Rolex Day-Date 18038

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The Day-Date. There is just something special about it. Once you have strapped it on your wrist, a certain feeling arouses you. A feeling that instantly upgrades your style and status. Aficionados might call it magic, we at Amsterdam Vintage Watches don't believe in magic. We just call it perfection.

The Rolex Day-Date was the first automatic, waterproof chronometer wristwatch that indicated the date and the day of the week. The 18XXX-series, the fourth generation of Day-Dates, were introduced in 1978 and housed the caliber 3055, which means that it has single-quickset function. Very convenient for daily use. Amsterdam Vintage Watches has a beautiful yellow-gold example on offer with a very handsome dial. Namely, a grey Jubilee dial with 18k yellow-gold applied Arabic index. It comes on a President bracelet with concealed clasp. Like all 5-digit Day-Date references the 'flat dial' is protected by a sapphire crystal, which gives the watch a modern, fresh look. This piece dates back to '83.

Introduction

Rolex Day-DateThe very essence of luxurious time-keeping, provided with a day and date function. It was launched in 1956 as a niche model and was only produced in precious metals (yellow-, white- and rosegold or platinum). Its retail price was way costlier than any other Rolex model. However, due to its popularity among a lot of prestigious people, for example presidents (hence, its nickname), it became Rolex’ flagship model. Over the years this model has enjoyed associations with a wide variety of people, from world leaders, athletes, celebrities and mafiosi (like Tony Soprano). Regardless of the differences, they all had one thing in common: being successful in their area of expertise. Therefore, to this day the Day-Date is still synonymous with luxury, prestige, style and success. With exception of the most modern models, the Day-Date comes in at 36mm. Do you earn this watch?Reference 180XXThe 18XX references were replaced by the 180XX references in 1978. Again, a new era - both, aesthetically and technically - began for the Day-Date. Firstly, the plexi crystal got replaced by sapphire crystal (glass), which is harder and shines more than plexi crystal. Because of the use of glass the case also got slightly thicker providing the watch with a modern design. The classic pie pan shape of the dial got dropped and, instead, the flat dial was introduced. Furthermore, the concealed clasp already was an option since '72 but since '78, all President bracelets were standardly delivered with a concealed clasp. Last but not least, the caliber 3055 got introduced, which provided the watch with a single quickset function. From now on, the date could be adjusted separately from the time and day making the Day-Date a more convenient watch. The most common references are:

  • Reference 18026: Domed bezel (Platinum)
  • Reference 18028: Domed bezel
  • Reference 18038: Fluted bezel
  • Reference 18039: Fluted bezel (White gold)
  • Reference 18046: Diamond-set bezel and index (Platinum)
  • Reference 18048: Diamond-set bezel and index
  • Reference 18049: Diamond-set bezel and index (White gold)
  • Reference 18078: Bark-finished bezel (Often paired with President bracelet with bark-finished centerlinks)
  • Reference 18079: Bark-finished bezel (White gold) (Often paired with President bracelet with bark-finished centerlinks)

Specifications

Shipping

Packages are generally dispatched within 2 days after receipt of payment and are shipped within the Netherlands by Registered Mail through the Dutch carrier PostNL and for other countries by Fedex. Consult us if you prefer another method of shipping. For most destinations tracking is available.