Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1991 Reference No: 18206 further stamped 18200 inside the caseback Movement No: 6'481'466 Case No: X853'756 Model Name: Day-Date Material: Platinum Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3155, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Platinum Rolex President bracelet, max length 190mm. Clasp/Buckle: Platinum concealed deployant clasp, stamped 8385 Dimensions: 36mm. Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
Catalogue Essay
The Day-Date, also known as the “President” watch, is one of Rolex’s most sought after models. Housing Rolex’s caliber 3155, the most notable upgrade from earlier references is its quick set feature, enabling the wearer to change the date and day with ease. The present reference 18206 was produced in 1991 and its main characteristics are a platinum case fitted with a flat bezel. Made of lapis lazuli, the dial adds a very profound facet to this watch and could almost be described as the seabed of a tropical sea with slight sparkles of gold mimicking the sunlight shining on the waves. Genuine invitation to travel, this watch would be the perfect companion to enjoy the last rays of sun on the snowy mountain tops or on an exotic beach.
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.