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The Rolex Day-Date is a watch of many firsts. For instance, it was the first watch to display the day and date, written out in full on the dial. And, it did so whilst being self-winding and waterproof to boot.The very first Day-Dates, the ref. 6510 and 6511, were introduced in 1956 and saw production for only a year. In 1957 they were replaced by the 66XX series Day-Dates. This upgraded model is an important milestone in Rolex as it was the very first Day-Date, and one of the very first Rolex watches, to receive the highest chronometer certification from the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), a fact that has been proudly printed on Rolex dials ever since.This beautiful ref. 6611B is one of the earliest Day-Dates known, dating back to 1958. The 36 mm Oyster case is executed in 18k yellow gold and features an early version of the iconic fluted bezels. As these bezels contained a finer and narrower pattern, collectors often refer to them as coin edge bezels or even Millerighe bezels (meaning ‘thousand lines’ in Italian).This specimen features the original pie-pan dial which has turned from its initial white color to a lovely golden hue due to the effects of UV-rays and radiation burn from the radium that was used in the alpha-style handset as well as in the luminous dots at the end of the applied baton markers.This exceptional 6611B was produced for the German market, as evidenced by the German day-disc at the 12 o’clock position. Curiously, the chronometer specification—”Superlativer Chronometer Amtlich Geprüft”—is printed in German as well even though it is usually found in English as “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified”. One explanation for this is that the COSC testing facility was located in Biel, in the German part of Switzerland, which is why a very small run of these early Day-Date dials were printed in German as well.This rare and historically important Day-Date is in great condition for its age and comes on a generic leather strap.