Rolex Day-Date

Why We Love It The Rolex Day-Date "President' is arguably the most important dress watch in history. Worn as an accessory with a fine bespoke suit or with jeans and a t-shirt, a solid gold Rolex might just change the way you think about precious metal wristwatches. And going with a true icon, worn by everyone from President Eisenhower to Tony Soprano, makes the idea of adding a little extra shine to your wardrobe that much more compelling. This particular Reference 1803 is finished in solid 18k white gold and features a lovely Tritium luminous silver sunburst dial with applied 'doorstop' indices and matching handset, a magnified acrylic crystal, and a fluted 18k white gold bezel. With light signs of wear and moderate patina and lume loss throughout, this is a great opportunity to own of one of our favorite vintage Rolex references without the premiums associated with unpolished safe-queens so often hyped in the market. Simply put, this piece flies under the radar and epitomizes the phrase, "if you know, you know..."   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 most 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 with dual calendar function, those were soon resolved. After President Eisenhower sported one (a gift from the manufacture), its success was secured. The watch came to be known as the “President,” (due to the fact that several U.S. presidents since Eisenhower have worn one), and it certainly lives up to its dignified nickname. For a brand that has built its reputation on its sports watches, it's perhaps unsurprising that the Rolex Day-Date is amongst the brand's best-sellers. True, the brand has always produced dress watches, but while the brand's more overt dress watch, the Cellini, often seems out of place among the brand's Oyster-cased offerings, the Day-Date is sturdy, solid, and at home alongside the Submariners and GMTs that make up the Oyster Perpetual collection. Rolex has approached continual development of model as they do every other, making quiet improvements over the following decades, ensuring the Day-Date is worthy as the centerpiece of Rolex's Oyster line as horological technology evolves.