Rolex Day-Date watches or more commonly known as “The President” have set a lot of examples for the watchmaking industry. The timepiece has become famous among watch enthusiasts for all the right reasons. Here’s why you should also pick one up.
Day-Date
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Rolex first introduced the Day-Date in the year 1956. The design of the watch was much inspired by the iconic Rolex Datejust. But what sets this one apart is the day functionality, which clearly reads the day of the week at the 12 o’clock mark. It also had a date indicator placed on the 3 o’clock mark.
The first Rolex Day-Date watch was introduced in references 6510 and 6511. While the former came with a domed bezel, the latter featured the iconic fluted bezel. The flagship watch was only available in 18-carat gold and platinum material choices. Within just a period of one year, Rolex introduced its successor, the Day-Date reference 6611. The newer model came with the updated Caliber 1055 movement. This introduced the free-sprung balance with micro-stella adjustment.
Rolex Day-Date watches also introduced the President bracelet, which we have now come to love so much. The bracelet was initially not named President. Though the Swiss watch manufacturer used the word ‘President’ in some of the watch’s advertisements in 1966, it was not clear whether they were referring to the watch or just the bracelet.
President bracelet was a fusion of the Oyster bracelet and the iconic Jubilee bracelet. The Rolex Presidential bracelet had larger and heavier semi-circular links that mimicked portions of the Jubilee bracelet. But they were arranged in the same staggered setup as you would see on an Oyster bracelet.
Rolex Day-Date received a major update with the release of the reference 1803. It was also the most popular reference of that generation of Rolex Day-Date watches. The reference was introduced with the Caliber 1555 movement and Rolex later introduced the Caliber 1556, which brought a higher beat rate of 19600vph instead of 18000vph. Later, Rolex also added a hacking mechanism to the Caliber 1556 that allowed stopping the seconds when setting the time.
Interestingly enough, the Rolex Day-Date reference 1803 was sold with a leather strap and or a bracelet in precious metal, It was also the last Day-Date model to feature the pie-pan-shaped dial. Also, Rolex used straight hands instead of the leaf-shaped ones in the 1800 series.
At the time, the Day-Date was available with the day indicator in 24 different languages. Currently, you can get it in 26 different languages including English, Spanish, Dutch, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Arabic, German, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Danish, Basque, Catalan, Ethiopian, Finnish, French, Greek, Hebrew, Moroccan, Norwegian, Farsi, Swedish and Turkish.
Rolex Day-Date received its Presidential nickname during its early years. The 36th U.S. President Lyndon B Johnson wore the Rolex Day-Date watch during his term from 1963 to 1969. The watch was also seen on the wrists of several other noteworthy leaders over time.
There was even a Rolex Day-Date watch that Marilyn Monroe bought and inscribed it for Former U.S. President John F Kennedy. That particular timepiece was sold in an auction in 2005 fetching a healthy sum of $120,000.
In the 1970s, Rolex introduced the Caliber 3055 movement for the Day-Date. The new movement offered a higher run rate of four hertz or 28,800 vibrations per hour. It also added a quick set date function that allowed users to independently set the date and day from the time.
Around this time, the Swiss watch manufacturer also got rid of the acrylic in favor of the much more premium sapphire crystal. This not only offered better durability but also made the watch feel more premium than ever.
One of the most noteworthy additions to the Rolex Day-Date family was the Rolex Day-Date 1807. The model was referred to as “The Bark” as it featured a uniquely textured bezel and a matching bracelet. The design resembled a tree bark resulting in such a nickname. The model even had a follow-up in the 1970s, which arrived with the reference number 18248.
While Rolex watches are known for their extraordinary mechanical movements, the Rolex Day-Date President even had a quartz model. The Oysterquartz Day-Date President made its appearance in the year 1977. The case of the watch closely resemble other Rolex Oysterquartz model and it also featured an integrated bracelet. The bracelet used on this one had a very similar style to the traditional Rolex Presidential bracelet.
Being a very old model, there are countless examples of the Rolex Day-Date President that one can choose from. One of the more significant references was the 118238 with a yellow gold case and bracelet. It featured a white dial and offered the most elegant and was a classic take on the Rolex Day-Date watches.
Over the years, Rolex introduced several updates to the Day-Date watches. Now the Day-Date models come with the Swiss watch manufacturer’s latest Calibre 3255 self-winding movement. This particular movement brought the watch’s power reserve to an impressive 72 hours and achieved the +2/-2 seconds per day accuracy rating.
Assuming you are out there searching for a pristine Rolex Day-Date watch, you have a lot of choices. From the case size to the materials, there are a considerable amount of choices to make. Rolex has not added numerous choices to confound you however this is to give clients a more extensive decision.
Here are the choices you need to browse through to get the exact watch you really want:
At the point when you arrange a Rolex Day-Date, the main thing you ought to be clear about is the case size. This thoroughly relies upon one’s wrist size and personal preference. The Day-Date is available in two sizes, 36mm and 40mm.
After picking the case size, you need to pick one of the material options. Rolex Day-Date is available in platinum, white gold, rose gold and yellow gold. In terms of the bracelet, you can get the Day-Date only with the President bracelet. But, depending on your other choices, you might be able to get the Rolex Presidential bracelet with diamonds set on it.
Rolex Day-Date watches come with a Fluted or a Diamond-set bezel. The platinum models of the past featured a smooth bezel. Since the Platinum models and the White Gold models had a close resemblance to each other, due to the silver-toned look, the best way to differentiate between them was the bezel. The white gold model had a fluted bezel whereas the platinum one had a smooth one.
As for the dial, there are plenty of options to choose from. One not only gets a variety of color options to choose from but you also get to pick between exotic materials such as coral, onyx, mother-of-pearl, meteorite, malachite, lapis lazuli, burl wood, and more.’’
Recently, Rolex also added two feature dials with a striking concentric gradient pattern for the 36mm model.
In 2019, Rolex unveiled new Day-Date 36 models where two feature dials with a striking concentric gradient pattern. These green ombre dial and brown ombre dial options are embellished with diamond indexes, which include baguette-cut diamonds at six and nine that sit alongside brilliant-cut diamonds for the remaining hour markers. Rolex also introduced some new decorative stone dials fashioned from turquoise or pink opal, where the Roman numerals VI and IX are set with diamonds.
Rolex Day-Date watches are perhaps some of the best timepieces thanks to their iconic design. The timepiece deserves a spot in every watch enthusiast’s collection. If you are looking for Rolex watches UAE including the Day-Date, the best place to shop for one would be WatchMaestro. You cannot just purchase watches but even sell them to us. With our watch exchange option, one can even trade their high-end watch to get a Day-Date.
Here are the options available at WatchMaestro:
Rolex Day-Date President is a must-have for every watch collector and you can buy one from WatchMaestro. Just select any of the Rolex Day-Date models available in our catalog or you can request the particular model that you are looking for.
Rolex prices are usually on the higher side due to the limited availability. But the Rolex Day-Date watches available at WatchMaestro come at unbeatable prices. Apart from that, you will also experience a completely hassle-free and smooth buying process. Every single watch sold by WatchMaestro is 100% genuine and most of them come with their original box alongside all the paperwork.
On the off chance that you already own a Rolex Day-Date, you can sell it to us. Expecting that you have a novel variation of the Day-Date, you might actually receive more as a trade-off for your watch. We can guarantee you that you will get the best price possible for your timepiece.
If you are not inclined towards just selling and rather looking for a change, WatchMaestro can help you with that as well. With our watch trade option, you can exchange your Rolex Day-Date for another high-end timepiece. This similarly works for the circumstance, where you have a premium watch and would like to get a Day-Date in exchange for it.
Trading is not just the region where we limit ourselves. Since the Rolex Day-Date watches are powered by self-winding movements, they require servicing from time to time. We can also customize your Rolex Day-Date to help it in standing out.
U.S. President Lyndon B. was often seen wearing a Rolex Day-Date.
If you are looking to purchase a Rolex Day-Date, you can head over to WatchMaestro. While we have dozens of watches in our portfolio, if there is a particular model that you need, we can source it for you.
Yes. You can easily sell your Rolex Day-Date at WatchMaestro and get the best possible price for it.
With WatchMaestro, you can not only buy or sell watches but also get your Rolex Day-Date serviced or customized.
Jack Nicklaus Rolex Day-Date was the most expensive Day-Date model ever sold. The timepiece was sold for $1.22 million (roughly AED 4.48 million) at an auction in 2019.
The retail price of a Rolex Day Date starts at $28,350 (roughly AED 104,000).
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