Rolex Day-Date 18038 'Stella'

Vivid, flamboyant and outright amazing! Very few, if any, Stella dials are this dazzling.

The Rolex design team must’ve been dabbling into psychedelic drugs when they came up with the funky Stella dials for their flagship model. These dials weren’t particularly popular. After all, you had to be a gentleman (or lady) of considerable means to be able to afford a Day-Date and it was unlikely that a person of that stature would wear a watch with such a loud dial. As a result, not many were made; and by now you should know that this is a parameter collectors value highly.

Until recently, many thought it was a moniker used because of its shiny surface, as “Stella” translates to “star” in Italian. Another theory was that it was named after Frank Stella, an artist that used a lot of colors in his work. Whilst Stella dials are indeed shiny and colorful, the name derives from the supplier of the lacquer: a Swiss company called Stella S.A. Interestingly enough, “Stella dial” isn’t merely a nickname, Rolex themselves also labelled it as “Lacquered Stella” in internal documents, such as master catalogues.

Eventhough the gloss and richness in pigment might remind you of enamel, the proces of creating this surface is way less artisanal and therefore suitable to produce on a bigger scale. Yet, it did require some craftmanship. Firstly, the paint was mixed by hand, hence there is so much variety in tones. If you compare seemingly similar hues side by side, chances are they all differ slightly from one another. The color is the most decisive factor in setting the price. Just like with vintage Daytonas, the lack of popularity during its production run caused for a relatively small output. Thus, the -back in the days- least favorable tints are among the rarest. Most certainly this Seafoam/ Tiffany color is highly unusual. And with recent rise in popularity of this pigment, you can bet this is a highly coveted example.

Now the condition also plays a vital part. We are not so much referring to the exquisitely well-kept case and bracelet, but rather the state of the dial. The surface retains full charm and lacks any form of damage or blemishes. The zinc-silica tritium plots aged appealingly and are all in-tact. It is hard to imagine a more crisp example than this stunner from the seventies.

If you got bored of the conservative and pragmatically designed Rolex wristcompanions; look into the diversity this vivid depiction of the Day-Dates has to offer. This wilder side of Rolex proofed itself, over the last couple years, to be very captivating to collect. You can really still be taken by surprise and I feel like this potential hasn’t gone unnoticed as even Rolex re-integrated bright colors in their assortment. Yet, these steel and less artisanal crafted Oyster Perpetuals don’t quite provide the juxtaposition of luxury and provocative bright colors.