This baby combines everything we love about vintage Rolex: an iconic design in great condition, emotions, and a beautifully patinated gilt dial.

Reference 1601 Datejusts are a perennial crowd favorite. With their iconic case design, fine fluted bezel, boxy plexiglass crystals, and characteristic ‘pie-pan’ dials, they combine form and function in a neat and classic 36 mm package.

This early 1601/8 from 1962 ups the ante in several ways. For one, it’s quite uncommon to run into a gold Datejust. As most people that were in the market for a precious metal Rolex opted for the Day-Date option at a slight price premium, relatively previous metal Datejusts hit the market.

The 36 mm yellow-gold Oyster case is in great condition and features the iconic finely fluted bezel, also in 18k yellow-gold. It is paired with a Jubilee bracelet from that same year and the clasp bears an engraving. Alongside the story from the previous owner we can identify it was a graduation gift for Giuseppe di Paolo, hence his initials "G. D. P." are proudly and elegantly displayed.

But the central attraction on this watch is the wonderful gilt dial. As the sun’s UV rays work their magic on older dials, the lacquers and paints can slowly degrade. On this dial, the original black lacquer has evolved slowly to a deep brown colour with some toffee-like hues, especially concentrated at the edge of the dial and the "Pie-pan" facet. This rich palette serves a warm backdrop to the gilt text and the matching applied pointy markers and leaf handset. Typical for these early executions, just like the gold window on the date aperture.