Reference:1806: Difference between revisions
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<small>[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] | <small>[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] -> '''1806'''</small> | ||
The 1806 is the Florentine-finish Day-Date, the most heavily decorated of the 4-digit Presidents. Where the bark [[Reference:1807|1807]] and the Morellis 1811 carry their texture on the bezel and bracelet center links, the 1806 takes the Florentine finish across the bezel, the case and the lugs | The 1806 is the Florentine-finish Day-Date, the most heavily decorated of the 4-digit Presidents. Where the bark [[Reference:1807|1807]] and the Morellis 1811 carry their texture on the bezel and bracelet center links, the 1806 takes the Florentine finish across the bezel, the case and the lugs in a fine hand-engraved cross-hatch. Most examples wear it on the rare "brick" bracelet, a flat brick-link special order that was the most expensive bracelet Rolex offered at the time. It shares the 36mm gold case, caliber 1555/1556 movement and dial catalogue with the fluted [[Reference:1803|1803]]; the Florentine is what sets it apart. | ||
[[File:Ref 1806 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 1806 in yellow gold with Florentine finish and brick bracelet|The 1806 in yellow gold: Florentine finish on case and bezel, on the flat brick-link bracelet | [[File:Ref 1806 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 1806 in yellow gold with Florentine finish and brick bracelet|The 1806 in yellow gold: Florentine finish on case and bezel, on the flat brick-link bracelet]] | ||
==Core facts== | ==Core facts== | ||
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==Where it sits in the line== | ==Where it sits in the line== | ||
All three decorated 4-digit Presidents replace the 1803's fluting with a worked gold surface, and the 1806 goes furthest of the three. Beyond the bezel, the cross-hatch reaches the case flanks and the lugs, and on brick-bracelet examples the bracelet as well. The finish is a fine geometric hand-engraving borrowed from Italian goldsmithing, thin lines cut at intersecting angles, and it reads nothing like the coarse vertical grain of the bark [[Reference:1807|1807]] or the watered moiré of the Morellis 1811. | |||
Everything else is 1803. The 36mm gold case, the caliber 1555/1556 movement, the quickset-free day-and-date mechanism and the dial catalogue all carry over, and the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry holds the full account. | Everything else is 1803. The 36mm gold case, the caliber 1555/1556 movement, the quickset-free day-and-date mechanism and the dial catalogue all carry over, and the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry holds the full account. | ||
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==Production outline== | ==Production outline== | ||
The Florentine 1806 ran through the late 1960s and 1970s | The Florentine 1806 ran alongside the plain 1803 through the late 1960s and 1970s, in small numbers. No Rolex production figure has surfaced. Hand-finishing and the optional brick bracelet put it at the top of the gold-Day-Date price list, and like the other decorated references it sold slowly when new. Documented examples cluster in the mid- to late 1960s on the caliber 1555 and run into the 1970s on the caliber 1556. | ||
==Movement notes== | ==Movement notes== | ||
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==Dial map== | ==Dial map== | ||
The 1806 | The 1806 drew on the standard 4-digit Day-Date dials and, as a catalogue sibling of the 1803, on the same special dials. Green Stella lacquer over Florentine gold is among the documented combinations. Dial choice is shared inventory across the group rather than an 1806 trait, and the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry carries the variant taxonomy. | ||
==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown== | ==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown== | ||
[[File:Ref 1806 florentine detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Florentine cross-hatch finish and brick bracelet on a Rolex 1806|The Florentine cross-hatch and the flat brick-link bracelet up close | [[File:Ref 1806 florentine detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Florentine cross-hatch finish and brick bracelet on a Rolex 1806|The Florentine cross-hatch and the flat brick-link bracelet up close]] | ||
The case is the 36mm gold Oyster shared across the 4-digit Day-Date, with a Twinlock screw-down crown, screw-down caseback and acrylic crystal. The gold itself is what changes. The Florentine cross-hatch covers the bezel, the case flanks and the lugs in fine intersecting engraved lines, and the reference came in yellow, white and pink gold. | |||
The case is the 36mm gold Oyster shared across the 4-digit Day-Date, with a Twinlock screw-down crown, screw-down caseback and acrylic crystal | |||
==Bracelets, end links, and clasps== | ==Bracelets, end links, and clasps== | ||
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===The decorated 4-digit references=== | ===The decorated 4-digit references=== | ||
The | The decorated 4-digit group is the Florentine 1806, the bark [[Reference:1807|1807]] and the Morellis 1811. The three textures are easy to confuse, so attribution rests on the reference number engraved between the lugs rather than on the finish. A full-Florentine 1806 still wearing its brick bracelet is the rarest configuration in the group. | ||
==Auction record== | ==Auction record== | ||
The Florentine 1806 reaches the major houses occasionally; Antiquorum has catalogued a yellow-gold example with Florentine lugs and a brick bracelet. Most trade through specialist dealers, where | The Florentine 1806 reaches the major houses occasionally; Antiquorum has catalogued a yellow-gold example with Florentine lugs and a brick bracelet. Most trade through specialist dealers, where full-Florentine examples on the brick bracelet command the strongest prices and green Stella over Florentine gold sits at the top. The bracelet carries much of that value, since service replacement to plain President links is common and breaks the set. | ||
== Related references == | == Related references == | ||
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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 | ||
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[[Category:Day-Date]] | [[Category:Day-Date]] | ||
[[Category:References]] | [[Category:References]] | ||
Latest revision as of 23:55, 9 August 2026
Day-Date -> 1806
The 1806 is the Florentine-finish Day-Date, the most heavily decorated of the 4-digit Presidents. Where the bark 1807 and the Morellis 1811 carry their texture on the bezel and bracelet center links, the 1806 takes the Florentine finish across the bezel, the case and the lugs in a fine hand-engraved cross-hatch. Most examples wear it on the rare "brick" bracelet, a flat brick-link special order that was the most expensive bracelet Rolex offered at the time. It shares the 36mm gold case, caliber 1555/1556 movement and dial catalogue with the fluted 1803; the Florentine is what sets it apart.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 1806 |
| family | Day-Date |
| production | late 1960s into the 1970s (4-digit era) |
| movement | caliber 1555 (to c. 1965), then caliber 1556; hacking from 1972; no quickset |
| case | 36mm 18k gold President, Florentine-finished case, bezel and lugs — yellow, white, pink/rose gold |
| crystal | acrylic |
| bezel | Florentine finish |
| bracelet | usually the Florentine "brick" flat-link (special order); President also documented |
| dial | the 4-digit Day-Date catalogue, shared with the 1803 (including Stella examples) |
| crown | Twinlock screw-down |
| sibling references | 1803 (fluted), 1804 (gem-set), 1807 (bark), 1811 (Morellis) |
| predecessor | originals-era 6610 / 6611 / 6612 cluster |
| successor | 5-digit 18xxx era |
Where it sits in the line
All three decorated 4-digit Presidents replace the 1803's fluting with a worked gold surface, and the 1806 goes furthest of the three. Beyond the bezel, the cross-hatch reaches the case flanks and the lugs, and on brick-bracelet examples the bracelet as well. The finish is a fine geometric hand-engraving borrowed from Italian goldsmithing, thin lines cut at intersecting angles, and it reads nothing like the coarse vertical grain of the bark 1807 or the watered moiré of the Morellis 1811.
Everything else is 1803. The 36mm gold case, the caliber 1555/1556 movement, the quickset-free day-and-date mechanism and the dial catalogue all carry over, and the 1803 entry holds the full account.
Production outline
The Florentine 1806 ran alongside the plain 1803 through the late 1960s and 1970s, in small numbers. No Rolex production figure has surfaced. Hand-finishing and the optional brick bracelet put it at the top of the gold-Day-Date price list, and like the other decorated references it sold slowly when new. Documented examples cluster in the mid- to late 1960s on the caliber 1555 and run into the 1970s on the caliber 1556.
Movement notes
The 1806 uses the standard 4-digit Day-Date movement: caliber 1555 from the start, replaced by caliber 1556 around 1965, which raised the rate to 19,800 vph through a gear-train change while carrying over the 1555's free-sprung Microstella balance. Hacking seconds were added to the 1556 mid-production in 1972, and no 4-digit Day-Date has quickset. The Reference:Movements page holds the caliber lineage; the 1803 entry covers the 1555-to-1556 transition.
Dial map
The 1806 drew on the standard 4-digit Day-Date dials and, as a catalogue sibling of the 1803, on the same special dials. Green Stella lacquer over Florentine gold is among the documented combinations. Dial choice is shared inventory across the group rather than an 1806 trait, and the 1803 entry carries the variant taxonomy.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
The case is the 36mm gold Oyster shared across the 4-digit Day-Date, with a Twinlock screw-down crown, screw-down caseback and acrylic crystal. The gold itself is what changes. The Florentine cross-hatch covers the bezel, the case flanks and the lugs in fine intersecting engraved lines, and the reference came in yellow, white and pink gold.
Bracelets, end links, and clasps
The characteristic 1806 bracelet is the "brick," a flat brick-link bracelet finished to match the Florentine case. It was a special-order option, the most expensive bracelet Rolex listed at the time, and it is rare. A Florentine 1806 on its original brick bracelet is the complete expression of the reference. Some 1806s also turn up on the President. As ever, a clasp date code dates the bracelet, which may be older or newer than the head, and the Reference:Bracelets page holds the cross-family detail.
Special branches
The decorated 4-digit references
The decorated 4-digit group is the Florentine 1806, the bark 1807 and the Morellis 1811. The three textures are easy to confuse, so attribution rests on the reference number engraved between the lugs rather than on the finish. A full-Florentine 1806 still wearing its brick bracelet is the rarest configuration in the group.
Auction record
The Florentine 1806 reaches the major houses occasionally; Antiquorum has catalogued a yellow-gold example with Florentine lugs and a brick bracelet. Most trade through specialist dealers, where full-Florentine examples on the brick bracelet command the strongest prices and green Stella over Florentine gold sits at the top. The bracelet carries much of that value, since service replacement to plain President links is common and breaks the set.
Related references
- Day-Date 1803 — Fluted President (1960–1977)
- Day-Date 1804
- Day-Date 1807
- Day-Date 1811
- Day-Date 1831
- Day-Date 6510 — 1956–1957
See also the Day-Date family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.
Sources
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
- Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 1806 Day-Date, Florentine-finish lugs and bracelet, 18k yellow gold — Antiquorum lot 353", Antiquorum
- Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches
- Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's
- Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches
- WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21
- Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter
- The Beautiful Watch editorial, "A Brief History of the Rolex Day-Date", The Beautiful Watch
- Ottuhr editorial, "Rolex Day-Date 1803 Reference Report", Ottuhr
- Rolex Forums community, "Rolex Forums — 1803 Presidential Unusual Finishes", Rolex Forums