Every time you think you know the Datejust, a variant will surprise you. This, to all intents and purposes, is a grey dial 1603. But it's a bit more than that. If it happens to catch the light at the right angle, you'll see it's vertically brushed. Now, that's quite a slight detail. But this is Rolex, and it's the world where details are everything.

The vast majority of Datejust dials are either matte or sunburst. The vertical graining here is not common at all by comparison, you'll find just one or two on the entire market at a time in grey. The finish is quite subtle, but matches the light brushing on the case and bracelet perfectly while also managing to look a bit like a 1019 Milgauss, which has the same texture. Moreover, you'll see this dial has a sigma signature as well, a convention of the era used to indicate precious metal in dial construction. The hands and indices are white gold and will never tarnish. But the tritium has aged, to a beautiful light cream in both the hands and pips. It's one of those watches that looks familiar, but probably isn't.

This example is in excellent overall condition. The dial is clear of any visible damage. All tritium pips are present and an even cream, matched in the hands. The case is in our opinion not polished, with extremely strong edges and light surface wear visible everywhere. Its bracelet is date matching and has a light amount of stretch. The calibre 1570 is running well in spec.

This watch is modeled on a relatively large 7.7 inch wrist.

• Brand: Rolex
• Model: Datejust
• Reference: 1603
• Size: 36
• Year: 1973
• Case Material: Steel
• Movement: Automatic Calibre 1570
• Scope: Watch Only