=== Serial / year / dial / lume / bracelet ===

{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Dial !! Lume !! Bracelet !! End links !! Notes
|-
| 2000–2003 || Black, White (silver subs), champagne, MOP || Super-Luminova || 78498 || SEL || Initial yellow gold in-house production; the 2019 Sotheby's Capsule Collection documents a circa-2001 yellow gold 116528
|-
| 2003–2008 || Black, champagne, MOP, sodalite (rare) || Super-Luminova || 78498 || SEL || Sodalite stone-dial 116528 is among the rarest variants of the generation; full-set examples documented through this era
|-
| 2009–2014 || Black, champagne, MOP, "Mexican" red, diamond-set markers || Chromalight || 78498 || SEL || Chromalight introduction; the April 2020 Sotheby's Watches Weekly Hong Kong lot documents a circa-2010 116528 with diamond-set markers and MOP dial, confirming the late-production diamond and stone-dial era
|-
| 2014–2016 || Standard black, champagne, MOP, diamond variants || Chromalight || 78498 || SEL || Final production years before the Cerachrom-bezel succession in 2016
|}

The 116528 dial catalogue runs broader than the steel 116520's — the gold case invites colour and texture combinations the steel reference does not carry. The configurations below are what the published record documents across the production run. Market frequency varies sharply from common to scarce.

Keep the factory-dial map separate from the off-catalog gem-set Daytona map. A standard-reference 116528 can carry unusual dials, but the heavy gem-set Daytona branches often receive their own reference numbers. Sotheby's catalogues the yellow-gold Rainbow Daytona as reference 116598RBOW, with a diamond and multi-coloured sapphire-set case and cal. 4130, not as a 116528.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dial
! Period
! Distinguishing features
|-
| Champagne with gold markers
| 2000–2016
| Most common 116528 layout; gold-tone sub-dial rings; applied gold five-minute markers
|-
| Black with red Daytona script
| 2000–2016
| Black base with red "Daytona" above the 6 o'clock sub-register; applied gold markers; documented in the 2019 Sotheby's Capsule Collection lot
|-
| White "Panda" with gold markers
| 2000–2016
| White base with three sub-dials; applied gold hour markers; champagne sub-registers on some examples
|-
| Mother-of-pearl (white)
| mid-to-late production
| White iridescent MOP base; gold luminous surrounds
|-
| Mother-of-pearl (Tahitian)
| mid-to-late production
| Dark Tahitian MOP base with gold surrounds; less common than white MOP
|-
| Sodalite
| rare
| Deep-blue mineral dial with applied gold markers
|-
| Diamond markers
| mid-to-late production
| Applied diamond hour markers on champagne, black, or white base
|-
| Sapphire markers
| mid-to-late production
| Blue sapphire hour markers; documented across the in-house generation
|-
| Pavé / pavé with coloured stones
| late production
| Factory pavé with ruby or sapphire accents; case-by-case authentication required
|-
| MOP with diamond markers
| late production
| MOP base with applied diamond hour markers
|}

The "Mexican" red-dial 116528 — a black dial with full-length red Daytona script and red accents — surfaces occasionally in the auction record and belongs to the broader late-production red-dial sub-branch rather than standing alone as a distinct standalone variant.


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==

The 116528 case is 40mm in 18k yellow gold, the same nameplate dimension as the steel 116520. Fratello's Ben Hodges measured the steel 116520 case at 38.5mm with calipers in 2021 and attributed the discrepancy to Rolex's steel case-machining tolerances. Whether the gold case runs to the marketed 40mm or tracks the steel's measured 38.5mm is not separately documented; gold and platinum cases in Rolex's modern catalogue generally run closer to the nameplate than the steel forgings. Lug-to-lug is documented at 46mm, in line with the 116523.

The bezel is engraved 18k yellow gold with the tachymetre scale. No aluminium insert, no ceramic — Cerachrom did not arrive on the Daytona until the 116500LN line in 2016, so every 116528 wears the engraved gold bezel through its full run. The crystal is flat sapphire with no Cyclops; the running-seconds sub-dial sits at 6 o'clock. The Triplock crown handles 100m / 330ft water resistance. Screw-down chronograph pushers sit on either side of the crown and must be unscrewed before the chronograph can be started, the same trade-off the rest of the 116520-generation carries for the case's water rating.


== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==

The bracelet is the full 18k yellow gold Oyster SEL (solid end links) — the same Oyster construction as the steel 116520's 78490 and the Rolesor 116523's 78493, with centre and outer links both machined in 18k yellow gold. End links are integral to the bracelet, not a separable stamped piece. It tracks the same Easylink-equipped Oysterlock clasp architecture as the rest of the cal 4130 generation.

The 78490 / 78690 attribution dispute that runs across the steel 116520 literature is documented in that article; see [[Reference:116520]] for the full treatment. The full-gold 116528 bracelet is the gold-cast parallel to the steel 78490 rather than carrying its own disputed history, and auction catalogue text generally identifies it by material rather than by reference number.

The clasp story is straightforward. Early 116528s can predate Easylink, later ones carry it, and the clasp code still dates the bracelet rather than the watch head.

The Daytona never adopted the Glidelock micro-extension that came to the Submariner-line clasps in 2010. Easylink is the only on-bracelet adjustment the 116528 ever offered.


== Special branches ==


=== Eric Clapton's 116528 ===

The 116528's best-known provenance is Eric Clapton's example, sold in 2017. That sale matters because it sets the celebrity premium against the ordinary market for the reference.

Revolution's 2017 report gives the cleaner market read: the watch was a 2014 18ct yellow gold 116528 with an additional rubber strap, the unworn gold bracelet, box, papers, and Clapton provenance. It sold at Bishop & Miller on 1 April 2017 for £28,000 hammer, £34,000 with premium, against a £30,000-50,000 estimate, then was withdrawn from a later Bonhams sale while further provenance material was being sought. His name lifted a normally commercial modern gold Daytona by a measurable but limited amount.


=== Tiffany & Co. and other double-signed examples ===

Tiffany-signed 116528s appear sporadically at major auction houses, following the broader Tiffany-signed Rolex tradition of the period. Cartier and Vacheron co-signed examples are thinner on the ground than in the Zenith-era 16528 catalogue — by the 2000s, the double-signed Rolex phenomenon had narrowed considerably as retailer dial programmes ended at most of the historical partners. No 116528-specific double-signed lot anchors a market-grade record in the captured research.


=== "Mexican" red dial ===

The red-dial 116528 sub-branch — black lacquer dial with red Daytona script in a larger type than the standard red accent — surfaces in the late-production auction record and is attested as a documented variant rather than a one-off. Production volume is not documented.


== Historical market and auction record ==

The 116528 auction record is anchored by the 2017 Bishop & Miller Clapton sale and a small group of Sotheby's lots across the run. That is enough to bracket the watch, even if it never became a headline auction reference.

The 2016 Cerachrom-bezel transition to the post-116528 full-gold Daytona reset the reference's market along the same line as the steel 116520 to 116500LN transition. The 116528 became the last engraved-gold-bezel full-yellow-gold Daytona, and used prices have climbed in the years that followed, particularly for full-set examples with matching box and papers and for the rarer dial variants (MOP, sodalite, diamond markers, "Mexican" red).

Clapton's example aside, the 116528 does not host the kind of single-artifact record-setting provenance that defines Paul Newman's 6239 or the Unicorn 6265. It sits as the gold flagship of its generation, collected on material and movement terms rather than on headline provenance.

== Sources ==
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/hard-to-thrill/ Hard to Thrill] — Revolution editorial, Revolution
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/important-watches/rolex-cosmograph-daytona-reference-116528-a-yellow Sotheby's — 116528 yellow gold Daytona, Important Watches 2021 (case P421022, P-serial 2000)] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/vintage-rolex-daytona-the-gold-standard Vintage Rolex Daytona: The Gold Standard] — Karyn Orrico, Sotheby's
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona, The Emblematic Racing Chronograph] — Erik Slaven, Monochrome
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/why-i-bought-the-rolex-cosmograph-daytona-reference-116520/ Why I Bought The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 116520] — Ben Hodges, Fratello Watches
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-part-33 In-Depth: A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Past to Present (Part 3/3)] — Paul Boutros, Hodinkee
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/ Vintage Watch Straps — Rolex bracelet and clasp reference] — David Boettcher, vintagewatchstraps.com
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

[[Category:Daytona In-House Gen 1]]
[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Drafted]]

User talk:Admin

2026-06-02T18:24:40Z

Klaudiusz: Pending audit edit on Reference:116523 (proposal #35) needs review

Reference:116523

2026-06-02T18:24:39Z

Klaudiusz: [bot-audit] proposal #35 ref=116523 agents=researcher,auditor,bar_raiser (FlaggedRevs pending review)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 116523 Daytona}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 116523 Daytona — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The 116523 is the two-tone Rolesor expression of the in-house Daytona generation. Steel case, 18k yellow gold bezel, steel-and-gold Oyster bracelet, cal…
|keywords=Rolex, 116523, Daytona, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 116523 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116523 — two-tone Rolesor
|type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-19T13:52:19Z
|modified_time=2026-04-29T02:45:57Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> '''116523'''

The 116523 is the Rolesor (steel-and-gold) Daytona of Rolex's first in-house chronograph generation. Steel case, 18k yellow gold bezel, steel-and-gold Oyster bracelet, caliber 4130 inside. It launched at Baselworld 2000 alongside the steel [[Reference:116520|116520]] and the full yellow gold 116528, ran for sixteen years, and gave way to the revised yellow-gold-bezel 116503 in 2016. The 116523 is the steel-bracelet workhorse's dressier sibling: the same cal 4130 architecture in a finish meant for a different wrist.

[[File:Ref 116523 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116523 — two-tone Rolesor|Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116523 — two-tone Rolesor]]


== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
! detail !! value
|-
| reference || 116523
|-
| family || Daytona (Cosmograph)
|-
| production || 2000–2016
|-
| case || 40mm steel, 18k yellow gold bezel (Rolesor)
|-
| crystal || flat sapphire, no Cyclops
|-
| bezel || engraved tachymetre, 18k yellow gold, fixed
|-
| crown || Triplock screw-down, gold-plated
|-
| movement || caliber 4130, COSC, in-house
|-
| frequency || 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
|-
| power reserve || 72 hours
|-
| jewels || 44
|-
| water resistance || 100m / 330ft
|-
| bracelet || 78493 Oyster Rolesor, SEL (steel + 18k yellow gold)
|-
| clasp || Oysterlock with Easylink 5mm comfort extension (mid-production onward)
|-
| serial format || P-series (2000) through random alphanumeric (2010 onward)
|-
| predecessor || 16523 (Zenith caliber 4030, 1988–2000)
|-
| successor || 116503 (Cerachrom Rolesor, 2017)
|-
| siblings || 116520 steel, 116528 yellow gold, 116519 white gold, 116518 yellow gold on leather
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 116523 succeeds the [[Reference:16523|16523]], the Zenith-era Rolesor Daytona that ran from 1988 to 2000. Case profile carries over almost unchanged: the same 40mm Oyster shell, the same screw-down pushers, the same engraved tachymetre bezel in 18k yellow gold. The change is internal. The Zenith-based cal 4030 left in 2000, and the fully in-house cal 4130 took its place.

It runs alongside the rest of the in-house first-generation family on the same cal 4130: the 116520 in steel, the 116528 in solid yellow gold, the 116519 in white gold, and the 116518 in yellow gold on a leather strap. The 116523 occupies the middle slot — gold for presence, steel for everyday wear, the Rolesor compromise that has been part of the Sport-model catalogue since the 1970s. The 116503 replaced it with a revised yellow-gold tachymetre bezel and an updated Rolesor Daytona execution, and that successor sits outside this article's scope. The 116523 is the last engraved-gold-bezel Rolesor Daytona Rolex made.


== Production outline ==

Production runs from 2000 to 2016: sixteen continuous years on a single reference number. The watch tracks the same revisions as the steel 116520 across that span. There is no distinct 116523 generation chronology, only the shared cal 4130 platform with Rolesor finishing.

The serial story is simple: letter-prefix through mid-2010, random after that. The documented P-, V-, and G-serial examples are enough to anchor the reference across the run.

The lume changes mid-life along with the rest of the cal 4130 family. Early 116523 production carries Luminova; Super-Luminova replaces it within the first few years; Chromalight arrives later in the run. The exact cutover years are debated and published sources do not converge on specific dates. Every 116523 sits on the post-tritium side of the 1998–2000 cutover that ended radioactive lume on Rolex Sport models.

The 116523 does not carry the APH error dial that marks a portion of the steel 116520 production. Phillips (Logan Baker) frames the APH misprint as specific to 116520 black and white dial production starting around 2009 to 2010; the 116523's Rolesor dial-printing batches do not appear in that variant.


== Movement notes ==

Every 116523 runs caliber 4130, the same movement inside the steel 116520. It is a vertical-clutch chronograph (the clutch that couples the chronograph wheel engages vertically from above rather than laterally, eliminating the judder visible on a lateral clutch), switched by a column wheel rather than a cam. Seventy-two-hour power reserve, 44 jewels, 28,800 vph, COSC certification, and a Parachrom blue hairspring on later production. Hour and minute counters share a single side of the movement; the mainspring can be replaced without uncasing the watch, a serviceability gain over the Zenith-based predecessor.

The headline detail is shared across the generation: cal 4130 is Rolex's first wholly in-house chronograph. Thirty-seven years of bought-in chronograph bases — the Valjoux 72 family from 1963 onward, the Zenith El Primero base from 1988 — ended when the 4130 launched in 2000. The 116523 sits in the first model year of that transition. For the full caliber lineage and the 4030-to-4130 architecture comparison see [[Reference:Movements#cal-4130]].

The 4130 generation also gives the quickest visual separation from the 16523: the running seconds moves from 9 o'clock to 6 o'clock, while the 12-hour chronograph register moves from 6 o'clock to 9 o'clock. On a 116523 that subdial layout is the most reliable at-a-glance marker of the in-house movement generation.


== Dial map ==

=== Serial / year / dial / lume / bracelet ===

{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Dial !! Lume !! Bracelet !! End links !! Notes
|-
| 2000–2003 || Black, White (silver subs), MOP || Super-Luminova || 78493 || SEL || Initial in-house production; engraved Rolex inner bezel ring per the same-period 116520
|-
| 2003–2008 || Black, White, MOP, Tahitian MOP || Super-Luminova || 78493 || SEL || Tahitian MOP dial 116523 documented from this era; late Luminova to Super-Luminova transition
|-
| 2009–2014 || Black, White, MOP, champagne || Chromalight || 78493 || SEL || Chromalight introduction; the 78493 bracelet is documented on 116523 production through this era
|-
| 2014–2016 || Black, white, MOP, champagne || Chromalight || 78493 || SEL || Final production years before the ceramic-bezel 116503 succession in 2017
|}

[[File:Ref 116523 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=116523 grey-rhodium soleil dial|116523 grey-rhodium soleil dial]]

The 116523 dial catalogue runs broader than the steel 116520's. Rolesor invites colour and texture combinations the steel watch does not: yellow gold surrounds on the luminous markers, champagne sub-registers, mother-of-pearl, anthracite sunburst. The configurations below are what the published record documents across the production run. Market frequency varies sharply from common to scarce, and several variants are documented from single auction lots.

{| class="wikitable"
! variant !! years !! distinguishing features !! notes
|-
| Black, gold-trim hour markers || 2000–2016 || Black dial; applied luminous markers with yellow gold surrounds; gold hands || The standard early-production Rolesor dial. Later black-dial production reads as black lacquer with red Daytona script
|-
| White "Panda", gold-trim markers || 2000–2016 || White dial with gold luminous surrounds; champagne sub-registers; gold hands || The Sotheby's Capsule Collection 2019 circa-2001 lot is the canonical early example. Champagne sub-registers distinguish the Rolesor white dial from the steel 116520's silver-ringed Panda
|-
| Mother-of-pearl (white MOP) || mid-production || Iridescent white MOP centre; gold luminous surrounds; gold hands || Documented across the era as a Rolesor and gold-only configuration; not produced in the steel 116520
|-
| Tahitian mother-of-pearl || mid-production || Dark Tahitian MOP centre; gold luminous surrounds || Documented from circa-2003–2008 production; less common than white MOP
|-
| Champagne || 2009 onward || Champagne dial with gold luminous surrounds; gold hands || Chromalight-era variant
|-
| Anthracite / grey-rhodium soleil || late production || Sunburst grey or rhodium dial; gold luminous surrounds || The April 2020 Sotheby's Watches Weekly lot (case 0UW51011, circa 2011–2012) and the 2011 GT Champion presentation watch both carry sunburst grey dials; uncommon but documented
|-
| Black lacquer, red Daytona script || 2011 onward || High-gloss black lacquer; red "Daytona" text || Late-production black configuration documented in the April 2020 Sotheby's Watches Weekly lot
|}

The sodalite stone-dial pattern that runs across the gold-only 116528 and the white gold 116519 is not directly attested on the Rolesor 116523 in the published record. Stone dials and diamond-set variants on Rolesor Daytonas surface at auction sporadically, but documentation is thin and the gap is best left named rather than filled. Where a 116523 carries a stone or diamond configuration, the lot record should be checked directly.

Diamond-set dials should be treated separately from stone-dial claims. A documented black diamond-set 116523 keeps the normal Rolesor case, yellow-gold tachymetre bezel, and Oyster bracelet, so the dial can be part of the reference's production vocabulary without implying a gem-set bezel or altered case. The safe rule is narrow: catalogue-backed diamond dials belong in the dial map; aftermarket gem bezels and coated cases do not.


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==

[[File:Ref 116523 caseback.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=116523 caseback|116523 caseback]]

The 116523 case is steel — the same forging as the 116520 — with an 18k yellow gold engraved tachymetre bezel screwed to it and a gold-plated Triplock crown. The bezel is the visible Rolesor mark on this reference: the steel 116520 carries a steel tachymetre bezel; the 116523 carries the same bezel topography in solid 18k yellow gold. No aluminium insert, no ceramic. Cerachrom did not arrive on the Daytona until the 2016 116500LN line, so every 116523 wears the engraved gold bezel through its full run.

Case dimensions follow the 116520 closely. The practical point is simply that this is the same in-house-era Daytona case in a Rolesor finish.


== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==

[[File:Ref 116523 clasp-and-bracelet.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=116523 Rolesor Oyster bracelet and Oysterlock clasp|116523 Rolesor Oyster bracelet and Oysterlock clasp]]

The bracelet reference is 78493, the steel-and-yellow-gold Oyster Rolesor SEL (solid end links) bracelet that ran the full 2000–2016 production span. The 78493 is the Rolesor sibling of the steel 116520's 78490: the same SEL Oyster construction, the same Easylink-equipped Oysterlock clasp, but with the centre links machined in 18k yellow gold rather than steel. End links are integral to the bracelet, not a separable stamped piece, which is why the 116523 sits flat against the lugs in a way the older 16523 with separable end-pieces does not.

The 78490 / 78690 bracelet dispute carries into the Rolesor reference in parallel form. The practical reading remains the same as on the 116520: the consensus number is the one to follow unless a stronger primary-source piece appears.

The clasp is the modern Oysterlock with Easylink 5mm comfort extension, a lever-and-keeper inside the clasp body that gives a five-millimetre micro-adjustment without tools. Easylink arrived on the cal 4130 generation around 2002 to 2003; the earliest 116523 production carried the Oysterlock without it. The clasp blade carries a year code — single letter through 2010, then a random three-character alphanumeric from 2011 — and on SEL bracelets the date code, part number, and Rolex crown are stamped into the underside of the end link itself rather than the clasp blade alone. See [[Reference:Bracelets]] for the full date-code key.

The Daytona never adopted the Glidelock micro-extension that came to the Submariner-line clasps in 2010. Easylink is the only on-bracelet adjustment the 116523 ever offered.


== Special branches ==

[[File:Ref 116523 gt-champion-caseback.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=GT Champion caseback engraving|GT Champion caseback engraving]]


=== The 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona GT Champion 116523 ===

The signature variant of this reference is a single watch, not a configuration. The 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona — the season-opening endurance race at Daytona International Speedway, that year presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 — was won in GT class by TRG / Nadeau Motorsports. The trophy watch awarded to the winning team was a Rolesor 116523, G-serial circa 2010, with a grey-rhodium soleil dial and a caseback engraved with the 2011 GT Champion mark. Wind Vintage later listed the watch NOS with full box and papers, and that listing remains the canonical published documentation of the example.

The presentation watch matters for two reasons. It anchors the 116523 to the race that gives the Daytona its name in a way the steel 116520 does not: by the in-house era, Rolesor and gold variants had become the trophy watches of choice rather than the steel reference. And it documents a grey-rhodium soleil dial configuration on the Rolesor that the standard catalogue text does not enumerate, putting a sunburst grey 116523 on record as a Rolex-issued specification rather than a non-original swap. Whether other 116523 trophy presentations were issued for GT-class wins in adjacent years is not documented in the published record.

The trophy context is broader than that single caseback. Rolex became title sponsor of the 24-hour Daytona race in 1992, and engraved Daytona watches became part of the victory ritual alongside the trophy. Later documented winner watches used the two-tone 126503, which makes the 2011 116523 less of an isolated oddity and more of an earlier Rolesor expression of the same race-prize pattern.


=== Tiffany & Co. and other co-signed dials ===

Double-signed Tiffany & Co. dials on the cal 4130 generation appear sporadically at major auction houses. These follow the broader Tiffany-signed Rolex tradition rather than a 116523-specific phenomenon, and the earlier 16523 generation produced more documented examples. No 116523-specific Tiffany lot has surfaced at major auction with a market-grade record.


== Historical market and auction record ==

Sotheby's has catalogued the 116523 across the run, which is enough to anchor the reference from launch to late production. The GT Champion watch is the piece that gives the branch more than just routine auction coverage.

The Rolesor 116523 trades at a meaningful discount to its yellow gold sibling. Revolution's 2017 coverage of the Eric Clapton 116528 sale at Bishop & Miller and Bonhams documented the yellow gold reference at a GBP 15,000 secondhand market floor at that time; the Rolesor 116523, with steel rather than solid-gold mass, has historically traded below that figure on the secondary market. Lot results vary year to year and are best read in current auction catalogues rather than fixed in a static article.

The 2016 ceramic-bezel transition to the 116503 reset Rolesor Daytona pricing along the same line as the steel 116520 to 116500LN transition. The 116523 became the last engraved-gold-bezel Rolesor Daytona, and used prices have climbed in the years that followed, particularly for full-set examples with the early Sotheby's-documented gold-trim configurations and for the rarer sunburst and Tahitian MOP dials.

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona, The Emblematic Racing Chronograph] — Erik Slaven, Monochrome
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/the-rolex-daytona-capsule-collection/rolex-daytona-ref-116523-a-stainless-steel-and Rolex Daytona Capsule Collection 2019 — 116523 lots (Capsule Collection May 2019 + Watches Weekly Rolex/AP April 2020)] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-daytona-116523-2011-gt-champion-crown-royal-24-hour-at-daytona-full-set-nos Rolex Daytona 116523 2011 GT Champion Crown Royal 24 Hour at Daytona Full Set NOS] — Wind Vintage
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/important-watches/rolex-cosmograph-daytona-reference-116528-a-yellow Sotheby's — 116528 yellow gold Daytona, Important Watches 2021 (case P421022, P-serial 2000)] — Sotheby's
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/hard-to-thrill/ Hard to Thrill] — Revolution editorial, Revolution
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/why-i-bought-the-rolex-cosmograph-daytona-reference-116520/ Why I Bought The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 116520] — Ben Hodges, Fratello Watches
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-part-33 In-Depth: A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Past to Present (Part 3/3)] — Paul Boutros, Hodinkee
* [https://www.watchtime.com/brands/watches/tracking-the-rolex-daytona-a-53-year-history Tracking the Rolex Daytona: A 55-Year History] — WatchTime Team, WatchTime
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/vintage-rolex-daytona-the-gold-standard Vintage Rolex Daytona: The Gold Standard] — Karyn Orrico, Sotheby's
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/ Vintage Watch Straps — Rolex bracelet and clasp reference] — David Boettcher, vintagewatchstraps.com
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

[[Category:Daytona In-House Gen 1]]
[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Drafted]]

User talk:Admin

2026-06-02T02:48:12Z

Klaudiusz: Pending audit edit on Reference:116520 (proposal #33) needs review

Reference:116520

2026-06-02T02:48:11Z

Klaudiusz: [bot-audit] proposal #33 ref=116520 agents=researcher,auditor,bar_raiser (FlaggedRevs pending review)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 116520 Daytona}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 116520 Daytona — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=Rolex's first in-house chronograph movement (cal 4130, 72h power reserve, vertical clutch, column wheel) ran in the 116520 for 16 years before the ceramic-bezel transition in 2016. Includes the APH error dial and the asymmetric lug case observation.
|keywords=Rolex 116520, Daytona 116520, cal 4130, in-house chronograph, APH dial, asymmetric lugs, Fratello, vertical clutch, column wheel, 78490
|image=Ref 116520 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116520
|type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-19T03:20:10Z
|modified_time=2026-04-29T02:45:54Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> '''116520'''

The 116520 is the first Daytona built around a wholly in-house Rolex chronograph movement. It launched at Baselworld 2000 with caliber 4130, ran for sixteen years, and gave way to the ceramic-bezel 116500LN in 2016. The architecture that defines every modern Daytona, vertical clutch and column wheel and 72-hour reserve, reached the wrist here first.


[[File:Ref 116520 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116520|Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116520]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
! detail !! value
|-
| reference || 116520
|-
| family || Daytona (Cosmograph)
|-
| production || 2000–2016 (sixteen years)
|-
| case || 40mm steel (true measured ~38.5mm per Fratello)
|-
| crystal || flat sapphire, no Cyclops
|-
| bezel || engraved steel tachymetre, fixed
|-
| crown || Triplock screw-down, 700 (twin-O-ring)
|-
| movement || caliber 4130, COSC, in-house
|-
| frequency || 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
|-
| power reserve || 72 hours
|-
| jewels || 44
|-
| water resistance || 100m / 330ft
|-
| bracelet || 78490 Oyster, SEL
|-
| end links || 503B early; SEL integral from launch (78490)
|-
| clasp || Oysterlock with Easylink 5mm comfort extension (~2002–3 onward)
|-
| serial format || letter-prefix serials at launch, through random alphanumeric (2010 onward)
|-
| predecessor || 16520 (Zenith caliber 4030)
|-
| successor || 116500LN (Cerachrom, 2016)
|-
| siblings || 116523 Rolesor, 116528 yellow gold
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 116520 succeeds the 16520, the eleven-year Zenith-driven Daytona that ran from 1988 through 1999–2000. The case profile carried over almost unchanged: 40mm Oyster shell, screw-down pushers, engraved steel tachymetre bezel. The change was inside. Cal 4030 left in 2000, cal 4130 took its slot, and Rolex finally owned the whole watch.

The same generation runs in precious metal as the 116523 Rolesor, 116528 yellow gold, 116519 white gold, and 116518 yellow gold on a leather strap, all carrying cal 4130 and covered separately. The 116520 is the steel-bracelet workhorse of the family.

The 2016 [[Reference:116500LN|116500LN]] arrived with a Cerachrom bezel and a refined cal 4130, but the underlying architecture is the one the 116520 introduced. The 116520 is the last steel-bezel Daytona Rolex ever made.


== Production outline ==

Production runs from 2000 to 2016, sixteen continuous years on a single reference number. Within that span a handful of small revisions mark out internal generations.

Serials follow the catalogue-wide cutover. Pre-2010 examples carry the conventional letter prefix; from mid-2010 onward the number is a random eight-character alphanumeric string with no public year mapping. See [[Reference:Serial-numbers]] for the full key.

Lume changed mid-life. Early production carried Luminova; Super-LumiNova replaced it within the first few years, and the lume reads cooler and brighter on later examples than on the earliest ones. Published sources do not converge on the precise cutover window. The 116520 sits entirely on the post-tritium side of the 1998–2000 catalogue-wide cutover, so every example is a non-radioactive watch.

The APH (Applied Printed Hour) error dial enters the run around 2009 on white-dial production and 2010 on black, per Logan Baker's coverage at Phillips. The misprint sits in the dial text, with visible spacing between "Cosmogr" and "aph" in the second line, and was never officially corrected. APH dials kept turning up sporadically through the 2016 discontinuation. Production volume is not documented; the variant's frequency within the run remains an open question.

Late-production examples carry chromalight-era lume that reads slightly differently from earlier Super-LumiNova, while the dial print stays consistent across the transition.


== Movement notes ==

Caliber 4130 is the headline of this reference. Rolex's first wholly in-house chronograph movement, launched in 2000 after a development cycle the brand described as five years long. For thirty-eight years prior, the chronograph base came from outside: the Valjoux 72 family powered every manual-wind Daytona from 1963 through 1988, then the Zenith El Primero base sat under cal 4030 from 1988 through 1999. The 4130 ended that.

The architecture matters. Cal 4130 uses a vertical-clutch chronograph coupling: two stacked discs engage along their flat faces in place of the rocking pinion of a horizontal clutch. The result is no jitter at start, no amplitude loss when the chronograph runs, and no backlash hop on the seconds hand. Paul Boutros, writing in the third part of Hodinkee's Daytona dissection, confirmed the absence of jitter across a seven-day wear test with frequent chronograph use. A column wheel handles the start-stop-reset switching, the older and visually cleaner alternative to a cam-actuated system.

The 72-hour reserve is the practical payoff of cal 4130, the upgrade an owner actually feels. It is also why the 116520 became the first Daytona that could come off the wrist on Friday and run through Monday morning.

The 4130 is leaner than its reputation suggests. Caliber Corner lists it at 201 components, 44 jewels, a ball-bearing rotor with seven ceramic balls, bidirectional winding, a Parachrom Blue hairspring, and a 3-6-9 layout with running seconds at six. That last point matters because the Zenith-era 4030 placed running seconds at nine; the 4130 moved the live seconds to six and the 12-hour chronograph counter to nine, giving the modern Daytona dial architecture its current map.

For the full caliber lineage see [[Reference:Movements#cal-4130]].

Later 4130s also carry a small but useful anti-backlash refinement inside the chronograph train. Richard Lee's SJX teardown notes that Rolex used a UV-LIGA chronograph seconds wheel with sprung, skeletonised teeth; the teeth take up play in the indirect chronograph seconds drive, reducing hand stutter without the drag and wear of a traditional tensioner spring. It is not a dial-side collectible marker, but it helps explain why the 4130 stayed in service for so long with quiet running changes rather than a public caliber replacement.


== Dial map ==

=== Serial / year / dial / lume / bracelet ===

{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Dial !! Lume !! Bracelet !! End links !! Notes
|-
| 2000-2003 || Black, White (silver subs) || luminova || 78490 || SEL || Initial in-house production before the engraved-rehaut transition.
|-
| 2003-2008 || Black, White || super-luminova || 78490 || SEL || Lume transition. Easylink 5mm comfort extension introduced around 2002.
|-
| 2009-2014 || APH error (white 2009-), APH error (black 2010-) || chromalight || 78490 || SEL || APH kerning anomaly per Phillips Logan Baker.
|-
| 2014-2016 || Standard black, Standard white || chromalight || 78490 || SEL || Final production; APH still occasionally appears.
|}

Dial branches are fewer here than on the 16520, but the ones that exist matter.

{| class="wikitable"
! variant !! years !! distinguishing features !! notes
|-
| Black dial, cream lume || ~2000–2005 || Black dial; lume plots and indices in cream-yellow Luminova || Earliest in-house Daytona dial. Cream-to-white lume cutover year is contested; sources do not converge on a specific year
|-
| White "Panda" dial || 2000–2016 || White dial with black sub-dial rings; silver chronograph hands || Standard alternative to black across the entire run; carries through every lume generation
|-
| Black dial, white lume || ~2005–2016 || Black dial; lume plots in cooler white Super-LumiNova then chromalight || The mid-life and late-life standard black dial
|-
| Racing / luminous-numerals dial || late production || Arabic numerals on the sub-dials with luminous fill; available in black and white || Late-run variant; documentation on production span and volume is thin
|-
| APH error dial || 2009 (white) / 2010 (black) onward || Visible kerning gap between "Cosmogr" and "aph" in the dial text || Documented by Logan Baker at Phillips as a kerning anomaly produced by an Asia-Pacific Hong Kong dial batch; appears sporadically through 2016. Carries a small market premium today despite being a misprint
|}


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==

[[File:Ref 116520 case-asymmetric-lugs.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Fratello's caliper-measured asymmetric lug — 38.5mm true case width|Fratello's caliper-measured asymmetric lug — 38.5mm true case width]]

The case is steel, marketed as 40mm, with an engraved tachymetre bezel and a flat sapphire crystal. Ben Hodges, writing for Fratello in 2021, ran a caliper across the steel case and recorded 38.5mm, attributing the gap to Rolex's case-machining tolerances. Gold and platinum Daytonas of the same generation measure closer to the marketed figure; the gap is specific to the steel case. The marketed 40mm is the nameplate, the 38.5mm is what calipers find.

The lugs are slightly asymmetric on the steel case. The right-hand lugs run thinner and meet the case sooner than the left to clear the screw-down pushers, geometry that Fratello frames as the opposite of a Speedmaster Professional's asymmetry. Gold and platinum 116520-generation cases run symmetric. The asymmetry is a steel-only quirk.

The bezel is engraved steel, with no aluminum insert and no ceramic. Cerachrom did not reach the Daytona until the 2016 116500LN, so every 116520 wears a steel bezel through its entire run. The crystal is flat sapphire with no Cyclops, and the running-seconds sub-dial sits at six o'clock. Rolex's 700-series Triplock crown (twin O-ring screw-down) carries the 100m water rating. Boutros notes the consequence: the pushers must be unscrewed before the chronograph can be started, the price Rolex paid for the case's depth rating.


== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==

The bracelet reference is 78490, the steel SEL Oyster bracelet that ran the full 2000–2016 production span.

Aggregator listings sometimes mislabel the 116520 bracelet as a 78690, which is the Explorer code. The Daytona bracelet is 78490.

End links arrive on the 116520 already as SEL: solid end links integral to the first link rather than a separable stamped piece. The earlier 503 and 503B references belonged to the 78360 and 78390 bracelets on the 16520, where the end link was a separate stamped fitting. The 78490 carries the end link as part of the bracelet structure, which is why the 116520 sits flat against the lugs in a way the earliest 16520s do not.

Early 116520s shipped without Easylink and later ones added it, with the comfort extension reaching the line around 2002 to 2003. The date code on the clasp dates the bracelet, not the watch head.

The Daytona never adopted the Glidelock micro-extension that arrived on the Submariner-line clasps in 2010. Easylink is the only on-bracelet adjustment the 116520 ever offered.


== Special branches ==

The APH (Applied Printed Hour) error dial is the headline anomaly of the reference. Baker at Phillips frames it as an Asia-Pacific Hong Kong dial-printing error that slipped past quality control on a portion of 2009-and-later production and was never officially corrected. The market treats the misprint as a desirability feature, and APH examples trade at a small premium over standard dials. A 2018 Sotheby's lot of a white APH 116520 with chromalight blue lume sits as the publicly visible auction record for the variant.

The gap in COSMOGRAPH is the easy tell, but Phillips notes two companion tells on many late APH dials: the O in OYSTER looks more like a zero, and the spacing across OYSTER PERPETUAL is wider than on earlier standard dials. Those details matter when checking loose claims, because APH is not just a nickname for any late 116520 dial with blue lume.

Double-signed Tiffany & Co. dials on the 116520 turn up in the catalogues of the major auction houses. The pattern is part of the broader Tiffany-signed Rolex tradition; the earlier 16520 generation produced more documented examples.

The Rolex 24 at Daytona trophy connection belongs to the modern Daytona line overall rather than the 116520 specifically. Documented presentation-watch examples sit mainly on the gold and Rolesor side of the family.


== Historical market and auction record ==

Retail sat around USD 11,400 in 2014 per Fratello's owner-perspective figure for a UK-bought example. Authorised-dealer waits were already long before discontinuation; Fratello records a two-year UK wait between 2012 and 2014. WatchTime in 2016 noted used 116520 prices in steel approaching USD 12,000, close to retail at the moment the 116500LN was announced.

The 2016 ceramic-bezel transition reset the market. With the 116500LN absorbing Daytona demand at retail and the 116520 instantly the last steel-bezel Daytona, used prices climbed in the years that followed. Auction treatment has stayed selective rather than headline-driven. The steel 116520 trades regularly at Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips, with APH variants and original-papers examples drawing the strongest bids.

One documented outlier is Sotheby's 2025 'Citrus' 116520, a circa 2003 watch catalogued with a factory white dial that had aged to an even citrus tone. That example should sit as an auction lead, not a rule: it shows that non-tritium 116520 dials can still develop visible colour change, but it does not prove a broad tropical sub-series for the reference.

== Sources ==
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/why-i-bought-the-rolex-cosmograph-daytona-reference-116520/ Why I Bought The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 116520] — Ben Hodges, Fratello Watches
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-part-33 In-Depth: A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Past to Present (Part 3/3)] — Paul Boutros, Hodinkee
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona, The Emblematic Racing Chronograph] — Erik Slaven, Monochrome
* [https://www.watchtime.com/brands/watches/tracking-the-rolex-daytona-a-53-year-history Tracking the Rolex Daytona: A 55-Year History] — WatchTime Team, WatchTime
* [https://www.phillips.com/article/127946519/rolex-daytona-aph-dial-116520-error Perpetual Picks: Accidents Happen — How A Simple Kerning Mistake Created A More Desirable Daytona] — Logan Baker, Phillips
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/vintage-rolex-daytona-the-gold-standard Vintage Rolex Daytona: The Gold Standard] — Karyn Orrico, Sotheby's
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/ Vintage Watch Straps — Rolex bracelet and clasp reference] — David Boettcher, vintagewatchstraps.com
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/a-movement-in-history-the-zenith-driven-rolex-daytona/ A Movement in History: The Zenith-driven Rolex Daytona] — Ross Povey, Revolution Watch
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2020/11/rolex-daytona-movement-4130-liga.html Insight: High-Tech LIGA Within the Rolex Daytona Cal. 4130] — JX Su, SJX Watches
* [https://mazzariolstefanoblog.com/en/stefano-mazzariol-blog-en/studio-sul-rolex-daytona-ref-116520-la-storia-i-mark-e-levoluzione-blog/ Study on the Rolex Daytona Ref. 116520 — History, Marks, and Evolution] — Stefano Mazzariol
* [https://www.phillips.com/article/117303084/the-rolex-cosmograph-daytona-ref-116506-the-anniversary-watch-that-was-so-much-more The Rolex Daytona 116506: Anniversary Watch] — Phillips
* [https://calibercorner.com/rolex-caliber-4130/ Rolex Caliber 4130 Watch Movement] — Caliber Corner
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=652404 Rolex Daytona 116520 SS Dial Guide: Period Variation Study] — RolexForums

[[Category:Daytona In-House Gen 1]]
[[Category:Daytona]]

User talk:Admin

2026-05-30T07:58:45Z

Klaudiusz: Pending audit edit on Reference:116518 (proposal #31) needs review

Reference:116518

2026-05-30T07:58:45Z

Klaudiusz: [bot-audit] proposal #31 ref=116518 agents=researcher,auditor,image_scout,bar_raiser (FlaggedRevs pending review)

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116518 — BezelBase
|description=Rolex Daytona 116518: yellow gold leather-strap Daytona, 2000–c.2015. 40mm 18k yellow gold case, engraved gold tachymeter bezel, caliber 4130, alligator on deployant clasp, dial branches across champagne, black, MOP, racing, and diamond variants.
|keywords=Rolex 116518, Daytona yellow gold, Cosmograph Daytona, caliber 4130, alligator strap, deployant clasp, MOP dial, racing dial
|type=article
}}

[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> '''116518'''

The 116518 is the full yellow gold Daytona on a leather strap of the in-house cal 4130 generation — the strap-and-deployant counterpart to the bracelet-mounted [[Reference:116528|116528]] and the cal 4130 successor to the Zenith-era [[Reference:16518|16518]]. Produced from 2000 to roughly 2015, it carries the same 40mm 18k yellow gold case, the same engraved gold tachymetre bezel, and the same caliber 4130 movement that defines the rest of the in-house first-generation Daytona line. What makes it specific is the configuration: gold case on alligator with a yellow gold deployant clasp, no factory Oyster bracelet, and one of the broadest dial catalogues in the cal 4130 family.

The 116518 is also the reference most often confused with its post-2017 successor. Rolex retired the engraved-gold-bezel leather-strap Daytona around 2015 and replaced it in 2017 with the [[Reference:116518LN|116518LN]] — same case metal, but with a Cerachrom ceramic bezel and a black Oysterflex elastomer-and-titanium strap in place of leather. The two share five characters of reference number and almost nothing else mechanically beyond the cal 4130. This article covers the engraved-gold-bezel leather-strap reference only.

[[File:Ref 116518 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Reference 116518 yellow gold Daytona on leather strap with white dial|Reference 116518 in 18k yellow gold with white dial on alligator strap, circa 2000. Sotheby's Watches Online 2020.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 116518
|-
| family
| Daytona (Cosmograph, automatic)
|-
| production
| 2000 to c. 2015
|-
| case
| 40mm, 18k yellow gold
|-
| crystal
| sapphire (flat)
|-
| bezel
| engraved 18k yellow gold tachymetre
|-
| crown
| Triplock, screw-down, gold
|-
| water resistance
| 100m / 330ft
|-
| movement
| Rolex cal 4130 (first in-house chronograph)
|-
| frequency
| 28,800 vph
|-
| jewels
| 44
|-
| power reserve
| 72 hours
|-
| chronometer
| COSC certified
|-
| strap
| alligator leather (factory original); 18k yellow gold deployant buckle
|-
| siblings
| 116520 (steel), 116523 (Rolesor), 116528 (yellow gold bracelet), 116519 (white gold leather)
|-
| predecessor
| 16518 (Zenith cal 4030, 1988–2000)
|-
| successor
| 116518LN (Cerachrom + Oysterflex, 2017)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 116518 occupies the leather-strap full-gold slot in the cal 4130 launch lineup. Rolex announced five cal 4130 Daytona configurations at Baselworld 2000: the steel 116520 on Oyster, the Rolesor 116523 on Oyster, the yellow gold 116528 on Oyster, the yellow gold 116518 on leather, and the white gold 116519 on leather. The split is by case material plus bracelet-or-strap decision. The 116518 is the gold-case watch sold on alligator from the factory, with no standard Oyster bracelet option.

The predecessor is the [[Reference:16518|16518]], the Zenith-based cal 4030 yellow gold Daytona on leather that ran from 1988 to 2000. The 2000 transition brought the in-house movement, the 72-hour power reserve, and the modernised dial-printing programme; the case profile, the gold engraved bezel, and the leather-strap-with-deployant configuration carried over. The successor in the Rolex catalogue is the 116518LN, which arrived in 2017 with a Cerachrom monobloc black ceramic bezel and an Oysterflex strap. The 116518 is consequently the last engraved-gold-bezel yellow gold Daytona Rolex ever delivered on a leather strap.

==Production outline==

The 116518 ran for roughly fifteen years across the same case-serial chronology as the rest of the cal 4130 family. Pre-2010 production used the Rolex letter-prefix system shared across the catalogue; from mid-2010 onward case serials switched to the random eight-character alphanumeric format that has no public year mapping. See [[Reference:Serial-numbers]] for the full key.

There is no separate 116518 generation timeline: the reference tracks the 116528 production chronology in parallel, with the same lume transitions (Luminova at launch, Super-Luminova within the first few years, Chromalight on later production) and the same cal 4130 stability across the run. End of production lands around 2015 in the published literature, with the discontinuation closing out the engraved-gold-bezel leather configuration ahead of the 2017 116518LN announcement. The two-year gap between the two yellow gold leather Daytonas is the cleanest break Rolex made in the modern Daytona catalogue.

The 116518 does not host the APH-error dial that defines a portion of 116520 black and white dial production around 2009 to 2010. Phillips's Logan Baker frames the APH misprint as specific to the steel reference's dial-printing batch; the 116518 catalogue does not record it.

==Movement notes==

Cal 4130 sits inside every 116518 — the same movement that powers the 116520, 116523, 116519, and 116528. Vertical-clutch chronograph coupling, column-wheel switching, 72-hour power reserve, 44 jewels, 28,800 vph, COSC certification, Parachrom blue hairspring on later production. Hour and minute counters share a single side of the movement, and the mainspring can be replaced without uncasing.

Cal 4130 is Rolex's first wholly in-house chronograph movement. Thirty-seven years of bought-in chronograph bases — the Valjoux 72 family from 1963, the Zenith El Primero base from 1988 — ended when the 4130 launched in 2000 across the five-configuration cal 4130 Daytona family. The 116518 is the leather-strap point of entry into that transition.

The practical difference is not only the longer reserve. In use, the vertical clutch gives the chronograph seconds hand a clean start without the jump associated with lateral-clutch chronographs, and period hands-on reporting found the 4130-generation Daytona holding tight daily rates even with frequent chronograph use. That is why the 116518 should not be treated as merely a gold 16518 with a new reference number: the dial layout, register positions, and chronograph feel all belong to the 4130 architecture.

For the full caliber lineage and the 4030-to-4130 architecture comparison, see [[Reference:Movements#cal-4130]].

==Dial map==

The 116518 dial catalogue runs broader than the steel 116520's, with the gold case carrying decorative finishes the steel reference never offered. The standard configurations and the most-documented decorative variants follow.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dial
! Period
! Distinguishing features
|-
| Champagne with gold markers
| 2000–2015
| Most common 116518 layout; gold-tone sub-dial rings; applied gold five-minute markers
|-
| Black with red Daytona script
| 2000–2015
| Black base with red "Daytona" above the 6 o'clock sub-register; applied gold markers
|-
| White "Panda" with gold markers
| 2000–2015
| White base, three sub-dials in contrasting tone, applied gold markers
|-
| Mother-of-pearl, white
| mid-to-late production
| White iridescent MOP base with applied gold or Roman markers
|-
| Mother-of-pearl, black
| mid-to-late production
| Dark iridescent MOP base with applied gold or Roman markers
|-
| Mother-of-pearl, Tahitian
| mid-to-late production
| Dark Tahitian MOP base with diamond hour markers on most documented examples
|-
| MOP with diamond markers
| mid-to-late production
| White, black, or Tahitian MOP base with applied factory diamond hour markers
|-
| Champagne with diamond markers
| mid-to-late production
| Champagne base with applied factory diamond hour markers; sub-registers gold-tone
|-
| Black with diamond markers
| mid-to-late production
| Black base with applied factory diamond hour markers
|-
| Roman numeral indices
| sub-variant
| Applied gold Roman numerals at hour positions; available on MOP and standard layouts
|-
| Pavé and pavé-with-coloured-stones
| late production
| Factory pavé with ruby or sapphire accents — case-by-case authentication required
|}

Karyn Orrico's "Vintage Rolex Daytona: The Gold Standard" piece (Sotheby's, 2024) catalogues white Panda and diamond-set hour-marker examples on the cal 4030 16518, and the same dial families carry forward to the 116518 with the in-house movement underneath. Forum and auction documentation of MOP-with-Roman-numeral 116518s is consistent enough across the production run to read as a regular catalogue option rather than a one-off. Pavé and gem-set layouts outside Sotheby's, Phillips, or Christie's lot text need case-by-case authentication; the late cal 4130 era saw both factory and aftermarket gem-setting on yellow gold Daytonas, and the line between them is not always documented in dealer catalogue copy.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The 116518 case is 40mm in 18k yellow gold — the same nominal dimension as the steel 116520, executed in solid gold rather than steel. Lugs and case flanks carry the same profile as the cal 4130 family standard, with crown guards integrated into the case and the 700-series Triplock screw-down crown at 3 o'clock. Water resistance is 100m / 330ft, identical to the steel reference. Case thickness on documented examples runs to roughly 12.4mm, marginally thicker than the steel 116520's measured profile because of the gold-forging tolerances Rolex used through the cal 4130 run.

The bezel is engraved 18k yellow gold with the tachymetre scale. No aluminium insert, no ceramic — Cerachrom did not arrive on the yellow gold leather Daytona until the 116518LN in 2017, so every 116518 wears the engraved gold bezel through its full production. The bezel font matches the wider cal 4130 family, with the tachymetre numerals running from 60 to 400 around the ring.

The crystal is flat sapphire with no Cyclops; the running-seconds sub-dial sits at 6 o'clock. The Triplock crown handles the 100m water rating. Screw-down chronograph pushers sit on either side of the crown, the same trade-off the rest of the 116520-generation carries for the case's water resistance — they have to be unscrewed before the chronograph can be started. Pusher-screw feel and travel match the steel 116520. Case finishing on the 116518 is mixed: polished bezel and case-flank treatment with brushed lug tops, with refinishing on heavily-polished examples a routine secondary-market issue that suppresses prices on otherwise good watches.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 116518 is a leather-strap reference. Every documented original-equipment example shipped on alligator leather with an 18k yellow gold deployant buckle. No factory Oyster bracelet was offered for the 116518 — that configuration is the [[Reference:116528|116528]]. Aftermarket gold Oyster fitments do appear on individual 116518 cases at the dealer tier, generally pulled from a 116528 or a Day-Date 18238 and refitted to the 20mm 116518 lug spacing. These reconfigurations are not original delivery and trade as such on the secondary market.

The preceding 16518 used fixed gold end pieces between case and strap, a precious-metal Daytona detail the steel references never carried. The 116518 inherits the same originality burden: a correct watch head can sit on a replaced strap, end-link, or deployant, so each component has to be verified individually rather than assumed correct from the presence of leather alone.

The deployant buckle is 18k yellow gold throughout the run, in the standard Rolex deployant geometry of the period. Strap material was always alligator from Rolex, with black, brown, and burgundy as standard colours and other tones available through the catalogue. Strap is a wear item; owners typically replaced it multiple times across the watch's life, and a surviving 116518 with its original Rolex-stamped strap and the original deployant in untampered condition is the period-correct configuration. A later aftermarket strap with the original deployant is the more common surviving form, and a fully refurbished strap-and-deployant set with no original Rolex components is normal at the dealer tier.

Rubber-strap aftermarket fitments — Rubber-B and similar third-party sets — are common on owned-and-worn 116518s and do not affect originality on the watch head, only on the wearable kit. Some auction lots note the rubber alongside the original Rolex deployant; others present only the rubber.

For the wider Daytona bracelet and clasp reference chronology, see [[Reference:Bracelets]]. The 116518's leather-and-deployant configuration is documented inside David Boettcher's broader Daytona bracelet reference at vintagewatchstraps.com.

==Special branches==

===Tiffany & Co. and other double-signed dials===

Double-signed dials are a weakly documented area for the 116518. The better-published Tiffany Daytona material sits with earlier references, especially manual-wind and Zenith-era watches, so any six-digit 116518 double signature needs original-sale documentation or major-house cataloguing before it belongs in the reference taxonomy. The signature is applied on the dial below the 6 o'clock Cosmograph block, on the standard champagne or black layouts. Cartier-signed and Vacheron-signed examples on the cal 4130 yellow gold Daytona references are thinner on the ground than in the Zenith-era 16518 catalogue — by the 2000s, the double-signed Rolex phenomenon had narrowed considerably as retailer dial programmes ended at most of the historical partners. No 116518-specific double-signed lot anchors a market-grade record in the published literature comparable to Phillips's Van Cleef & Arpels "Le Roi Soleil" 16518 (Daytona Ultimatum, Geneva, 12 May 2018, Lot 18).

===Beach dial sub-branches===

The pastel mother-of-pearl "beach dial" family that runs on the cal 4030 16518 — pink MOP, salmon MOP, pale blue MOP — is documented as carrying forward into early 116518 production in some dealer and auction catalogue copy, though the cal 4130 layouts read as a narrower set than the Zenith-era variants. Per-dial production volume on the 116518 beach-dial sub-branch is not documented in the major-house literature, and individual examples need to be authenticated against period documentation rather than against a single canonical layout.

===Diamond, pavé, and gem-set layouts===

Diamond hour markers are the most widespread decorative layer on the 116518. Sotheby's "Gold Standard" piece (Orrico, 2024) catalogues diamond-set hour-marker yellow gold Daytonas across the cal 4030 and cal 4130 references, and the configuration runs as a regular cataloguing option on champagne, black, and MOP base dials. Pavé and pavé-with-coloured-stones (ruby, sapphire) variants exist on top of that base, generally on later production where the gem-set programme was running at higher volume. Documentation of which exact pavé layouts shipped from Rolex versus which were aftermarket gem-setting is uneven across the published literature; treat any pavé 116518 outside Sotheby's, Phillips, or Christie's lot documentation as needing case-by-case authentication.

==Auction record==

The 116518 has not produced a single headline lot in the way the 16518 produced the Phillips "Le Roi Soleil" Van Cleef & Arpels signed lot in 2018. Auction interest in the cal 4130 generation has concentrated on the steel 116520 (Patrizzi-eligible Zenith-era refs are the prior generation) and on the rarer dial variants of the gold cases. Standard champagne 116518s have anchored the floor of the cal 4130 yellow gold leather market through the 2010s and into the 2020s, with diamond-marker, MOP, and Tahitian MOP variants pulling the premium end. Public auction records on standard 116518 examples are thinner than on the steel 116520 because the gold leather configuration trades more often in the dealer market than at the major houses.

The 2017 introduction of the 116518LN and its rapid market acceleration through the late 2010s — the Cerachrom yellow gold Daytona on Oysterflex caught the same allocation-economy dynamics as the steel 116500LN — has dragged the 116518 along behind it. Used prices on the engraved-bezel reference firmed in the years after its discontinuation, with full-set examples carrying matching box, papers, and original Rolex strap commanding a clear premium over partial-set examples. The 116518 trades on material and configuration terms rather than on headline provenance, with the rarer dial variants (MOP, sodalite where documented, factory diamond markers, factory pavé with confirmed provenance) carrying the auction-grade price band.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/vintage-rolex-daytona-the-gold-standard Karyn Orrico, "Vintage Rolex Daytona: The Gold Standard", Sotheby's, 2024-12-17]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-daytona-zenith-a-sothebys-guide Karyn Orrico, "Rolex Daytona Zenith: The Essential Guide", Sotheby's, 2025-11-03]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ Erik Slaven, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona, The Emblematic Racing Chronograph", Monochrome, 2024-12-20]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-part-33 Paul Boutros, "In-Depth: A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Past to Present (Part 3/3)", Hodinkee, 2013-03]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/a-movement-in-history-the-zenith-driven-rolex-daytona/ Ross Povey, "A Movement in History: The Zenith-driven Rolex Daytona", Revolution Watch, 2018-09-03]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/new-rolex-daytona-2016-what-changed/ "New Rolex Daytona 2016 - What Changed", Fratello, 2016-01-01]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-daytona-ref-116500ln-review Jack Forster, "A Week On The Wrist: The Rolex Daytona Ref. 116500LN", Hodinkee, 2020-01-01]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-daytona-116500ln-steel-cerachrom-black-bezel-live-photos-price/ Frank Geelen, "Rolex Daytona 116500LN in steel with Cerachrom black bezel Hands-On", Monochrome, 2016-03-17]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/hard-to-thrill/ Revolution editorial, "Hard to Thrill", Revolution, 2017-06-20]
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/ David Boettcher, "Vintage Watch Straps — Rolex bracelet and clasp reference", vintagewatchstraps.com, 2026-04-18]

[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

User talk:Admin

2026-05-30T07:58:44Z

Klaudiusz: Pending audit edit on Reference:116515LN (proposal #30) needs review

Reference:116515LN

2026-05-30T07:58:44Z

Klaudiusz: [bot-audit] proposal #30 ref=116515LN agents=researcher,auditor,image_scout,bar_raiser (FlaggedRevs pending review)

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116515LN — BezelBase
|description=Rolex Daytona 116515LN: the first ceramic-bezel Daytona, launched 2011 in Everose gold with black Cerachrom and leather strap; transitioned to Oysterflex in 2017. Caliber 4130, 40mm Everose case, dial branches across chocolate, black, ivory, sundust, and meteorite.
|keywords=Rolex 116515LN, Daytona Cerachrom, Daytona Everose, first ceramic Daytona, Oysterflex Daytona, caliber 4130, sundust dial, chocolate dial, meteorite dial
|type=article
}}

[[Reference:Daytona|Daytona]] -> '''116515LN'''

The 116515LN is the first Cerachrom-bezel Daytona in any case material. Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2011 in Everose gold on a leather strap with an Everose Oysterlock fold-over clasp — five years before the steel 116500LN brought ceramic to the entry-level Daytona. The black Cerachrom monobloc tachymeter bezel that defines every modern ceramic Daytona made its debut here, on the warm pink case Rolex had introduced three years earlier on the engraved-bezel 116505. The reference number unifies the production: the <code>LN</code> suffix (lunette noire — black bezel) marks the Cerachrom version against the engraved-Everose 116505 it ran alongside.

In 2017 Rolex moved the 116515LN from leather to Oysterflex without changing the reference number — making the 116515LN the first Daytona on Oysterflex, two years after the strap debuted on the Yacht-Master 116655 in 2015. Both strap eras share the same case, movement, and bezel; the watch is the same reference across thirteen continuous years of production, and the strap configuration is the practical generation marker. Caliber 4130 sits inside the entire run, the same first-in-house Rolex chronograph that has powered every modern Daytona since 2000.

[[File:Ref 116515LN hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Daytona 116515LN Everose with Cerachrom bezel|116515LN in Everose gold with black Cerachrom monobloc bezel and Oysterflex strap]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
! detail !! value
|-
| reference || 116515LN
|-
| family || Daytona (Cosmograph, automatic)
|-
| production || 2011–2023
|-
| case || 40mm, 18k Everose gold
|-
| crystal || flat sapphire, no Cyclops
|-
| bezel || Cerachrom monobloc black ceramic, tachymeter; Everose-PVD-filled numerals
|-
| crown || Triplock screw-down, Everose gold
|-
| movement || Rolex caliber 4130, in-house, COSC
|-
| frequency || 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
|-
| power reserve || 72 hours
|-
| jewels || 44
|-
| water resistance || 100m / 330ft
|-
| strap (2011–2017) || black leather with 18k Everose Oysterlock fold-over clasp
|-
| strap (2017–present) || Oysterflex elastomer with titanium-nickel alloy core; 18k Everose Oysterlock clasp
|-
| siblings || 116518LN (yellow gold, Cerachrom, Oysterflex 2017), 116519LN (white gold, Cerachrom, Oysterflex 2017), 116505 (engraved-Everose bezel, Oyster bracelet)
|-
| successor || 126515LN (cal 4131, 2023)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 116515LN is the gateway reference for the entire ceramic Daytona programme. When Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2011, the modern Daytona case had been running on metal-engraved tachymeter bezels since 2000 across steel, yellow gold, white gold, Rolesor, and Everose. Cerachrom — the scratch-resistant ceramic insert Rolex had been developing on Submariner and GMT bezels since the late 2000s — moved onto the Daytona for the first time on the Everose ref. The configuration is reading clearly: same 40mm case Rolex had cast in Everose since 2008, same cal 4130, same Oysterlock clasp architecture; new ceramic bezel; new strap.

The 2011 launch sat alongside two parallel ceramic-bezel gold Daytonas — the 116518LN in yellow gold and 116519LN in white gold, both also on leather straps with matching gold Oysterlock clasps. The 116515LN is the first to launch among the three in catalogue order and the lead reference of the ceramic Daytona generation. The five-year window before the steel 116500LN arrived in 2016 belonged to the gold ceramic refs alone.

The 2017 Oysterflex rollout reset the practical wearability profile. Rolex had introduced Oysterflex on the Yacht-Master 116655 in 2015 — a hypoallergenic elastomer overmoulded around a titanium-nickel alloy blade with a longitudinal cushion system inside the strap. The 2017 Baselworld release moved Oysterflex onto the 116515LN, 116518LN, and 116519LN simultaneously, replacing the leather configuration without changing the reference numbers. The Daytona is the second Rolex line to receive Oysterflex; the 116515LN is the first Daytona to wear it.

The 2023 [[Reference:126515LN|126515LN]] cal 4131 successor took over the ceramic-Everose Daytona slot at Watches & Wonders Geneva, alongside the parallel 126500LN steel transition. The 126515LN inherited the same Cerachrom-Everose-Oysterflex configuration and the same 40mm case footprint with a slightly thinner profile. The 116515LN is the discontinued cal 4130 generation of the ceramic-Everose Daytona; the 126515LN is the current cal 4131 generation.

==Production outline==

Production runs Baselworld 2011 to 2023 on a single reference number. The 2017 strap transition is the practical generation marker within the run, and the 2023 126515LN transition closes the cal. 4130 116515LN generation.

The 2011 launch configuration is the leather strap. Black alligator-leather strap with stitched edges and an 18k Everose Oysterlock fold-over clasp, the same clasp architecture Rolex used on the leather-strap 116519 white-gold Daytona. The leather configuration ran from launch through early 2017. WatchBase catalogues the suffix codes that map this period: -0004 chocolate / leather, -0009 sundust pink / leather, plus the standard ivory and black-dial leather variants. The leather era is roughly six years of production.

The 2017 Baselworld release moved the reference to Oysterflex without changing the reference number. Rolex described the change as the same Daytona on a sportier strap; the case, movement, dial, and bezel carry over. The Oysterflex era is the longer of the two, running 2017 through 2024 and counting at the time of writing.

Within the production run, dial-printing variations track the broader cal 4130 generation. The early-leather production carries the same dial print as the parallel 116505 from the same era; mid-production examples show subtle dial-text spacing shifts and the occasional kerning change that defines a portion of the modern Daytona generation. None of these is a Rolex-announced change, and none maps to a clean serial cutoff.

Meteorite, the slate-grey Gibeon-meteorite mineral dial Rolex had used on Day-Date and earlier Daytona references, joined the 116515LN catalogue in 2021 — late in the run, alongside the parallel meteorite rollout on the 116505, 116508, 116509, 116518LN, and 116519LN. The variant ran for two-plus production years before the cal 4131 transition reset the meteorite-dial programme on the 126515LN.

Every 116515LN carries a random-alphanumeric serial; the reference launched in 2011, after Rolex had moved the entire catalogue to random alphanumerics in mid-2010. Lume across the run is Chromalight blue, consistent with the modern cal 4130 generation.

==Movement notes==

Caliber 4130 sits inside every 116515LN — the same first-in-house Rolex chronograph that launched on the 116520 in 2000. Vertical-clutch chronograph coupling (no judder on engagement, no amplitude loss when the chronograph runs, no backlash on the seconds hand), column-wheel start-stop-reset switching, 72-hour power reserve, 44 jewels, 28,800 vph, COSC certification, blue Parachrom hairspring. Hour and minute counters share a single side of the movement; the mainspring can be replaced without uncasing.

The 4130 uses 201 components, a low count for an automatic integrated chronograph. The quoted 72-hour reserve is the no-chronograph figure; with the chronograph running continuously, the practical reserve drops to about 65 hours.

The 4130 in the 116515LN runs the modern Superlative Chronometer −2/+2 specification across the production range. Rolex tightened the spec from the older COSC −4/+6 to the Superlative −2/+2 during the 116515LN's life, and current production carries the tighter rating.

The 2023 cal 4131 successor is the same architecture with the Chronergy escapement Rolex had rolled across the three-hand Sport lines through the 2010s. The efficiency gain is measured in real-world precision rather than power reserve, which stays at roughly 72 hours. The 126515LN inherits the cal 4131; the 116515LN runs the cal 4130 to the end.

For the full caliber lineage and the architecture comparison with the predecessor cal 4030 Zenith-based chronograph, see [[Reference:Movements#cal-4130]].

==Dial map==

The 116515LN dial catalogue is built around the same Everose case treatment that the engraved-bezel 116505 carries, with the black Cerachrom bezel acting as a constant against the warm pink case across every variant. The dial branches below are the configurations documented in catalogue text across the 2011–present production span.

{| class="wikitable"
! Variant !! Period !! Distinguishing features
|-
| Chocolate || 2011–present || Warm dark-brown lacquer base; black sub-dial rings on the most-photographed chocolate-leather and chocolate-Oysterflex configurations; applied gold five-minute markers; reads as the signature 116515LN dial colour and the configuration most commonly used in Rolex's launch press imagery
|-
| Black || 2011–present || Black lacquer base with Everose-tone (pink) sub-dial rings; applied gold markers; red Daytona script above the six o'clock sub-register on standard production
|-
| Ivory || 2011–present || Off-white cream lacquer base with three sub-dials in the same ivory tone; applied gold markers; runs the entire production span and pairs naturally with the warm Everose case
|-
| Sundust (pink) || 2011–present || Soft pink-rose lacquer base; black or matching-tone sub-dials; reads as the "rose on rose" configuration that defines a portion of the production market and pairs with the Everose case more naturally than any other dial colour
|-
| Meteorite || 2021–2023 || Slate-grey Gibeon-meteorite mineral base showing the natural Widmanstätten crystal pattern; applied gold markers; short late-run 116515LN-0055 Oysterflex configuration within the final cal 4130 Daytona generation
|-
| Diamond-marker variants || 2011–present || Applied diamond hour markers on chocolate, black, ivory, sundust, or meteorite base; documented across the production run with no single sub-period anchor
|-
| Baguette-marker variants || 2011–present || Baguette-cut diamond markers replacing the standard applied gold markers; appears on chocolate, sundust, and ivory bases in catalogue text
|}

The mother-of-pearl dials documented on the 116519 white-gold Daytona did not formally enter the 116515LN catalogue. Catalogue overlap between the gold Daytonas of the 4130 generation is broad but not total, and the 116515LN's dial branches are the ones above.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The 116515LN case is 40mm in 18k Everose gold — the same nameplate dimension as the steel 116520, the yellow-gold 116528, and the engraved-Everose 116505. The case, lugs, screw-down pushers, and crown geometry carry over unchanged from the 116505 architecture; the only material difference between the 116505 and 116515LN cases is the bezel.

The bezel is the headline of the reference. Cerachrom is Rolex's proprietary scratch-resistant high-tech ceramic insert, sintered as a monobloc piece with the tachymeter scale recessed into the surface and filled with Everose-tone PVD on the 116515LN (rather than the platinum-PVD treatment that fills the steel 116500LN bezel). The black colourway gives the reference its <code>LN</code> suffix — lunette noire — and matches the colour-coding system Rolex applies across the modern catalogue (LN black, LV green, BLNR Pepsi-blue-black, BLRO Pepsi-red-blue). On the 116515LN the Cerachrom bezel reads as a near-permanent finish: scratch-resistant, fade-resistant, and unaffected by UV exposure that gradually softened the engraved-Everose bezel surface on the parallel 116505 when worn through years of sun.

The crystal is flat sapphire with no Cyclops; the running-seconds sub-dial sits at six o'clock; the Triplock crown handles 100m water resistance. Screw-down chronograph pushers sit on either side of the crown — they have to be unscrewed before the chronograph can be started, the cal 4130 generation's standing trade-off across every case material.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 116515LN strap programme is the practical generation marker for the reference. Two configurations span the production run: leather (2011–2017) and Oysterflex (2017–present). The reference number is identical across both eras; auction catalogue text and dealer listings call out the strap as a year marker rather than a reference distinction.

===Leather strap (2011–2017)===

The launch configuration is a black calf-leather strap with stitched edges and an 18k Everose Oysterlock fold-over deployant clasp. The clasp blade carries the Rolex crown on the underside; the leather strap itself is interchangeable with Rolex's service stock and was sold separately as a service replacement during the leather era. WatchBase catalogues the leather-strap suffix codes through 2017, and the four core dial-on-leather configurations (chocolate, black, ivory, sundust) define the production market for the leather era.

===Oysterflex strap (2017–present)===

The 2017 Baselworld transition moved the 116515LN to Oysterflex, the patented elastomer-on-titanium-nickel-blade construction Rolex had introduced two years earlier on the Yacht-Master 116655. The Oysterflex strap is a high-performance black elastomer overmoulded around a flexible titanium-and-nickel alloy blade, with a longitudinal cushion system inside the strap that stabilises the watch on the wrist. The clasp stays Oysterlock — same 18k Everose deployant, same Rolex crown, same architecture as the leather era — and the strap attaches to the case via integrated lugs designed for the elastomer-blade construction.

Fit is the collector caveat on the 116515LN Oysterflex. The 116515LN generation uses fixed-length Oysterflex halves and the clasp's Easylink gives only about 5mm of quick adjustment, so the correct strap-letter pairing matters more than it does on a metal Oyster bracelet. The later 126515LN improves this with a Glidelock-style adjustment range; that makes the clasp one of the practical tells between the cal. 4130 and cal. 4131 Everose ceramic Daytonas.

The Oysterflex 116515LN is the first Daytona Rolex made on Oysterflex. The strap had been on the Yacht-Master 116655 (Everose, 2015) and the 116659SA (white gold with diamonds, 2015) before the Daytona received it; the 2017 release also moved Oysterflex onto the 116518LN yellow-gold and 116519LN white-gold ceramic Daytonas in parallel.

The 116515LN never adopted a metal Oyster bracelet variant. The reference's two strap configurations are leather and Oysterflex; the engraved-bezel 116505 carries the metal Oyster bracelet across its run as the parallel material option for buyers who wanted Everose-on-Everose.

==Special branches==

The 116515LN is itself the special branch of the cal 4130 Daytona generation — the first Cerachrom Daytona, the first Oysterflex Daytona, the lead reference of the modern ceramic Daytona programme. Within the run, the headline variants are dial-driven rather than artifact-driven.

The meteorite-dial 116515LN is the most-collected late-run variant. Rolex introduced meteorite dials across the cal 4130 generation gold Daytonas in 2021 — 116505, 116508, 116509, 116515LN, 116518LN, 116519LN — and the variant ran for the final two years of the cal 4130 production before the cal 4131 transition. The Gibeon-meteorite mineral base shows the natural Widmanstätten crystal pattern; no two examples are identical. The variant carries a documented secondary-market premium over the lacquer-dial 116515LN.

For the 116515LN specifically, the meteorite configuration is best tracked as 116515LN-0055: Everose case, black Cerachrom bezel, Oysterflex, cal. 4130, and a meteorite dial. That sub-reference is a short late-run branch, documented from 2021 to 2023, not a full-span dial option. It should be separated from earlier lacquer and diamond-marker configurations when reading a full set or catalogue record.

The chocolate-dial-on-leather configuration is the reference's launch-press configuration and the most-photographed of the leather-era variants. Catalogue text from 2011–2017 leans heavily on chocolate-on-leather as the reference's signature image; the 2017 Oysterflex transition shifted the press imagery toward black-on-Oysterflex and sundust-on-Oysterflex.

==Historical market and auction record==

The 116515LN trades primarily through dealer and private channels rather than at major auction. Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips have catalogued individual 116515LN lots across the production span; the meteorite-dial and chocolate-dial leather-era examples carry the strongest bids at the major houses. The reference does not host the headline single-artifact records that anchor the vintage Daytona market; collected-on-material-and-movement-terms is the working frame.

Specific lot results vary year to year and are best read in current auction catalogues rather than fixed in a static article. The 2023 cal 4131 transition reset the secondary market — with the 126515LN absorbing demand at retail and the 116515LN positioning as the last cal-4130 ceramic-Everose Daytona, prices on full-set 116515LN examples (especially leather-era and meteorite-dial) have firmed in the years following the successor launch.

==Sources==

* [https://www.rolex.com/watchmaking/features/materials/everose "Everose - Materials, Watchmaking Features", Rolex]
* [https://millenarywatches.com/what-is-rolex-everose-gold-a-complete-guide/ "What is Rolex Everose Gold? A Complete Guide", Millenary Watches]
* [https://millenarywatches.com/rolex-caliber-4130/ "Rolex Caliber 4130 Complete Guide", Millenary Watches]
* [https://calibercorner.com/rolex-caliber-4130/ "Rolex Caliber 4130 Watch Movement", CaliberCorner]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ Erik Slaven, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona, The Emblematic Racing Chronograph", Monochrome, 2024-12-20]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-part-33 Paul Boutros, "In-Depth: A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Past to Present (Part 3/3)", Hodinkee, 2013-03]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/a-movement-in-history-the-zenith-driven-rolex-daytona/ Ross Povey, "A Movement in History: The Zenith-driven Rolex Daytona", Revolution Watch, 2018-09-03]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/vintage-rolex-daytona-the-gold-standard Karyn Orrico, "Vintage Rolex Daytona: The Gold Standard", Sotheby's, 2024-12-17]
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/ David Boettcher, "Vintage Watch Straps — Rolex bracelet and clasp reference", vintagewatchstraps.com, 2026-04-18]
* [https://www.watchguys.com/pages/rolex-daytona-116515-oysterflex-rose-gold-review "Rolex Daytona 116515LN Review: Everose on Oysterflex Guide", WatchGuys]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/daytona/116515ln-0004 "Rolex 116515LN-0004: Cosmograph Daytona Everose / Cerachrom / Chocolate / Strap", WatchBase]
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-cosmograph-daytona-watches-gold-oysterflex-rubber-strap-ceramic-bezel/ "Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Watches In Gold With Oysterflex Rubber Strap & Ceramic Bezel Hands-On", aBlogToWatch]
* [https://www.prestigetime.com/blog/rolex-yachtmaster-rubber-oysterflex-bracelet.html "116655 FULL REVIEW - Rolex Yachtmaster 40mm 18k Rose Gold", PrestigeTime]
* [https://www.jaztime.com/rolex/daytona/meteorite "All Meteorite Dial - Rolex Daytona Chronograph Watches", Jaztime]

[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

User talk:Admin

2026-05-30T07:58:44Z

Klaudiusz: Pending audit edit on Reference:116508 (proposal #28) needs review

Reference:116508

2026-05-30T07:58:43Z

Klaudiusz: [bot-audit] proposal #28 ref=116508 agents=researcher,auditor,image_scout,bar_raiser (FlaggedRevs pending review)

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 116508 Daytona — Yellow Gold Oyster, Cal 4130, Green Sundust "John Mayer" Dial | BezelBase
|description=The 116508 is the full yellow gold cal 4130 Daytona on a yellow gold Oyster bracelet, 2016 to 2023. Engraved 18k yellow gold tachymetre bezel. Green sundust dial (the "John Mayer" 116508-0013), meteorite 116508-0015, and champagne / black / Panda / MOP variants documented.
|keywords=Rolex, 116508, Daytona, yellow gold, cal 4130, green sundust, John Mayer, meteorite, 116508-0013, 116508-0015
|image=Ref 116508 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Daytona 116508 yellow gold green sundust dial
|type=article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> '''116508'''

The 116508 is the full yellow gold cal 4130 Daytona on a yellow gold Oyster bracelet, with an engraved 18k yellow gold tachymetre bezel — the 2016 successor to the [[Reference:116528|116528]] and the second-to-last engraved-gold-bezel yellow gold Daytona Rolex produced before the line moved to Cerachrom. Same 40mm case profile as the rest of the cal 4130 family, same vertical-clutch column-wheel chronograph, same 72-hour power reserve, executed in 18k yellow gold from end-link to bezel. The difference from the 116528 is a refreshed dial programme — Rolex used the 116508 launch to introduce the green sundust dial that John Mayer would single out three years later in his 2019 Hodinkee Talking Watches appearance, and the meteorite dial that joined the catalogue in 2021.

The 116508 sits in the editorial scope on the same basis as the [[Reference:116500LN|116500LN]]: it is the gold-bracelet half of the cal 4130 generation, discontinued at the cal 4131 successor's launch, and now closed. Production ran from 2016 to 2023, when the cal 4131 126508 took its place in the yellow-gold Oyster Daytona slot with revised case, dial, clasp, and movement architecture while retaining an engraved precious-metal tachymetric bezel.

[[File:Ref 116508 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Daytona 116508 yellow gold|Rolex Daytona 116508 — yellow gold Oyster with engraved gold tachymetre bezel, c.2018]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 116508
|-
| family
| Daytona (Cosmograph, automatic)
|-
| production
| 2016 to 2023
|-
| case
| 40mm, 18k yellow gold
|-
| crystal
| sapphire (flat)
|-
| bezel
| engraved 18k yellow gold tachymetre
|-
| crown
| Triplock, screw-down, gold
|-
| water resistance
| 100m / 330ft
|-
| movement
| Rolex cal 4130
|-
| frequency
| 28,800 vph
|-
| jewels
| 44
|-
| power reserve
| 72 hours
|-
| chronometer
| COSC certified (Superlative Chronometer)
|-
| bracelet
| 18k yellow gold Oyster, SEL, Oysterlock with Easylink
|-
| siblings
| 116518 (yellow gold leather, 2000–2015), 116518LN (Cerachrom Oysterflex, 2017+), 116505 (Everose Oyster), 116515LN (Everose Cerachrom Oysterflex), 116509 (white gold Oyster), 116519LN (white gold Cerachrom Oysterflex)
|-
| predecessor
| 116528 (yellow gold Oyster, engraved gold bezel, 2000–2016)
|-
| successor
| 126508 (cal 4131, Cerachrom bezel, 2023+)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 116508 replaces the 116528 in the yellow-gold-on-yellow-gold-Oyster slot of the cal 4130 generation. The change between the two is narrow on paper: same 40mm case, same engraved gold bezel, same cal 4130 movement, same Oyster bracelet architecture. What Rolex used the reference change for was a dial-programme refresh and a series of small specification updates — Chromalight lume across the run, an updated dial-printing programme that opened the door to the green sundust and meteorite layouts, and the Superlative Chronometer regulation specification on later examples. The watch reads as a continuation of the 116528 with a refreshed dial catalogue rather than a redesigned reference.

The 116508 sits inside a cal 4130 family that ran in parallel through 2016 to 2023: the steel 116500LN with Cerachrom from 2016, the engraved-bezel 116503 Rolesor that ran through 2017, the engraved-bezel 116508 in yellow gold and 116505 in Everose through 2023, and the Cerachrom-bezel precious-metal references (116515LN Everose, 116519LN white gold) on Oysterflex from 2017 onward. Rolex deliberately kept engraved-gold and Cerachrom in the catalogue alongside one another across the generation, with the strap and bezel choices working as configuration options rather than as successive eras. The 116508 is the engraved-gold yellow gold Oyster choice in that lineup.

The 2023 transition to the cal 4131 generation reset the catalogue. The 126508 took the 116508 slot with cal 4131, revised case proportions, updated dial furniture, and a reworked Oysterlock clasp. The 116508 became the last cal 4130 yellow-gold Oyster Daytona with an engraved gold bezel; the engraved precious-metal bezel itself continued into the cal 4131 generation.

==Production outline==

Production runs from 2016 to 2023. Pre-2010 serial mappings do not apply — the 116508 sits entirely inside the random alphanumeric serial era, with no public year-mapping for case serials. Rolex's standard case-stamping practice continued through the run: the random eight-character alphanumeric serial appears on the rehaut between the lugs and on the case underside, with no letter prefix and no year decode in the public domain. Production-window dating relies on dealer documents, original Garantie cards, and the Rolex code-card era which started in 2020.

The reference does not host the kind of layered internal map that defines vintage Daytona references. The cal 4130, the Chromalight lume, the engraved gold bezel, and the Oyster bracelet all held constant across the seven-year run. Dial-printing drift across the run is visible to forum collectors on close inspection but has not crossed the threshold from "photographed on some examples" to "documented Mark variant" — the same situation that applies to the 116500LN run. The 116508 reads as one production with the addition of catalogue dial options at specific points: the green sundust appearing at launch in 2016, the meteorite dial added around 2021.

End of production lands at the cal 4131 successor announcement at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023, with the 126508 replacing the reference at that show. Allocated examples continued to reach retail into 2024 in some markets.

==Movement notes==

Cal 4130 sits inside every 116508 — the same movement that carried the 116520, 116523, 116528, 116519, and 116518 from 2000 onward. Vertical-clutch chronograph coupling, column-wheel switching, 72-hour power reserve, 44 jewels, 28,800 vph (4 Hz), Parachrom blue hairspring, COSC certification with the Superlative Chronometer regulation specification on later production. Hour and minute counters share a single side of the movement, the chronograph engages without judder on the second hand because of the vertical clutch, and the mainspring can be replaced without uncasing the watch.

The 116508 sits at the close of the cal 4130's twenty-three-year production run. The successor 126508 carries the cal 4131 with the Chronergy escapement Rolex rolled across the three-hand sport lines through the 2010s and earlier 2020s; the architectural change is internal-efficiency rather than power-reserve, and the 4131 keeps the column-wheel and vertical-clutch core that the 4130 introduced.

For the full caliber lineage and the 4030-to-4130-to-4131 architecture comparison, see [[Reference:Movements#cal-4130]].

The 116508 carries no hidden late-run caliber change; what matters is how mature the 4130 platform already was. Rolex designed the 4130 with a lower parts count than the Zenith-derived 4030, which left room for the larger barrel behind the automatic Daytona's roughly 72-hour reserve and made the movement easier to service. Movement condition on a 116508 is judged the same way as the rest of the 2000-2023 in-house Daytona family: service history, amplitude, reset behaviour and pusher feel rather than any reference-specific caliber variant.

==Dial map==

The 116508 dial catalogue is the most varied of the cal 4130 yellow gold Oyster Daytonas. Standard layouts carry across from the 116528 with refreshed printing and the Chromalight lume; two new variants — the green sundust and the meteorite — were introduced inside the 116508's run and define its place in the modern Daytona collector market.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dial
! Reference suffix
! Period
! Distinguishing features
|-
| Champagne with gold markers
| 116508-0006
| 2016–2023
| Champagne base; gold-tone sub-dial rings; applied gold five-minute markers
|-
| Black with gold markers
| 116508-0004
| 2016–2023
| Black base; applied gold markers; red "Daytona" above the 6 o'clock sub-register
|-
| White ("Panda") with black sub-dials
| 116508-0001
| 2016–2023
| White base, three contrasting black sub-dials, applied gold markers
|-
| Green sundust with gold markers
| 116508-0013
| 2016–2023
| Sundust-finish green base, applied gold markers; the "John Mayer" dial after his 2019 Hodinkee Talking Watches feature
|-
| Black with green Arabic numerals
| 116508-0009
| 2016–2023
| Black base with green Arabic numerals at the hour positions
|-
| Black with diamond markers
| 116508-0008
| 2016–2023
| Black base with applied factory diamond hour markers
|-
| Mother-of-pearl, white
| 116508-0010 (variants)
| mid-to-late production
| White iridescent MOP base with applied gold or diamond markers
|-
| Mother-of-pearl, black
| 116508-0014 (variants)
| mid-to-late production
| Dark iridescent MOP base with applied gold or diamond markers
|-
| Meteorite with black sub-dials
| 116508-0015
| 2021–2023
| Solid Gibeon meteorite slice with reverse-panda black sub-dials and applied gold markers
|-
| Pavé and pavé-with-coloured-stones
| catalogue late production
| late production
| Factory pavé with ruby or sapphire accents — case-by-case authentication required
|}

The green sundust 116508-0013 is the variant that defines the reference's recent collector profile. Rolex introduced the configuration at the 2016 launch as the first time a corporate-Rolex-green dial had appeared on the Daytona. John Mayer highlighted it on Hodinkee's Talking Watches in 2019, and the secondary market for the variant accelerated sharply in the months after the episode aired — the green-dial 116508 has carried "John Mayer" as a collector nickname in the years since. Rolex's decision to discontinue the variant alongside the rest of the 116508 in 2023 closed the production window without warning at most authorised dealers.

The meteorite 116508-0015 entered the catalogue in 2021. The dial is cut from a slice of the Gibeon iron meteorite (Namibia, identified 1836), with the natural Widmanstätten pattern visible across the dial face and three black-finished sub-dials in a reverse-panda layout. Production ran for two catalogue years before the cal 4131 successor took over in 2023, making the configuration one of the shortest-run dial variants in the cal 4130 yellow gold lineage.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The 116508 case is 40mm in 18k yellow gold, with the same lug, case-flank, and crown-guard profile as the rest of the cal 4130 family. Case finishing is mixed — polished bezel, polished case sides, brushed lug tops — and lug-to-lug runs around 47mm consistent with the rest of the in-house Daytona generation. Water resistance is 100m / 330ft. Triplock crown at 3 o'clock, screw-down chronograph pushers at 2 and 4.

The bezel is engraved 18k yellow gold with the tachymetre scale. No Cerachrom: the 116508 is one of the configurations Rolex deliberately kept on the engraved-gold bezel through the cal 4130 generation, with the Cerachrom alternative living on the 116515LN Everose and 116519LN white gold sibling references. The engraved-gold tachymetre on the 116508 carries the same numerical layout as the 116528 it replaced, with the scale running from 60 to 400 around the ring.

The crystal is flat sapphire with no Cyclops. The chronograph pushers screw down to maintain the 100m water rating and have to be unscrewed before the chronograph can be operated, the same configuration the cal 4130 generation has used since the 116520 in 2000. Pusher-screw feel and travel match the rest of the family. Case-finishing routines at Rolex Service Center after 2016 have remained consistent with the 116528 era, with refinishing on heavily-polished examples a routine secondary-market issue that suppresses prices on otherwise good watches.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 116508 ships on a full 18k yellow gold Oyster bracelet — same SEL Oyster construction as the steel 116500LN's 78490 and the Rolesor 116503's 78493, with centre and outer links machined in 18k yellow gold. End links are integral to the bracelet (SEL — solid end links) rather than separable stamped pieces. The bracelet tracks the same Easylink-equipped Oysterlock clasp architecture as the rest of the cal 4130 generation.

The clasp is the modern Oysterlock with the Easylink 5mm comfort extension — a lever-and-keeper inside the clasp body that gives a five-millimetre micro-adjustment without tools. The Daytona never adopted the Glidelock micro-extension that came to the Submariner-line clasps in 2010; Easylink is the only on-bracelet adjustment the 116508 ever offered. The clasp blade carries a date code in the random three-character alphanumeric format that has run across the Rolex Sport line since 2011, and on SEL bracelets the date code, part number, and Rolex crown are stamped into the underside of the end link itself rather than the clasp blade alone. See [[Reference:Bracelets]] for the full date-code key.

The 78498 designation appears in some auction catalogue and dealer documentation for the full yellow gold Oyster bracelet variant; documentation across published sources is uneven, and the bracelet is more often identified by material rather than by reference number on auction lots. David Boettcher's broader Daytona bracelet reference at vintagewatchstraps.com carries the configuration alongside the steel and Rolesor variants without breaking it out as a numbered branch.

==Special branches==

===The "John Mayer" green sundust===

The 116508-0013 green sundust dial is the reference's headline collector variant. Rolex introduced the configuration at the 2016 launch as the first appearance of corporate-Rolex-green on a Daytona dial; the choice was a departure from the broader cal 4130 colour palette of champagne, black, white, and MOP. Hodinkee's Talking Watches episode featuring John Mayer (2019) singled the watch out as an underappreciated current-production reference, and the secondary market re-rated the configuration in the months that followed. Authorised-dealer waitlists on the green-dial 116508 ran for years through the late 2010s and early 2020s, and completed private trades climbed steeply through the 2021–2022 luxury-watch peak before correcting alongside the rest of the modern-Daytona market in 2023.

The "John Mayer" nickname is collector usage rather than a Rolex designation, and Rolex has issued no commentary on the variant's place in its 2016 launch programme. The end-of-production cutover in 2023 closed the window without a successor: the cal 4131 126508 catalogue at launch did not carry the green sundust dial, leaving the 116508-0013 as the only Rolex-catalogue green Daytona of any era through that period.

===Meteorite 116508-0015===

The meteorite-dial variant was introduced in 2021 with a reverse-panda layout — meteorite base, three black-finished sub-dials, applied gold markers and hands. Production ran two catalogue years before the cal 4131 successor took over in 2023. The dial is cut from a slice of the Gibeon meteorite (Namibia, 1836), and individual examples differ in the visible Widmanstätten pattern. The variant entered the secondary market at a clear premium to the standard layouts and has held that position through the post-discontinuation period.

The 116508-0015 was part of a three-watch precious-metal Daytona meteorite group rather than a one-off yellow-gold experiment. Rolex paired meteorite with yellow gold 116508 and Everose 116505 on Oyster bracelets with engraved metal bezels, while the white-gold 116519LN used the Oysterflex/Cerachrom configuration. That matters because the 116508-0015 is the yellow-gold Oyster expression of the programme: full bracelet, gold bezel, black registers, and a natural-material dial that makes every correct example visually non-identical.

===Tiffany & Co. and other double-signed examples===

Retailer double-signing is not a documented 116508 branch in the published auction record. Treat any Tiffany- or retailer-signed 116508 dial as an authentication problem first, not as a catalogue variant, unless it is accompanied by unusually strong provenance and expert dial examination. Other retailer signatures are thinner on the ground than in the Zenith-era catalogue, and 116508-specific double-signed lots that anchor a market-grade record have not surfaced through 2025 in the published auction literature.

==Auction record==

The 116508 auction record is anchored by the green sundust 116508-0013 — the green-dial variant has appeared at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips at premium estimates throughout the 2019–2024 period, with the John Mayer effect and the post-2023 discontinuation both pushing pricing well above the engraved-gold floor for the configuration. The meteorite 116508-0015 has carried similarly premium pricing since the 2021 introduction, with the two-year production window and the natural-material dial both driving auction interest.

Standard champagne, black, and white-Panda 116508s anchor the floor of the cal 4130 yellow gold Oyster market, with full-set examples carrying matching box, papers, and Rolex code card commanding a clear premium over partial-set lots. The reference trades on configuration and provenance rather than on headline single-watch records — no 116508 lot has approached the kind of single-artifact result that defines Paul Newman's 6239 or the Unicorn 6265.

The 2023 transition to the 126508 has closed the engraved-gold-bezel yellow gold Oyster Daytona configuration permanently. Used prices on the 116508 have firmed across the post-discontinuation period, particularly on the green sundust and meteorite variants, with the broader cal 4130 yellow gold market now reading as a closed catalogue rather than a live production.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/vintage-rolex-daytona-the-gold-standard Karyn Orrico, "Vintage Rolex Daytona: The Gold Standard", Sotheby's, 2024-12-17]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ Erik Slaven, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona, The Emblematic Racing Chronograph", Monochrome, 2024-12-20]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-part-33 Paul Boutros, "In-Depth: A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Past to Present (Part 3/3)", Hodinkee, 2013-03]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/a-movement-in-history-the-zenith-driven-rolex-daytona/ Ross Povey, "A Movement in History: The Zenith-driven Rolex Daytona", Revolution Watch, 2018-09-03]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/new-rolex-daytona-2016-what-changed/ "New Rolex Daytona 2016 - What Changed", Fratello, 2016-01-01]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-daytona-ref-116500ln-review Jack Forster, "A Week On The Wrist: The Rolex Daytona Ref. 116500LN", Hodinkee, 2020-01-01]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-daytona-116500ln-steel-cerachrom-black-bezel-live-photos-price/ Frank Geelen, "Rolex Daytona 116500LN in steel with Cerachrom black bezel Hands-On", Monochrome, 2016-03-17]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/market-analysis-continous-insane-rise-in-price-of-the-rolex-daytona-116500ln/ Brice Goulard, "Market Analysis: Continuous Rise in Price of the Rolex Daytona 116500LN", Monochrome, 2021-03-05]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/hard-to-thrill/ Revolution editorial, "Hard to Thrill", Revolution, 2017-06-20]
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/ David Boettcher, "Vintage Watch Straps — Rolex bracelet and clasp reference", vintagewatchstraps.com, 2026-04-18]

[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

User talk:Admin

2026-05-30T07:58:43Z

Klaudiusz: Pending audit edit on Reference:116506 (proposal #27) needs review

Reference:116506

2026-05-30T07:58:43Z

Klaudiusz: [bot-audit] proposal #27 ref=116506 agents=researcher,auditor,image_scout,bar_raiser (FlaggedRevs pending review)

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|title=Rolex 116506 Daytona — Platinum 50th Anniversary, Ice Blue Dial, Chestnut Cerachrom | BezelBase
|description=The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116506 — the first platinum Daytona, launched at Baselworld 2013 for the model's 50th anniversary. 950 platinum case and bracelet, ice-blue dial, chestnut brown Cerachrom monobloc bezel, caliber 4130. Standard, baguette-diamond, and Arabic-numeral sub-variants.
|keywords=Rolex, 116506, Daytona, Cosmograph, platinum, 50th anniversary, ice blue, chestnut Cerachrom, caliber 4130, reference guide
|image=Ref 116506 hero.webp
|image_alt=116506 platinum Daytona ice blue dial chestnut bezel
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[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> '''116506'''

The 116506 is the first platinum Cosmograph Daytona. Rolex unveiled it at Baselworld 2013 to mark the Daytona's fiftieth anniversary, and it ran from that launch through to its discontinuation in March 2023, when the 126506 took over with caliber 4131 and a sapphire caseback. The case and bracelet are 950 platinum. The dial is the ice-blue lacquer Rolex reserves for its platinum references. The bezel is a chestnut brown Cerachrom monobloc with a tachymeter scale deposited in platinum by PVD. Within the Daytona line it followed the Everose-gold 116515LN, which brought Cerachrom to the Cosmograph in 2011; the 116506 made the ceramic bezel part of the platinum anniversary configuration. The movement is caliber 4130.

What Rolex did at the fiftieth anniversary was the opposite of what most of the watch press expected. JX Su's Baselworld 2013 launch coverage at SJX records the question that defined the Basel hall that week — what is going on with the blue-and-brown colour scheme — and Robert-Jan Broer's Fratello piece from the same week frames the choice as Rolex declining to issue a redesigned anniversary Daytona in favour of placing the existing 40mm Cosmograph in 950 platinum with a colour palette no Rolex chronograph had carried before. The combination has aged into one of the most recognisable Daytona configurations in the modern catalogue.

[[File:Ref 116506 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=116506 platinum Daytona ice blue dial chestnut bezel|116506 ice-blue dial with chestnut Cerachrom monobloc bezel, 950 platinum case and Oyster bracelet]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail !! value
|-
| reference || 116506
|-
| family || Daytona (Cosmograph)
|-
| production || 2013 to 2023
|-
| anniversary launch || Baselworld 2013, Daytona 50th anniversary
|-
| case || 40mm 950 platinum, ~12.5mm thick
|-
| crystal || flat sapphire, no Cyclops
|-
| bezel || monobloc Cerachrom in chestnut brown, tachymeter graduations in platinum PVD
|-
| crown || Triplock screw-down, twin-O-ring
|-
| pushers || screw-down, 950 platinum
|-
| movement || caliber 4130, in-house chronograph
|-
| frequency || 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
|-
| jewels || 44
|-
| power reserve || 72 hours
|-
| water resistance || 100m
|-
| bracelet || 950 platinum Oyster
|-
| clasp || Oysterlock with Easylink 5mm comfort extension
|-
| dial || ice-blue lacquer, contrasting silver-grey-on-chestnut subdial rings, applied 18k white-gold indices
|-
| dial sub-references || 116506-0001 (standard ice-blue), 116506-0002 / 0008 (baguette-diamond hour markers), 116506-0004 (Arabic-Indic numerals, Middle East)
|-
| launch retail || approx. USD 75,000 (per Logan Baker, Phillips); approx. GBP 50,000 (per Robert-Jan Broer, Fratello)
|-
| caseback || solid 950 platinum (sapphire caseback first appears on the 126506 successor)
|-
| predecessor || none in platinum; sits alongside the steel 116520, Rolesor 116523, yellow gold 116528
|-
| successor || 126506 (2023, caliber 4131, sapphire caseback)
|-
| sibling diamond ref || 116576TBR (pavé dial + baguette-set bezel, separate reference)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 116506 sits at the top of the cal-4130 generation. Its launch in 2013 came thirteen years into the cal-4130 production run that began with the steel 116520 in 2000, and it slots into the gold-and-platinum Daytona line that already included the steel-and-yellow-gold 116523, the yellow gold 116528, and the white gold 116519. Logan Baker's Phillips editorial frames the reference as the first time Rolex offered the Daytona case in solid platinum, and the move marked platinum out as the new top-of-the-line material for the Cosmograph rather than gold.

That distinction matters because the Daytona was already deep into precious-metal territory before 2013. Yellow-gold manual-wind Daytonas appeared in the 1970s, the gem-set 6269 and 6270 pushed the line into jewellery-watch territory in the 1980s, and the modern Rainbow Daytona arrived before the 116506. Platinum was not the Daytona's first move away from the tool-watch brief. It was the material that made Rolex's hierarchy explicit: steel for the waiting-list sports watch, gold for the precious-metal chronograph, platinum for the top catalogue Daytona.

The chestnut-on-ice-blue palette has no precedent inside the Daytona line. Earlier modern Daytonas had carried mother-of-pearl, meteorite, and lacquered colour dials in the precious-metal references, but the chestnut Cerachrom bezel is unique to the 116506 inside the Cosmograph family — the rest of the cal-4130 ceramic-bezel rollout that arrived from 2011 onward used black Cerachrom on the gold and platinum chronograph references. The aBlogtoWatch hands-on review by Ariel Adams reads the chestnut-and-ice-blue combination as a Newman-era exotic-dial echo translated into modern materials. That framing is contested at Baselworld but has aged well in the years since.

The 126506 replaced the 116506 in March 2023 at Watches & Wonders, with caliber 4131 in place of cal 4130 and a sapphire caseback in place of the closed platinum back, per Fratello's hands-on comparison of the two generations. The 116506 is the last platinum Daytona Rolex produced with a solid caseback. Buyers who care about the closed back as a design feature — and many do, given the platinum mass it carries — will only find it on this reference.

==Production outline==

Rolex produced the 116506 from the Baselworld 2013 launch through to a 2023 wind-down that aligns with the Watches & Wonders Geneva announcement of the 126506. RolexForums collector threads from 2023 track the run-out at the dealer level: allocations slowed through late 2022 and 2023, and the reference left the catalogue when its successor took the platinum Daytona slot. The full production span is approximately ten years.

Across the run Rolex made the dial line denser without changing the case, bracelet, or movement. The launch dial in 2013 was the standard ice-blue lacquer with applied 18k white-gold hour indices and Chromalight-filled luminous plots, sold as 116506-0001. The diamond-set dial, with baguette-diamond hour markers in white gold settings on the same ice-blue ground, entered the catalogue early in the run, sold as 116506-0002 in earlier production and 116506-0008 in later catalogue updates per the 41Watch buyer's guide cataloguing of the platinum Daytona sub-references. An Arabic-Indic numeral dial appeared as a Middle East regional execution under sub-reference 116506-0004, with white-gold Eastern-Arabic numerals replacing the standard applied indices on the same ice-blue ground.

The case, bracelet, bezel, and movement held constant across the entire production run. There is no published collector taxonomy of mark-level dial generations within the 116506 — the run is too short and the production volume too limited for the kind of Mk-1-through-Mk-5 mapping that exists for the steel 116520. Forum collectors track minor printing differences across late and early examples, but no documented set of dial generations has formed.

==Movement notes==

Caliber 4130 is the same in-house chronograph movement Rolex launched in 2000 on the 116520, carried across every cal-4130-generation Daytona reference for twenty-three years. The architecture is column wheel start-stop-reset, vertical clutch chronograph engagement, blue Parachrom hairspring, 28,800 vph, 44 jewels, 72-hour reserve. CaliberCorner records the 290-part construction and ceramic reversing-wheel bearings; Colin A. White's ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' (Morning Tundra) catalogues the cal 4130 as the longest-running modern Rolex chronograph caliber by a wide margin.

The 116506's solid platinum caseback hides the movement from view, which is consistent with every cal-4130 Daytona — Rolex never produced a sapphire-caseback variant in this generation. That reservation is what makes the move to a sapphire caseback on the 126506 successor read as a generational reset rather than a routine refresh, per Fratello's side-by-side comparison.

Movement servicing on the 116506 follows the same intervals and procedures as the rest of the cal-4130 line. There are no platinum-specific changes to the caliber. For the full caliber lineage see [[Reference:Movements#cal-4130]].

==Dial map==

The ice-blue lacquer is the unifying feature across every 116506 dial. Rolex reserves the ice-blue colour exclusively for its platinum references — the same dial colour appears on the platinum Day-Date and platinum GMT-Master II, and never on a steel, gold, or two-tone Rolex. On the 116506 the ice-blue ground is paired with chestnut-toned subdial rings that match the bezel, and applied indices in white gold rather than the yellow-gold or two-tone applied indices found on the cal-4130 gold references. Subdial graphics carry through the standard Daytona layout: running seconds at nine, 30-minute counter at three, 12-hour counter at six.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! sub-reference !! variant !! distinguishing features !! notes
|-
| 116506-0001 || standard ice-blue || applied 18k white-gold indices, Chromalight luminous plots, no diamonds || Launch configuration. The dial that defined the reference at Baselworld 2013 and remained the volume-production option through to 2023.
|-
| 116506-0002 || baguette-diamond hour markers (early) || baguette-cut diamond hour markers in white-gold settings, applied to the ice-blue ground || Diamond-marker variant introduced during the early production run. Sold under sub-reference 0002 in earlier 116506 catalogue listings.
|-
| 116506-0008 || baguette-diamond hour markers (later) || same diamond-marker dial; later catalogue numbering || The 41Watch buyer's guide records the 0002-to-0008 sub-reference renumbering across the run as a cataloguing change rather than a dial-construction change. Documented at auction in the Sotheby's 2022 Important Watches lot of a c.2019 diamond-set 116506 and the Sotheby's 2024 Fine Watches lot of a late-production diamond-marker example.
|-
| 116506-0004 || Arabic-Indic numerals || white-gold Eastern-Arabic numerals replace the applied indices on the standard ice-blue ground || Middle East regional execution, sold through Rolex's Gulf-region distribution. Diamond markers absent on this variant; numerals are the only deviation from the launch dial.
|}

The diamond-set bezel and pavé-dial executions of the platinum Daytona sit on a separate reference number, the [https://wristaficionado.com/products/rolex-daytona-116576tbr-platinum-ice-blue-arabic-dial-diamond-baguette-bezel-2023 116576TBR], not the 116506. The TBR carries the same 950 platinum case and ice-blue dial language but adds a baguette-diamond bezel in place of the chestnut Cerachrom and a fully diamond-paved or baguette-set dial in place of the standard or single-row diamond marker dial. That reference is its own production line and is covered separately.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The case is 950 platinum at 40mm, around 12.5mm thick, with brushed top surfaces and polished case-flank treatment. SJX's launch piece records the platinum's working properties: heavier than the steel and gold cases of the 116520 and 116528 generation, more malleable than steel, and softer to surface marking than gold. The Bexsonn launch coverage from the same week notes that Rolex finished the platinum case to the same brushed-and-polished tolerances as the steel 116520, which means the platinum reads in proportion to its sibling references rather than as a deliberately differentiated case profile. Lug geometry and case dimensions match the 40mm Daytona case Rolex had been refining since 2000.

The Cerachrom bezel is the headline material change. Rolex produces the chestnut bezel as a monobloc — the entire ring including the tachymeter graduations is a single piece of fired ceramic — with the numerals and graduations deposited as a thin layer of platinum through PVD. The chestnut hue is achieved in the firing process, not by surface treatment, which is what gives the bezel its colour stability against UV and chemical exposure. The tachymeter scale runs around the upper case, framed by the 116506's polished bezel-edge platinum casework. Logan Baker's Phillips editorial places the 116506 as the third Rolex reference to wear Cerachrom, after the GMT-Master II and the precious-metal Daytona references that received the material before the 116506's 50th-anniversary configuration.

The crystal is flat sapphire, no Cyclops, in the same proportions used across the cal-4130 Daytona line. The crown is the Triplock screw-down with three-gasket sealing, at the standard Rolex 700-series geometry. The chronograph pushers are screw-down 950 platinum and follow the same operating routine as the rest of the modern Daytona line: unscrew the pusher, operate the chronograph, screw it back down to seal the case. Water resistance is rated to 100m, consistent with every cal-4130 Daytona reference.

The aBlogtoWatch hands-on review records the on-wrist weight as the 116506's defining tactile feature — solid platinum at 40mm with a platinum bracelet is significantly heavier than the gold or two-tone references of the same generation. That weight is consistent across the production run; Rolex did not adjust the case or bracelet construction to compensate.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The bracelet is a 950 platinum Oyster, three-link, with brushed centre links and polished outer links, fitted with solid end links integral to the case. Rolex did not produce the 116506 on a strap; every example shipped on the matching platinum Oyster, and that bracelet is what gives the watch its on-wrist mass. The Sotheby's 2020 Important Watches lot of a 2013-production 116506 (case 288CN710) records the platinum Oyster as the original delivery configuration, and every subsequent Sotheby's lot of the reference confirms the same bracelet pairing.

The clasp is the modern Oysterlock with the Easylink 5mm comfort extension — the same lever-and-keeper micro-adjustment system Rolex rolled across the cal-4130 Daytona line in the early 2000s, executed here in 950 platinum. The Glidelock toolless extension that arrived on the ceramic Submariner generation in 2010 never crossed onto the Daytona; Easylink remains the only on-bracelet adjustment the 116506 ever offered. The Rubber B comparison of the 116506 to the 126506 records the clasp as one of the architectural changes between the two generations: the 126506 reworked the Oysterlock mechanism, which leaves the 116506 as the last platinum Daytona with the older clasp design.

The platinum Oyster bracelet on the 116506 is a single fitment across the production run. Sotheby's lot descriptions, the Fratello launch coverage, and Rubber B's generation-comparison piece all describe the same platinum Oyster on every documented example. End-link references and clasp date codes follow the modern Daytona conventions catalogued at [[Reference:Bracelets]].

The 116506 bracelet reference to record is 78596, not the steel Daytona 78590. Some warranty cards show the bracelet reference, and the platinum folding clasp carries platinum-specific hallmarks, including the St. Bernard head, a balance mark, and 950PT alloy marking. Gold and platinum deliveries also used the larger Rolex presentation box rather than the smaller steel-model box, so box size is a period-and-material clue rather than a proof of any particular sub-reference.

==Special branches==

Three production sub-variants are documented across the 116506 run, all variations on the standard ice-blue dial rather than reference-level departures: the launch 0001 (no diamonds), the diamond-marker 0002 / 0008 (baguette diamonds at the indices), and the Middle East 0004 (Arabic-Indic numerals). All three carry the same 950 platinum case and bracelet, the same chestnut Cerachrom monobloc bezel, and the same caliber 4130. The Sotheby's 2022 lot of a c.2019 diamond-set 116506 is the public-record anchor for the 0008 in the auction circuit, and the Sotheby's 2024 Fine Watches lot of a late-production diamond-marker example documents the variant carrying through to the wind-down.

The 116576TBR is the platinum Daytona's diamond-bezel sibling — pavé dial, baguette-diamond bezel in place of the Cerachrom — and it sits on its own reference number rather than as a 116506 sub-variant. Treat it as a related platinum Daytona rather than a 116506 special branch.

Double-signed and retailer-engraved 116506 examples have surfaced occasionally, but the reference's high retail and the 950 platinum mass kept the special-order branch narrow. Production volumes for any of the sub-references are not published by Rolex, and no collector census has surfaced.

==Auction record==

The 116506 entered the auction record at the same Geneva sale where Rolex marked the Daytona's fiftieth anniversary in public.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! sale !! date !! lot detail !! result
|-
| Christie's, "Lesson One", Geneva || 10 November 2013 || lot 50, 'The Nine-Fifty Tribute', full-set; estimate CHF 80,000-120,000 || hammer CHF 197,000 (approx. USD 217,000 at the day's rate). The first 116506 to cross an auction block; placed the platinum Daytona at roughly twice its retail on the day it became publicly tradeable. Per Watchonista and JX Su (SJX).
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches || 2020 || case 288CN710, c.2013 production, standard 116506-0001 with full-set documentation || Anchors the early-production ice-blue / chestnut configuration in the auction record.
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches || 2021 || brand-new 116506 with full-set documentation; estimate USD 100,000-150,000 || Sold during the Daytona allocation-premium peak.
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches I || 2022 || c.2019 116506 with baguette-diamond markers (sub-reference 0008) || Anchors the diamond-set ice-blue variant in the auction record.
|-
| Sotheby's Fine Watches || 2024 || late-production diamond-marker 116506 || Documents the variant carrying through to the 2023 discontinuation.
|}

The 116506 has not produced an auction headline at the scale of the manual-wind exotic-dial 6263 results or the Albino, Unicorn, and JPS singletons that anchor the vintage Daytona record.

Phillips' retrospective also notes that the Lesson One result did not immediately reset the model's market the way many hype auctions do. Interest was comparatively slow in the first years after launch, then strengthened as Rolex added the diamond-marker executions and the platinum Daytona became easier to recognise as its own line rather than a one-off anniversary gesture. What it has produced is a steady mid-six-figure to high-six-figure auction line through the 2013-2024 window, with the diamond-marker examples consistently lifting toward USD 200,000-plus on full-set provenance. Buyers entering the secondary market are pricing the 116506 against the 126506 successor's retail rather than against the manual-wind vintage line.

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.phillips.com/article/117303084/the-rolex-cosmograph-daytona-ref-116506-the-anniversary-watch-that-was-so-much-more Logan Baker, "The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116506: The Anniversary Watch That Was So Much More", Phillips]
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2013/04/baselworld-2013-introducing-the-rolex-daytona-in-platinum-with-ceramic-bezel-and-glacier-blue-dial-ref-116506-with-specs-and-price.html JX Su, "Baselworld 2013: Introducing the Rolex Daytona in Platinum with Ceramic Bezel and Glacier Blue Dial ref. 116506", SJX Watches, 2013-04]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/baselworld-2013-rolex-daytona-ref-116506-platinum/ Robert-Jan Broer, "Baselworld 2013 - Rolex Daytona Ref. 116506 Platinum", Fratello Watches, 2013-04]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/hands-on-old-and-new-rolex-daytona-in-platinum/ "Hands-On With Two Of The Most Desired Watches In The World: The Old And The New Rolex Daytona In Platinum", Fratello Watches]
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-daytona-platinum-watch-hands-on-an-homage-to-paul-newman/ "Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116506 In Platinum Hands-On: An Homage To Paul Newman?", aBlogtoWatch]
* [https://www.bexsonn.com/platinum-rolex-daytona/ "The Platinum Rolex Daytona 116506 - Post Basel World 2013", Bexsonn]
* [https://rubberb.com/blog/rolex-daytona-platinum-ref-116506-vs-126506/ "Rolex Daytona Platinum Ref 116506 Vs 126506", Rubber B]
* [https://www.watchonista.com/articles/closer-look/rolex-daytona-lesson-one-historical-auction "Rolex Daytona Lesson One: An Historical Auction", Watchonista]
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2013/11/spectacular-results-at-christies-rolex-daytona-lesson-one-auction-in-geneva-including-a-million-dollar-paul-newman.html JX Su, "Spectacular results at Christie's Rolex Daytona Lesson One auction in Geneva, including a million dollar Paul Newman", SJX Watches, 2013-11]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/important-watches/rolex-cosmograph-daytona-reference-116506-a "Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, Reference 116506 - A Platinum Chronograph Wristwatch with Cerachrom Bezel and Bracelet, Circa 2013", Sotheby's, 2020]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/important-watches/rolex-cosmograph-daytona-reference-116506-a-brand "Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, Reference 116506, A Brand New Platinum Wristwatch", Sotheby's, 2021]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/important-watches-i-2/cosmograph-daytona-reference-116506-a-platinum-and "Cosmograph Daytona, Reference 116506 - A Platinum and Diamond-Set Chronograph Wristwatch with Bracelet, Circa 2019", Sotheby's, 2022]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/fine-watches/daytona-reference-116506-montre-bracelet "Daytona, Reference 116506 - Montre bracelet chronographe en platine", Sotheby's, 2024]
* [https://www.41watch.com/en/journal/buyers-guides/rolex-daytona-platinum-review "Rolex Daytona Platinum: Discovering the ref. 116506 and 126506", 41Watch]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=766941 "Nearing Discontinued Production of Platinum Daytona 116506", RolexForums, 2023]
* [https://calibercorner.com/rolex-caliber-4130/ "Rolex Caliber 4130 Watch Movement", Caliber Corner]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ Erik Slaven, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona, The Emblematic Racing Chronograph", Monochrome, 2024-12-20]

[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]