113
Rolex
Ref. 18026
Day-Date
A fine and very rare platinum calendar wristwatch with center seconds and bracelet
- Estimate
- CHF15,000 - 25,000€14,100 - 23,500$15,600 - 26,000
CHF23,750
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1981
- Reference No
- 18026
- Case No
- 6’628’005, inside caseback stamped 18000
- Model Name
- Day-Date
- Material
- Platinum
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 3055, 27 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Platinum Rolex President bracelet, maximum length 200mm
- Clasp/Buckle
- Platinum Rolex concealed deployant clasp
- Dimensions
- 36mm Diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement and slap signed
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
The Rolex Day-Date was introduced in 1956 as a more exclusive and complicated alternative to the Datejust (which was released 10 years before, in 1945). In order to highlight the exclusivity of the model, it was offered only in gold or platinum. The model immediately positioned itself at the top of Rolex offerings and soon became one of the best sellers of the brand, and it is now one of the models most recognizable and associated with the brand.
In 1977 the Day-Date was given an important upgrade: the new caliber 3055 with quick date setting was introduced, along with a new 5-digit reference system. Indeed, reference 18026 is a representative of this innovative line. The full offer comprised 4 models in yellow gold (with either bark-finished, diamond-set, blank or ribbed bezel) 3 in white gold (with bark-finished, diamond-set, or ribbed bezel) and two rare versions in platinum: ref. 18046, with diamond-set bezel, and the present ref. 18026.
An undisputed champion of understatement, only the weight of the piece gives away the importance and rarity of this model. The unequivocal collectability and appeal of this iconic watch go alongside its highly elegant, discreet and wearable looks.
In 1977 the Day-Date was given an important upgrade: the new caliber 3055 with quick date setting was introduced, along with a new 5-digit reference system. Indeed, reference 18026 is a representative of this innovative line. The full offer comprised 4 models in yellow gold (with either bark-finished, diamond-set, blank or ribbed bezel) 3 in white gold (with bark-finished, diamond-set, or ribbed bezel) and two rare versions in platinum: ref. 18046, with diamond-set bezel, and the present ref. 18026.
An undisputed champion of understatement, only the weight of the piece gives away the importance and rarity of this model. The unequivocal collectability and appeal of this iconic watch go alongside its highly elegant, discreet and wearable looks.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.
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