Since its founding, Rolex has been a powerhouse of Swiss watchmaking and the title is synonymous with luxurious and success. Based by Hans Wilsdorf as Wilsdorf and Davis in 1905, it wasn’t until 1908 that the patronym Rolex was registered as the brand name. A few of the most iconic fashions just like the Submariner, Explorer, GMT-Master and Datejust is likely to be fan-favourites, however just one is taken into account the top by Rolex, and that’s the “Presidential watch” mostly often known as the Rolex Day-Date. Not like the others, it’s the one one completely obtainable in valuable metals, and it makes a press release on the wrist like no different. A bona fide standing image, in the event you’ve acquired one, you’ve made it – because the saying goes…
Day-Date Ref. 6510 and 6511 (1956 – 1957)
Launched in 1956, the Day-Date changed extra difficult items just like the 1949 Triple Calendar Moonphase (ref. 8171, a.okay.a. Padellone) and that very same watch in an Oyster case in 1950 (ref. 6062, a.okay.a. Stelline). Neither mannequin discovered nice success (at the least, again within the days, as we’re now speaking about extremely collectable items), and each had been discontinued in 1953, by no means to be seen once more within the Rolex portfolio.
When introduced in 1956, this made the much less complicated Day-Date the “difficult one” within the vary. The Rolex Day-Date was the primary wristwatch with a day of the week written out in full, which sat in an arched window at 12 o’clock with a separate date at 3 o’clock – a show that we now affiliate with most day-date watches available on the market, regardless of the maker. The mechanism was described in Swiss patent CH322341A of 1955, as invented by Rolex engineer Marc Huguenin.
The Rolex Day-Date was the hero watch from the start, obtainable in yellow, pink and white gold with a easy bezel (ref. 6510) or fluted (ref. 6511). These early 1956 fashions got here with a Jubilee bracelet, however a wholly new President bracelet would quickly turn out to be normal.
The Oyster case was 36mm in diameter and had a twin-lock crown with two o-rings, permitting for water resistance of 100 metres – surprisingly good for a watch of this class. This crown system was first seen in 1953 on the Submariner. The dial had gold utilized indices and Dauphine-style palms over a champagne or black dial (the latter being much less frequent), and the date window had a cyclops lens just like the prior Datejust. These first two references had been solely produced for one 12 months. Why? The early calibre had technical points with advancing the date, so ref. 6611 debuted in 1957 to handle the shortcoming.
Day-Date Ref. 6611 (1957 – 1959)
This was basically the identical watch with an improved motion, calibre 1055, that solved the mechanical glitches. It had 25 jewels and a beat price of 18,000 vibrations/hour (2.5Hz), and the enhancements modified the dial textual content from “Formally Licensed Chronometer” to “Superlative Chronometer Formally Licensed”. It was the primary Rolex to function this now-common new designation. A minor aesthetic replace was the swap to Alpha palms over Dauphine, however the watch in any other case remained the identical. The Rolex Day-Date Ref. 6611 dials had a “pie-pan” fashion dial with the sting sloped downward. There have been uncommon variants and customizations within the early days, so we’ll simply follow the most typical fashions. As well as, solely the most typical reference numbers inside a collection will likely be highlighted as there are simply too many to dive into for such an article, together with one-of-a-kind fashions. It’ll primarily be the yellow gold watches with the President bracelet transferring ahead, though others will likely be specified as wanted.
As was the case with all Rolex watches on the time, the crystals had been acrylic, however the Day-Date shifted to sapphire sooner than different fashions (round 1977). Additionally, the bracelet discovered after 1956 was distinctive to the mannequin and often known as the President (therefore the title?), which was and nonetheless is a 3-link bracelet with rounded hyperlinks just like the Jubilee.
Many US presidents wore the Day-Date mannequin as effectively, together with Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and Invoice Clinton, and it’s believed that Lyndon B. Johnson was the one who acquired the “President” nickname connected as he was the primary to put on one in workplace. Rolex adverts even featured the Day-Date because the “President’s Watch” on the time. John F. Kennedy was notoriously gifted one by Marilyn Monroe in 1962 with an inscription on the caseback, however he didn’t put on it for apparent causes and had workers “eliminate it”. That piece (or at the least what some believed it to be) surprisingly resurfaced a long time later and bought at public sale for US 120,000 in 2005 – the authenticity has since been challenged…
So, was it Johnson or the distinctive bracelet that contributed to the “President” nickname for the Day-Date? I’m leaning in the direction of US presidents based mostly on adverts on the time, but it surely’s all simply one other a part of Rolex lore.
Stainless Metal?
Keep in mind how we stated that the Day-Date is the one mannequin obtainable in valuable metals? Effectively, there’s an asterisk on that one. For some unverified purpose, there are 5 Day-Date 6611 stainless-steel fashions identified to exist – one sold for CHF 50,600 at auction in 2002, one other one for CHF 170,100 in 2022. This was undoubtedly an anomaly (probably prototypes) and the final word prize for collectors, form of like a 1943 US copper penny.
Day-Date Ref. 1803 (1959 – 1976)
This reference is exclusive because it represents the final of some issues. It’s the final Day-Date to make use of an acrylic crystal, as all subsequent references switched to sapphire. The Day-Date once more made that swap sooner than different fashions because it represented essentially the most premium piece from Rolex. Acrylic is hotter and, within the case of this mannequin, has a taller and boxier profile than sapphire. After all, sapphire is far tougher and scratch resistant and immediately will be made to imitate the form and vibe of older acrylic crystals. Ref. 1803 was additionally the final to function the “pie pan” dial, because it was subsequently changed by extra typical counterparts.
Apparently, the President bracelet and even rivet-style Oyster bracelets on the time had been hole, which is an attribute that goes again to the originals from 1956. The load and valuable steel content material had been, in fact, decrease than immediately, and that’s a solution to shortly determine older references. The bracelet’s “Crownclasp” was a hidden clasp that made the bracelet itself look seamless, however a raised coronet recognized its closing level. Though the President bracelet was and continues to be unique to the boys’s Day-Date, a ladies’s variant seems on Girl-Datejust fashions. No different males’s watches have it fitted from the manufacturing unit.
Picture by Zeitauktion
Picture by Amsterdam Classic Watches
A brand new set of palms was additionally launched with the 1803 (and 1800 collection total), going from leaf-shaped on earlier fashions (ref. 6611 and earlier than) to straight palms – you gained’t see the standard Mercedes palms on Day-Date fashions. A fast word – till 1977, Rolex by no means matched dial choices/configurations to serial numbers, so it was fairly the Wild West with a seemingly “unregulated” quantity of variances floating round, which is once more why this text focuses on core fashions and references. The 1803 tends to be essentially the most inexpensive mannequin on the preowned market as a result of early (and fewer fascinating) options just like the acrylic crystal and no quickset date, in addition to an extended manufacturing run.
Calibre 1555 and 1556
Ref. 1803 was initially powered by the upgraded calibre 1555 with a free-sprung Micro-Stella stability however not a quickset perform. The weekday and date needed to be set by rotating the palms previous midnight till they had been set appropriately. Within the mid-Nineteen Sixties, calibre 1556 was used with a better beat price of 19,800vph and one additional jewel (now 26 jewels), however nonetheless not a quickset perform. In 1972, calibre 1556 was up to date with a hacking function to cease the seconds hand for extra exact timing. These had been the primary totally in-house actions for the Day-Date mannequin, because the prior ones had been outsourced. For nearly 20 years, the 1555 and 1556 calibres had been utilized in a dozen Day-Date fashions, give or take, however their shortcomings finally demanded change. It wasn’t till the late Nineteen Seventies that calibre 3055 introduced the wanted quickset date function to ref. 18038, inching the mannequin into the fashionable age.
Day-Date Ref. 18038 (1977 – 1988)
This mannequin wasn’t a giant aesthetic departure from earlier four-digit fashions (ref. 1803, for instance), and the core mannequin had the normal 36mm Oyster case in yellow gold with a fluted bezel and President bracelet. As talked about earlier, with all Day-Date fashions, there are numerous 18038 variances for these with deeper pockets, akin to diamond indices, gold/diamond bezels, customized dials and so forth, so we’ll once more persist with the core, typical fashions.
Ref. 18038 was a recreation changer of kinds for the Day-Date, transferring from acrylic crystals to sapphire, transferring to flat dials from the “pie pan” variants (making a larger-looking dial space) and most significantly, upgrading to calibre 3055. The brand new quickset date was an enormous comfort for many who didn’t put on their Day-Date constantly and the beat price elevated to twenty-eight,800vph (4Hz) for extra precision and a smoother sweep of the seconds hand. Issues weren’t excellent, nevertheless, as this was a “single quickset” motion, which means solely the date could possibly be set instantly through the crown, whereas the day of the week nonetheless required the laborious motion of the palms.
At this level, the final digit of the serial quantity indicated the end and materials of the watch, so issues had been a bit extra so as from a cataloguing standpoint.
Quartz Disaster – Oysterquartz and Calibre 5055 (1977 – 2004)
The Quartz Disaster of the Nineteen Seventies and Nineteen Eighties was fairly a disruptor (to say the least) and finally led to a quartz variant of Rolex’s Day-Date mannequin. Not a lot out of necessity however to comply with the development of the period. Mechanical fashions by no means ceased manufacturing. The one we’ll give attention to is ref. 19018, which is equal to fashions just like the aforementioned mechanical ref. 18038. It’s additionally the most typical quartz variant discovered immediately on the secondhand market. 5 years within the making (beginning in 1972), quartz calibre 5055 was launched within the Oysterquartz Day-Date in 1977. Oysterquartz Datejust fashions acquired calibre 5035, which was curiously not (initially) COSC-certified. That stated, all quartz actions had been way more correct than COSC-certified mechanical counterparts.
Being a battery-operated quartz motion, the jewel rely was low at 11, and it had a 32khz oscillator (1khz is the same as 1,000Hz for reference). Calibre 5055 (and 5035) had been produced in-house and regarded by many on the time to be superior to calibre 3055 in ref. 18038, and definitely extra exact. It got here with a quickset calendar perform and hacking seconds. All Oysterquartz Day-Date fashions had “Superlative Chronometer Formally Licensed” printed on the dial and it wasn’t till 1979 that Oysterquartz Datejust fashions acquired the designation with an upgraded calibre 5035. Apparently, Rolex stopped certifying all quartz actions in 2002, close to the tip of Oysterquartz manufacturing.
Ref. 19018 featured a yellow gold Oyster case, fluted bezel and President bracelet, identical to the mechanical fashions, though the circumstances are simply recognized with a flatter, extra angular aesthetic with an built-in bracelet design. White gold was quickly launched with ref. 19019. As with all Day-Date fashions, a variety of variants had been created with diamonds, rubies and sapphires, bringing many Oysterquartz reference numbers with them, however the usual yellow gold ref. 19018 is our focus. The fashions had been definitely common, particularly early on, though solely round 25,000 fashions of every type had been produced in 25 years.
Day-Date Ref. 18238 (1988 – 2000)
This mannequin actually introduced the Day-Date to the fashionable period with calibre 3155, lastly giving customers a double quickset function – each the date and day of the week could possibly be set shortly through the crown. No extra spinning the palms to eternity. Minor calibre modifications additionally included a double bridge for the escapement for extra stability, however specs in any other case remained the identical with a 48-hour energy reserve. The jewel rely elevated from 27 to 31, however the motion was surprisingly a bit slimmer than the outgoing calibre 3055. The champagne dial matched the yellow gold case, fluted bezel, and President bracelet, and plenty of had vertical strains for a little bit of texture (which labored effectively with the bezel). As at all times, a variety of dial variants had been obtainable, together with colors, textures, supplies and people with valuable stones. By the tip of manufacturing, there have been 25 obtainable languages for the day-of-the-week window.
Day-Date Ref. 118238 (2000 – 2009)
Not a lot modified with the ref. 118238 from a mechanical standpoint (initially) because it nonetheless used calibre 3155, though the case was redesigned with broader lugs for extra wrist presence and the Crownclasp was improved for higher safety and aesthetics. The large change was with the President bracelet, which went from historically hole hyperlinks to strong, considerably including weight (and worth) with the extra valuable steel. The rehaut additionally added an engraved ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX to battle counterfeiting, together with its distinctive serial quantity. All Day-Date fashions adopted this transferring ahead.
Let’s return to calibre 3155 for a minute, as one thing did change in 2015. The motion was regulated to a tighter normal and went above COSC-certified to Rolex’s personal Superlative Chronometer ranking (from -4/+6 seconds per day to -2/+2 seconds per day). This set a brand new normal for Rolex precision and mechanical excellence, surpassing nearly all different luxurious manufacturers.
The Day-Date II 41mm Ref. 218238 (2008 – 2015)
Till 2008, all Day-Date fashions had 36mm circumstances, however the Day-Date II debuted with a 41mm case to have fun Rolex’s centennial anniversary. That is additionally a latest development with Rolex to maintain up with modern tastes – we noticed it with the bigger than 36mm Explorer, Datejust and so forth throughout the final 20 years. It was the most important Day-Date ever to be launched and (visually) not simply due to the case measurement. The bezel (specifically) and lugs had been extra distinguished than the upcoming 40mm mannequin, making it appear extra than simply 1mm bigger in measurement. This reference definitely had essentially the most wrist presence of any Day-Date mannequin, however some felt that it strayed too removed from the basic method and it proved to be a disappointing vendor. So, it was comparatively short-lived, with a manufacturing run of seven years, but it surely additionally left its mark as one of many extra memorable references.
The President bracelet adopted ceramic inserts in between the hyperlinks to forestall “stretching” over time, which is a identified subject for older fashions. Nonetheless, this was solely obtainable for platinum bracelets on the Day-Date II, however that expanded with the following launch.
Powering this mannequin was calibre 3156, which wasn’t a giant departure from calibre 3155, as seen in ref. 118238. It had a Parachrom hairspring (first launched in 2005) and Paraflex anti-shock system, however the energy reserve remained at 48 hours. This Superlative Chronometer was made particularly for the Day-Date II however was then changed with the next mannequin and represents the final (and finest) of the “outdated guard” of Day-Date actions. The subsequent calibre introduced vital developments to the collection.
Day-Date 40 Ref. 228238 (2015 – Current)
Rolex wasn’t able to abandon the bigger Day-Date choice, however a number of aesthetic modifications had been made to handle the Day-Date II shortcomings. The case shrank just a bit to 40mm, however the true visible modifications had been a slimmed-down bezel and narrower lugs, extra according to the basic design. It was principally a bigger 36mm mannequin, whereas the Day-Date II had a beefier, sportier look than earlier than. As talked about, the President bracelet now has ceramic inserts between the hyperlinks for all metals, not simply platinum, considerably bettering the bracelet’s longevity for all fashions. Dials with a brand new laser-etched sample had been additionally launched with the Day-Date 40, including to an already extensive number of dial choices. At this level, 26 totally different languages had been obtainable for the day of the week.
Probably the most notable change was the brand new calibre 3255, which introduced the patented Chronergy escapement and a 70-hour energy reserve. The brand new escapement is basically a modified lever escapement that improves effectivity by round 15 per cent. The primary distinction is much less mass, together with a skeletonized escape wheel, smaller pallet stones and a lighter pallet fork. The geometry of the escape wheel enamel and pallet stones was modified as effectively, and the poise of the stability wheel was improved by an element of three. The usage of nickel-phosphorus additionally made it very anti-magnetic. The 3255 remains to be a Superlative Chronometer at -2/+2 seconds per day, so accuracy stays the identical, however the motion is far improved total.
The Day-Date 40 stays in Rolex’s portfolio immediately alongside the normal Day-Date 36 and each run on calibre 3255. Yellow, Everose (rose), white gold and platinum can be found, together with a smorgasbord of dials, bezels, valuable stones and so forth. The truth is, there’s such a big number of choices, not together with specialised and customized orders by the years, that the Day-Date stays one of the tough fashions for collectors because it’s nigh inconceivable to search out “the whole lot”. Nonetheless, it simply might present the final word “thrill of the chase” for the fitting fanatic with a watch for the perfect and, effectively, deep pockets. You by no means know what distinctive and one-of-a-kind Day-Date may pop up at an public sale or by non-public gross sales.
Collectors and Fanatics
The Day-Date total isn’t a uncommon mannequin by any stretch, and with near 70 years of manufacturing, there’s rather a lot obtainable on the pre-owned market. The US market tends to have essentially the most obtainable and yellow gold fashions will be discovered for below USD 8,000 on a leather-based strap and round USD 12,000 on an authentic bracelet for clear examples (typically ref. 1803). That’s not dangerous in any respect for such a historic and premium Rolex mannequin, no matter age. If you wish to appear like a millionaire for a comparatively low worth, it is a good solution to do it. A serviced watch with an expert cleansing and maybe a lightweight Rolex polish will current itself as a up to date flagship piece that’ll be the envy of many. And all for lower than some new metal sports activities watches just like the Daytona and even the Submariner.
Critical collectors have a chance to hunt for uncommon items, particularly one-of-a-kind custom models and maybe even one of many stainless-steel unicorns. Given the character of all (correct) fashions being fully gold or platinum, costs won’t ever drop to the cut price stage, however as talked about above, good examples gained’t completely break the financial institution. For these with deep pockets, there’s a seemingly limitless provide of distinctive Day-Date fashions to spherical out a group, whether or not classic or extra modern. Attention-grabbing celebrity-owned fashions are comparatively plentiful as effectively, given the Day-Date’s standing image from the start.
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