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.

The Rolex Day-Date is a true pioneer: the first automatic, waterproof, chronometer wristwatch that indicated both the date and day of the week. The 182xx series, introduced in 1988, is the fifth generation of Day-Dates. This ref. 18239 dates back to 1997 and features the updated caliber 3155 automatic movement with the convenient double-quickset function to separately adjust the Italian day and date discs.

The 36 mm 18k white-gold case is in excellent condition and comes with the elegant 18k white-gold fluted bezel. The iconic President bracelet with hidden folding clasp is in great condition as well, featuring no visible stretch.

The star of the show, of course, is the birch wood dial with its characteristic organic ‘flames’ in a beautiful honey and tobacco colour scheme. The dial features applied 18k white-gold stick markers and long painted black minute markers in between.

While yellow-gold wood dials are an uncommon sight already, finding a white-gold Day-Date with a wood dial is an outright rare occurrence. This specific example is also accompanied by the original box and papers. In other words, pull the trigger fast or you’ll come to regret sitting this one out!