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Rolex offers plenty of wonderful ‘entry-level’ luxury watches like the Air-King, Oyster Perpetual, and Datejust lines. They’re beautiful, sturdy, and relatively affordable. In other words, the perfect everyday watch for the beginning collector or even make up a one-piece collection. Yet, even among these well-known lines there are some absolute gems waiting to be discovered. This rare ref. 1018 Oyster Perpetual is one them.The Oyster Perpetual line debuted in the 1950s as a no-nonsense time-only watch. Even though a ladies and boys size were introduced later, the Oyster Perpetual is mostly known as a 34 mm men’s watch (although larger options were introduced in 2014 and yet again in 2020). However, there’s one important vintage exception. The ref. 1018 reimagined the classic Oyster Perpetual in a 36 mm case, the same size as a Datejust or Explorer I. Due to the availability of other options in the 36 mm range, the 1018 Oyster Perpetual wasn’t terribly popular and production ceased somewhere in the 1980s. As a result, it’s a rare model and the very first we’ve ever had for sale.This ref. 1018 dates back to 1979, at the tail end of this reference’s production run. The watch is executed in a slim 36 mm stainless steel Oyster case with a polished domed bezel and a matching stainless steel Oyster bracelet with 20 mm end links. The dial is executed in Rolex’ classic sunburst silver finish and features 18k white gold applied hour markers and ivory tritium lume plots. The watch is in wonderful condition with a sharp and thick case and almost stretch-free bracelet.