Reference:day-date
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 6510. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the 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.
Common entry points
| Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date? 6510 — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957). |
Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date? 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. |
Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date? 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.
| Reference | Production | Bezel | Bracelet | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 smooth).
| Reference | Production | Movement | Bezel | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | smooth | Smooth-bezel sibling. |
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.
| Reference | Production | Material | Bezel | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
| 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.
| Reference | Production | Material | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
| 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.
| 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
| 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 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Bubbleback — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.