At the 1956 Baselworld Exhibition, Rolex unveiled the Day-Date. The new Oyster-cased watch built on Rolex’s groundbreaking Datejust technology with the addition of a day window, that sat proudly at the top of the dial. The Day-Date was Rolex’s most prestigious watch and was, therefore, manufactured exclusively in gold and platinum. A watch that cost almost ten times the price of a steel sports watch, the Day-Date deserved its nickname, “The President”.
In 1960 the 1800 series Day-Dates were unveiled. Whilst diamond setting the dials had always been an option on the Day-Date, it was with the launch of these watches that Rolex began to truly play with different stones on the dials and the bezels. It was also in these watches that Rolex began offering one of its most iconic dials, the Stella. The dials were available in a kaleidoscope of bright colours, created by building up layers of lacquer to give a high-gloss finish.
Many features of collectible Rolex watches were first seen on Day-Dates, such as the full pave dial. Rolex takes gem-setting very seriously and all the diamonds used, even the tiniest for full pave dials, must include zero inclusions when checked at 10x magnification. Each stone is checked by eye and compared with master stones to ensure only the finest examples make it onto watches. The cut used for pave dials is known as the 8/8 cut, which has a total of 17 facets. It is this attention to detail that elevates these watches above other brands.
Other special Day-Date dials were made in stone, the manufacturing of which is incredibly demanding. Making dials from hardstone is difficult as the final piece required is both incredibly thin and delicate. One of the most appealing and collectible aspects of stone dials is, however, is that each one is unique. Rolex used a vast range of different stones for Day-Date dials, including bloodstone, fossilized limestone and malachite.
We are delighted to share with you a number of the magnificent Rolex Day-Dates that we have curated for you in our upcoming Exclusive Timepieces auction, this October 22nd and 23rd October at le Meridien Beach Plaza Hotel here in Monaco. We hope to see you there!
Lot 270 - Extremely Rare and Very Important, Day-Date “Scheherazade”, Automatic Wristwatch in Platinum and Diamonds, With Arabic Calendar and Applied Bronze Arabic Numerals Dial, Published in the Iconic Book “My Time” – Estimate: € 150,000 – 300,000 – View lot detailLot 250 - Special and Refined, Day-Date, Automatic Wristwatch in White Gold, With Red Lobster Diamondset Stella Dial, Reference 1803 – Estimate: € 50,000 – 100,000 – View lot detailLot 244 - Absolutely Outstanding, Precious and Glamorous, Day-Date Octopussy, Automatic Wristwatch in Yellow Gold, With Green Stella Dial, Diamond Set Dial, Bezel and Bracelet, Reference 1804 – Estimate: € 125,000 – 250,000 – View lot detailLot 243 - Precious, Very Rare and Colorful, Day-Date, Automatic Wristwatch in Yellow Gold, With Full Diamond and Rubies Set Dial and Bezel, With Diamond Bracelet and Rolex Sticker, Reference 18 378 – Estimate: € 40,000 – 80,000 – View lot detailLot 239 - Extremely Rare and Valuable, Day-Date, Automatic Wristwatch in Yellow Gold, With Green Lacquered “Stella” and Diamondset Dial, With Yellow Gold Flexible Bracelet, Reference 1803 – Estimate: € 40,000 – 80,000 – View lot detailLot 238 - Striking and Precious, Day-Date, Automatic Wristwatch in Platinum, With Burgundy “Stella” Dial, Diamondset Bezel and Indexes, Reference 1804 – Estimate: € 50,000 – 100,000 – View lot detailLot 191 - Impressive, Exceptional and Absolutely Sought-After, Day-Date, Automatic Wristwatch in Yellow Gold, With Arabic Calendar, Applied Gold Arabic Numerals and Rare Tapisserie Dial, Reference 1803, Published in the Iconic Book “My Time” – Estimate: € 80,000 – 160,000 – View lot detailLot 188 - Very Rare and Attractive, Daydate, Automatic Wristwatch in Yellow Gold, With Turquoise Color Lacquered “Stella Dial”, Reference 1802 – Estimate: € 40,000 – 80,000 – View lot detailLot 187 - Fascinating and Fine, Daydate, Automatic Wristwatch in Yellow Gold, With Pavè Dial, Diamond-Set Bezel, Lugs and Bracelet, Reference 18138 – Estimate: € 50,000 – 100,000 – View lot detailLot 184 - Special and Refined, Day-Date, Automatic Wristwatch, in Gold, Bloodstone Jasper Dial, Reference 18 038, With Warranty, Wallet and Calendar – Estimate: € 40,000 – 80,000 – View lot detailLot 120 - Very Rare and Esteemed, Day-Date Bark Finish, Automatic Wristwatch in Yellow Gold, Lacquered Green and Diamond-Set Dial, Reference 18248 – Estimate: € 50,000 – 100,000 – View lot detailLot 88 - Incredibly Rare and Luxurious, Day-Date, Automatic Wristwatch in White Gold, With Sapphiresset Dial and Precious Green Khanjar Logo, Reference 1803 – Estimate: € 60,000 – 120,000 – View lot detailLot 87 - Extremely Rare and Very Important, Day-Date, Automatic Wristwatch in Yellow Gold, With Light Green Diamond-Set Stella Dial, Reference 18078 – Estimate: € 50,000 – 100,000 – View lot detailLot 79 - Charismatic and Colorful, Daydate, Automatic Wristwatch in Gold, Extremely Rare Pavè Diamond Set Dial and Ruby Indexes, Reference 18238 – Estimate: € 30,000 – 60,000 – View lot detailLot 16 - Charismatic and Colorful, Day-Date, Automatic Wristwatch, in Yellow Gold, Fossilized Limestone Dial, Reference 18 038, With Warranty – Estimate: € 25,000 – 50,000 – View lot detail
