Reference:118239 - Revision history

Admin: Remove dealer names from prose (hard rule #5); canonical Sources heading

2026-08-10T00:31:16Z

Remove dealer names from prose (hard rule #5); canonical Sources heading

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:31, 10 August 2026
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	==Production outline==		==Production outline==

	Rolex introduced the 118xxx series in 2000~~. SwissWatchExpo's account of~~ the ~~President generations describes~~ the ~~change as a~~ bracelet-and-clasp ~~exercise rather than a mechanical one: the~~ caliber 3155 carried over from the preceding 182xx ~~series~~ and the 36mm Oyster case stayed, while the bracelet gained substance, the lugs were polished, and the clasp was made more secure. Monochrome's history adds the detail that the President bracelet moved from hollow links to solid, which is most of the added weight, and ~~that~~ the rehaut picked up the engraved ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX ring ~~with~~ the serial number.		Rolex introduced the 118xxx series in 2000, and the work went into the bracelet and the clasp. The caliber 3155 carried over from the preceding 182xx references and the 36mm Oyster case stayed as it was, while the bracelet gained substance, the lugs were polished along their length, and the clasp was made more secure. Monochrome's history adds the detail that matters most on the wrist: the President bracelet moved from hollow links to solid, which accounts for most of the added weight, and the rehaut picked up the engraved ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX ring carrying the serial number.

	The end of the run is less tidy than the start. Monochrome's Day-Date history closes the 118238, and with it the generation, at 2009. That date is hard to square with the same article's account of the caliber 3155 being re-regulated in 2015, from the COSC standard of −4/+6 seconds a day to Rolex's own Superlative Chronometer rating of −2/+2, a change that only means anything if 3155-powered Day-Dates were still being sold. The reference ran on through the 2010s until the caliber-3255 128239 took over the 36mm line, around 2019.		The end of the run is less tidy than the start. Monochrome's Day-Date history closes the 118238, and with it the generation, at 2009. That date is hard to square with the same article's account of the caliber 3155 being re-regulated in 2015, from the COSC standard of −4/+6 seconds a day to Rolex's own Superlative Chronometer rating of −2/+2, a change that only means anything if 3155-powered Day-Dates were still being sold. The reference ran on through the 2010s until the caliber-3255 128239 took over the 36mm line, around 2019.
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	[[File:Ref 118239 meteorite.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex 118239 with meteorite dial and diamond hour markers\|Meteorite dial with diamond hour markers — the crystalline banding runs differently on every example.]]		[[File:Ref 118239 meteorite.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex 118239 with meteorite dial and diamond hour markers\|Meteorite dial with diamond hour markers — the crystalline banding runs differently on every example.]]

	The dial range is the reason to care about this reference. Thirty-four configurations are catalogued ~~in WatchBase's registry~~, ~~and they run~~ from plain lacquer to fully paved. The same dial menu appears against both bracelet options, so a buyer choosing the Oyster gave up nothing on the dial.		The dial range is the reason to care about this reference. Thirty-four configurations are catalogued for the 118239, running from plain lacquer to fully paved. The same dial menu appears against both bracelet options, so a buyer choosing the Oyster gave up nothing on the dial.

	[[File:Ref 118239 lapis lazuli.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex 118239 with lapis lazuli hardstone dial and diamond markers\|Lapis lazuli, the hardstone dial that suits white gold best.]]		[[File:Ref 118239 lapis lazuli.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex 118239 with lapis lazuli hardstone dial and diamond markers\|Lapis lazuli, the hardstone dial that suits white gold best.]]
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	Most 118239s wear the President, the three-piece semicircular bracelet the reference inherited from the [[Reference:1803\|1803]], here with solid centre links and the concealed Crownclasp that hides the folding mechanism under a cover stamped with the coronet. The solid centre link is the generation's clearest tell against the hollow-link 5-digit bracelets, and it is most of the reason a 6-digit Day-Date feels heavier than its predecessor at the same case size.		Most 118239s wear the President, the three-piece semicircular bracelet the reference inherited from the [[Reference:1803\|1803]], here with solid centre links and the concealed Crownclasp that hides the folding mechanism under a cover stamped with the coronet. The solid centre link is the generation's clearest tell against the hollow-link 5-digit bracelets, and it is most of the reason a 6-digit Day-Date feels heavier than its predecessor at the same case size.

	The Oyster bracelet is the surprise. ~~WatchBase's registry catalogues roughly~~ half the 118239 configurations on the flat three-piece Oyster ~~rather than~~ the President, a pairing usually associated with the smooth-bezel references like the [[Reference:118208\|118208]]. A fluted white-gold Day-Date on an Oyster is about as far from the dress-watch reading of the model as Rolex ever took it. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet and not the head, and a serviced watch may well wear a later bracelet than its case. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].		The Oyster bracelet is the surprise. Roughly half the catalogued 118239 configurations sit on the flat three-piece Oyster instead of the President, a pairing usually associated with the smooth-bezel references like the [[Reference:118208\|118208]]. A fluted white-gold Day-Date on an Oyster is about as far from the dress-watch reading of the model as Rolex ever took it. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet and not the head, and a serviced watch may well wear a later bracelet than its case. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

	==Market==		==Market==
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	See also the [[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements\|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets\|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers\|serial numbers by year]].		See also the [[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements\|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets\|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers\|serial numbers by year]].

	==Sources==		== Sources ==

	* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra		* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

Admin: Add DISPLAYTITLE, SEO description and keywords for 118239

2026-08-10T00:30:14Z

Add DISPLAYTITLE, SEO description and keywords for 118239

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			{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 36 118239}}
	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Rolex Day-Date 118239 — White Gold President, Cal 3155 \| BezelBase		\|title=Rolex Day-Date 118239 — White Gold President, Cal 3155 \| BezelBase
	\|description=		\|description=The Rolex 118239 is the 18k white-gold Day-Date 36 — fluted bezel, caliber 3155, catalogued from 2000 on both the President and the Oyster bracelet. Lapis, meteorite and paved dials are the ones that matter.
			\|keywords=Rolex 118239, Day-Date 118239, white gold President, white gold Day-Date, caliber 3155, lapis lazuli dial, meteorite dial, 6-digit Day-Date, Day-Date 36
	\|image=Ref 118239 hero.webp		\|image=Ref 118239 hero.webp
	\|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 118239 in 18k white gold with white Roman dial on the President bracelet		\|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 118239 in 18k white gold with white Roman dial on the President bracelet
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	\|modified_time=2026-08-10T00:28:40Z		\|modified_time=2026-08-10T00:28:40Z
	\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large		\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
			\|titlemode=replace
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Admin: SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

2026-08-10T00:29:54Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:29, 10 August 2026
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			{{#seo:
			\|title=Rolex Day-Date 118239 — White Gold President, Cal 3155 \| BezelBase
			\|description=
			\|image=Ref 118239 hero.webp
			\|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 118239 in 18k white gold with white Roman dial on the President bracelet
			\|type=Article
			\|og_type=article
			\|published_time=2026-08-10T00:28:40Z
			\|modified_time=2026-08-10T00:28:40Z
			\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
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	<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] -> '''118239'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] -> '''118239'''</small>

Admin: Import reference 118239 article

2026-08-10T00:28:40Z

Import reference 118239 article

New page

<small>[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] -> '''118239'''</small>

The 118239 is the white-gold Day-Date 36 of the 6-digit era. Same 36mm President case as the yellow-gold [[Reference:118238|118238]], same fluted bezel, same caliber 3155, cut in 18k white gold instead. At arm's length it reads as steel, and that quietness is the whole appeal: a watch that weighs like gold and looks like nothing in particular until the fluting catches the light. Rolex catalogued it from 2000, on the President bracelet and on the Oyster, and gave it the widest dial range of any reference in the generation. Lapis lazuli, meteorite, mother-of-pearl, cherry lacquer and full pavé all sit in the same catalogue as plain silver and black.

[[File:Ref 118239 hero.webp|thumb|right|340px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118239 in 18k white gold with white Roman dial on the President bracelet|Rolex Day-Date 36 118239 in 18k white gold — fluted bezel, white Roman dial, President bracelet.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 118239
|-
| family
| Day-Date (Day-Date 36, 6-digit)
|-
| production
| from 2000, through the 2010s to about 2019
|-
| movement
| caliber 3155, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, ~48h reserve, double quickset
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k white gold
|-
| crystal
| sapphire
|-
| bezel
| fluted
|-
| bracelet
| President or Oyster
|-
| dial
| silver, black, blue, cherry, white and grey Roman, silver "computer", mother-of-pearl, lapis lazuli, meteorite, diamond-set, paved
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| siblings
| 118238 (yellow gold), 118235 (Everose), 118208 (yellow gold, smooth), 118206 (platinum, smooth), 118139 (white gold, leather strap)
|-
| predecessor
| 18239 (5-digit white gold)
|-
| successor
| 128239
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 6-digit Day-Date 36 splits by metal and by bezel. The [[Reference:118238|118238]] is the yellow-gold fluted volume reference, the [[Reference:118235|118235]] the Everose, the [[Reference:118208|118208]] the yellow-gold smooth, and the 118239 the white-gold fluted. White gold has always been the awkward member of the Day-Date family, because the one thing a President is supposed to do at a glance is announce itself, and white gold declines to. That has kept the 118239 out of the spotlight and made it the reference collectors reach for when they want the watch without the announcement.

Mechanically there is nothing to separate it from its siblings. The case, the caliber 3155, the double quickset and the Twinlock crown are shared across the generation, and the [[Reference:118238|118238]] entry carries the full account of the caliber. What the 118239 has of its own is metal and dial. White gold takes a mirror polish differently from yellow, and it is the natural ground for the cool-toned dials, lapis and meteorite and pavé, that make up the more interesting half of the reference's catalogue.

==Production outline==

Rolex introduced the 118xxx series in 2000. SwissWatchExpo's account of the President generations describes the change as a bracelet-and-clasp exercise rather than a mechanical one: the caliber 3155 carried over from the preceding 182xx series and the 36mm Oyster case stayed, while the bracelet gained substance, the lugs were polished, and the clasp was made more secure. Monochrome's history adds the detail that the President bracelet moved from hollow links to solid, which is most of the added weight, and that the rehaut picked up the engraved ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX ring with the serial number.

The end of the run is less tidy than the start. Monochrome's Day-Date history closes the 118238, and with it the generation, at 2009. That date is hard to square with the same article's account of the caliber 3155 being re-regulated in 2015, from the COSC standard of −4/+6 seconds a day to Rolex's own Superlative Chronometer rating of −2/+2, a change that only means anything if 3155-powered Day-Dates were still being sold. The reference ran on through the 2010s until the caliber-3255 128239 took over the 36mm line, around 2019.

==Movement notes==

The 118239 runs the caliber 3155, the double-quickset Day-Date movement, with 31 jewels, a 28,800 vph beat and a reserve of roughly 48 hours. Day and date both index from the crown, which is the practical dividing line between this generation and the 4-digit references, where the only way to change either is to run the hands round. Monochrome describes the 3155 as a jewel count up from 27 to 31 over the outgoing 3055, with a double bridge for the escapement, and slightly slimmer despite the additions.

Two changes land mid-run. The blue Parachrom hairspring arrives across the Rolex catalogue from 2005, so late examples carry it and early ones do not. Then in 2015 Rolex re-regulated the 3155 to the Superlative Chronometer standard of −2/+2 seconds a day. A late 118239 is therefore a materially better timekeeper on paper than an early one, running the same caliber number. The caliber lineage sits on [[Reference:Movements]].

==Dial map==

[[File:Ref 118239 meteorite.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 118239 with meteorite dial and diamond hour markers|Meteorite dial with diamond hour markers — the crystalline banding runs differently on every example.]]

The dial range is the reason to care about this reference. Thirty-four configurations are catalogued in WatchBase's registry, and they run from plain lacquer to fully paved. The same dial menu appears against both bracelet options, so a buyer choosing the Oyster gave up nothing on the dial.

[[File:Ref 118239 lapis lazuli.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 118239 with lapis lazuli hardstone dial and diamond markers|Lapis lazuli, the hardstone dial that suits white gold best.]]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! dial
! description
! bracelets
|-
| silver
| plain silvered ground, applied baton markers
| President, Oyster
|-
| black
| glossy black, applied batons
| President, Oyster
|-
| blue
| blue ground, applied batons
| President, Oyster
|-
| cherry
| cherry-red lacquer
| President, Oyster
|-
| white Roman
| white ground, applied Roman numerals
| President, Oyster
|-
| grey Roman
| grey ground, applied Roman numerals
| President, Oyster
|-
| silver "computer"
| silvered ground printed with the circuit-board motif, diamond markers
| President, Oyster
|-
| mother-of-pearl
| white, black, Oxford and carousel patterns
| President, Oyster
|-
| lapis lazuli
| deep-blue lapis hardstone, diamond markers
| President, Oyster
|-
| meteorite
| meteorite slice with crystalline banding, diamond markers
| President, Oyster
|-
| diamond-set
| silver or black grounds with diamond hour markers; one configuration pairs diamonds with emeralds
| President, Oyster
|-
| paved
| ground fully paved with diamonds, applied blue Arabic numerals
| President, Oyster
|}

[[File:Ref 118239 computer dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 118239 silver computer dial with diamond markers|The silver "computer" dial, printed with a circuit-board motif and set with diamond markers.]]

Two of these deserve singling out. The lapis is the hardstone that suits white gold best, because the metal stays out of the way and the stone does not have to fight a warm case for attention. The meteorite is the one that never repeats, since the crystalline banding is cut from a different part of the slice on every dial. The wider hardstone story across the Rolex catalogue is covered in Italian Watch Spotter's stone-dial guide, and the cross-family dial taxonomy sits on the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry.

[[File:Ref 118239 paved.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 118239 with fully diamond-paved dial and blue Arabic numerals|The paved dial with applied blue Arabic numerals, the most decorated configuration catalogued for the reference.]]

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

The case is the 36mm white-gold Oyster of the 6-digit generation, with the broader, fully polished lugs that separate it from the 5-digit [[Reference:18238|18238]] era. The bezel is fluted, machined from solid white gold. The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops, the crown a Twinlock screw-down, and the caseback screws down.

The rehaut is the quickest way to place an example in the run. Earlier production carries the serial engraved between the lugs at six o'clock; from the mid-2000s the serial moves to the inner crystal ring, engraved alongside the repeating ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX that Rolex added as an anti-counterfeiting measure. In 2010 the letter-prefix serial system gives way to random alphanumeric strings, so a 118239 can carry a lug serial, a rehaut serial with a letter prefix, or a rehaut serial with a scrambled one.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

[[File:Ref 118239 oyster bracelet.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 118239 in white gold on the three-piece Oyster bracelet with black dial|The 118239 on the Oyster bracelet — a fluted white-gold Day-Date on a flat three-piece bracelet, the least Presidential a President gets.]]

Most 118239s wear the President, the three-piece semicircular bracelet the reference inherited from the [[Reference:1803|1803]], here with solid centre links and the concealed Crownclasp that hides the folding mechanism under a cover stamped with the coronet. The solid centre link is the generation's clearest tell against the hollow-link 5-digit bracelets, and it is most of the reason a 6-digit Day-Date feels heavier than its predecessor at the same case size.

The Oyster bracelet is the surprise. WatchBase's registry catalogues roughly half the 118239 configurations on the flat three-piece Oyster rather than the President, a pairing usually associated with the smooth-bezel references like the [[Reference:118208|118208]]. A fluted white-gold Day-Date on an Oyster is about as far from the dress-watch reading of the model as Rolex ever took it. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet and not the head, and a serviced watch may well wear a later bracelet than its case. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

==Market==

The 118239 moves through the dealer and certified-pre-owned market rather than the catalogued auctions, which is true of the 6-digit Day-Date generation generally. Where the generation does reach the auction record, the pattern is consistent: the dial carries the result, not the reference. Christie's Hong Kong sold a coral-dial [[Reference:118208|118208]] for HKD 525,000 in 2014 and a bloodstone example for HKD 225,000 in 2018, several multiples over a plain-dial equivalent. On the 118239 the configurations that do the same work are the lapis, the meteorite and the pavé; a plain silver or black example is a straightforward modern Day-Date and prices like one.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:118238|Day-Date 118238]] — 2000–2019
* [[Reference:118235|Day-Date 118235]] — 2005–2019
* [[Reference:118208|Day-Date 118208]] — 2000–2019
* [[Reference:118138|Day-Date 118138]] — 2013–2019
* [[Reference:218238|Day-Date 218238]] — 2008–2015
* [[Reference:218206|Day-Date 218206]] — 2008–2015

See also the [[Reference:day-date|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo, Pucci Papaleo Editore, 2015]
* [https://www.mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history ''Rolex Day-Date'' — Giorgia Mondani and Guido Mondani, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [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/en/articles/the-rolex-day-date-a-complete-collectors-guide Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [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.fratellowatches.com/exploring-evergreens-the-rolex-day-date-18238/ Fratello editorial, "Exploring Evergreens: The Rolex Day-Date 18238", Fratello Watches]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/watch-guide-rolex-stone-dials/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "Watch Guide: Rolex Stone Dials", 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://watchbase.com/rolex/day-date WatchBase, "Rolex Day-Date 36 118239 — factory configuration registry", WatchBase]

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