Rolex Day-Date 18049 'Seafoam Stella'

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Rolex’ dial designers in the 1970s must’ve been dabbling in psychedelic drugs when they came up with the funky-coloured stella dials for the luxurious Day-Date.During the 1970s and 1980s Rolex offered brightly coloured lacquered dials, nicknamed ‘Stella’ by Italian collectors, as an option for the Day-Date. This option wasn’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 rock a gold watch with such a loud, dare we say gaudy, dial. As a result, Stella dial Day-Dates are very collectible nowadays.This 18049 features a wonderful Seafoam green dial. A Stella dial is an uncommon sight any day of the week, but this dial is outright since it’s made for a white-gold Day-Date (evidenced by the 18k white-gold Rolex coronet) and features factory-set diamond indices. The 18k white-gold case has a special reference number (18049), with the ‘9’ indicating that the watch is crafted from 18k white-gold and the ‘4’ signifying that the bezel is factory-set with diamonds.The 18049 houses Rolex’ caliber 3055 self-winding movement with a single-quickset function, allowing for the independent adjustment of the date disc. The watch is in great condition, with a sharp case and tight 18k white-gold President bracelet.

Introduction

Rolex Day-DateIn 1956, Rolex introduced one the most iconic watches ever made: the Day-Date. The Day-Date was the first waterproof self-winding chronometer certified wristwatch with a day and date function. And to top it off, it was only available in gold or platinum! Rolex also designed a new three-link bracelet, known as the ‘President,’ to pair with this special watch. With exception of the most modern executions, the Day-Date comes exclusively in a 36mm case.Reference 18xxxThe arrival of the 18xxx series Day-Dates in 1978 ushered in the first signs of the ‘modern’ watchmaking era for Rolex. These Day-Dates were the first regular production Rolex watches to receive a sturdy and scratch resistant sapphire crystal. To accommodate the new crystal, the iconic Oyster case had to be increased in thickness as well, giving the Day-Date a more modern look.Other significant developments were the change from the beloved pie-pan dials to the new flat dials and the unveiling of a brand new movement. The caliber 3055 introduced a single quickset function, which meant that the date could finally be adjusted separately from the time and date.Like its predecessors, the 18xxx Day-Dates were available with different bezel and case decorations. The most common references are:

  • Ref. 18026: Domed bezel (platinum)
  • Ref. 18028: Domed bezel
  • Ref. 18038: Fluted bezel
  • Ref. 18039: Fluted bezel (white gold)
  • Ref. 18046: Diamond-set bezel and index (platinum)
  • Ref. 18048: Diamond-set bezel and index
  • Ref. 18049: Diamond-set bezel and index (white gold)
  • Ref. 18078: Bark-finished bezel in yellow gold (usually paired with President bracelet with bark-finished centerlinks)
  • Ref. 18079: Bark-finished bezel in white gold (usually 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.