Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1986 Reference No: 18039 Case No: 7'349'903 Model Name: Day-Date Material: 18k white gold Calibre: Automatic, 3055 Bracelet/Strap: Rolex President, end links stamped 55 Clasp/Buckle: Concealed deployant clasp Dimensions: 36mm. Diameter Signed:Movement, dial, case and bracelet signed
Catalogue Essay
Actually, a Day-Date of the Eighties sporting a walnut, mahogany or birch burl dial, the three types of wood used by Rolex, is not a timepiece too hard to find. Furthermore, these wristwatches are usually found in yellow gold versions. On the other hand, the present example manufactured in 1986, besides being an amazing piece, also attracts high collector interest due to its mahogany burl dial showcased in this white gold version.
Further notice must be given to the extraordinary overall pristine state of preservation. The case back still bears its original Rolex sticker bearing the 18039 reference number.
The Day-Date was the first wristwatch ever to display the day of the week spelled out in full. The date wheel of the present example shows the day in English. According to tradition, Rolex issued a choice of up to 26 different languages.
Founded 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.