Rolex Day-Date

Why We Love It The Rolex Day-Date is arguably one of the most iconic dress watches ever made. Dressed up or dressed down, the Day-Date can be paired with anything from a suit to a sweatshirt and look equally appealing on the wrist. It's a timeless piece that in our opinions should have a place in every vintage Rolex enthusiast's collection. Vintage Day-Dates may not be the most difficult Rolex model to locate these days, but it is becoming more and more difficult to find great examples that are not over-polished AND that have untouched dials. Here we have a Day-Date with an extremely crisp case featuring sharp lugs, defined hallmarks, devoid of the all too common signs of over-polishing. This one also features a beautiful and rather unusual grey sunburst dial that really pops combined with the yellow gold case. Overall this is an exceedingly clean piece perfect to strap on the wrist for everyday wear. The combination of the yellow gold case, grey sunburst dial and burnt orange strap create a uniquely eye-catching look that stands out in a sea of champagne dial mushy-cased Day-Dates. The Story When you’ve got a good thing going, sometimes you just know. Such is the case with the Rolex Day-Date. At the time of the Day-Date’s release in 1956, it was Rolex’s only complicated wristwatch: all previous attempts had failed to resonate with consumers. But as soon as Rolex secured the patent in July of 1955, production of the Day-Date was rushed for a debut at the Basel Fair the following spring. Although early Day-Dates were plagued by technical problems resulting from the complexity of the automatic movement, those were soon resolved. After President Eisenhower sported one (a gift from the manufacture), its success was secured. The model would be tweaked and improved throughout the 1950s and on into the 60s, until the introduction of the Reference 1803 in 1965, which—due to its long production run—is deemed by many collectors to be the Day-Date to own.