Rolex has crafted some of its most exquisite dials from naturally occurring materials such as semi-precious stones and even organic materials like mother of pearl. Among our favorites, though, are the dials made from different types of wood.
A tree that experiences stress in the form of an injury, virus, or fungus may develop an outgrowth on the trunk. These deformed growths, called burr or burl, appear unsightly on the outside but contain beautiful patterns within. Instead of perfect growth rings found within the tree trunk, the nerf in burl wood is made up of complex twists, spirals, and swirls that create unique wood grain patterns. Due to its distinctive looks, this wood is the perfect material for Rolex' wood dials.
While any wood dial Day-Date is an uncommon sight by itself, a white gold one is outright rare. This 18039 features a 36 mm 18k white gold case with matching fluted bezel and the iconic President bracelet. The wood dial features organic swirls in a beautiful honey and tobacco color scheme. The applied 18k white gold baton indices and silver painted minute markers confirm that this rare dial was made to be cased in white gold.
This ref. 18039 dates back to 1979 and runs on the updated caliber 3055 automatic movement with a convenient single-quickset date function. The watch comes as a full set with the original box and papers and is in excellent condition with thick lugs and sharp lines. The matching white gold President bracelet features a moderate amount of stretch, but has plenty of life left for its next owner to enjoy.