Posts Tagged ‘1803’
‘Japan No Lume’ 1803 Rolex Day-Date
Hardstone dials are all the rage these days. Day-Dates are synonymous with onyx, lapis, and jasper. But in the earliest days of the Day-Date, there weren’t stones. There were Stellas. And before there were Stellas, there were gilt pie-pans. An early Day-Date in white precious metal is just about the ultimate in discreet opulence as…
Read MoreSalmon Stella 1803 Rolex Day-Date
I’m as fond of a good metaphor for communicating my views on any given watch as China are of polluting oceans. The Day-Date, more than almost any other watch, lends itself to a particular analogy: drink. There are endless variants, each quite personally expressive, and they all get you to about the same place. In…
Read MoreHavana Dial 1803 Rolex Day-Date
The joys of Rolex Day-Date collecting are in many ways like the joys of mild alcoholism. In both, the satisfaction is to be found in minor variation. With any Day-Date, you are getting what is in essence the same functional capability, proportion, and design. But the details vary endlessly in extremely intricate ways such as…
Read More1803 Oxblood Stella Rolex Day-Date
The Day-Date (colloquially President) is arguably Rolex’s most iconic model, full stop. It is classic, subdued, sophisticated, timeless, and coveted. Like much of vintage Rolex the variety of iterations and custom-order examples within this one model could serve as subject to multiple volumes of research. This elicits the query, where to start? Well, when both…
Read MoreLilac Stella 1803 Rolex Day-Date
Aside from the strata of piece unique one-offs for royalty, this is unquestionably one of the rarest Rolex dials to ever be produced—in single digits. Moreover, it’s a Stella. Stella Day-Dates are increasingly sought after for many reasons; this is the original colorful OP with added complication, one of Rolex’s earliest attempts to flirt with…
Read MoreItalian 1803 Rolex Day-Date in WG
We love a Day-Date around here. Whether oxblood, khanjar, or more the more restrained offering shown today, the 1803 is cemented in Wilsdorf’s lore and the iconography of watch history. Yet, collectors will still usually freak out only for the more exotic variants: lapis, missoni, rubellite, Jurassic park dials, etc. I am today singing the…
Read MoreLinen Dial 1803 Rolex Day-Date
If Rolex had an essentials album, the 1803 would undoubtedly be a starred track. In production for nearly three decades as the halo product, Wilsdorf’s innovative Day-Date complication became synonymous with status after a 1966 ad with a red phone which simply stated, ‘the president’s watch.’ Day-Date collecting could be considered an art itself, given…
Read MoreSwiss Only, Claw Dial 1803 Rolex Day-Date in Rose Gold
It is a little-discussed fact that rose gold is substantially less common than yellow or white gold in vintage Day-Date production. But, where Rolex are concerned, not all vintage rose golds are quite consistent. The alloy was constantly evolving throughout the very lengthy run of the 1803. Early Day-Dates, such as this 1962 example, sport…
Read More1803 Oxblood Stella Rolex Day-Date
The Day-Date (colloquially President) is arguably Rolex’s most iconic model, full stop. It is classic, subdued, sophisticated, timeless, and coveted. Like much of vintage Rolex the variety of iterations and custom-order examples within this one model could serve as subject to multiple volumes of research. This elicits the query, where to start? Well, when both…
Read MoreKhanjar Rolex Day-Date 1803 in Blue & WG
Why do I feature a mechanically standard 1803 Day-Date? Because every single khanjar Rolex has a story to tell. Additionally, they are just fucking cool. The khanjar, a traditional J-shaped dagger (which is a symbol of pride in Oman’s history), was used on Rolex commissioned for Omani royalty. Frequently, these pieces were also manufactured in…
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