Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1996 Reference No: 18208 Case No: T357390 Model Name: Day-Date Material: 18K yellow gold Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3155, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster bracelet stamped "76B" to the end links, max length 190mm Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Rolex deployant clasp stamped "6 S" and "7206" Dimensions: 36mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex guarantee and presentation box
Catalogue Essay
The present timepiece is an extremely attractive example of how the Day-Date is used to express all of the unbridled creativity of the Rolex design department. The quintessential “luxury” Rolex timepiece, the Day-Date (and earlier, its sibling the Datejust) were conceived in the mid twentieth century as the most luxurious offering in the Rolex lineup. In fact, the President and Jubilee bracelets were originally created specifically for these two models and were intended to emphasize the luxury connotation of the watches.
Over the years, Rolex created an astoundingly varied series of dials for these pieces, such as dials in malachite, wood, coral, fossil, lacquer, and so on. One of the most unusual, rare and attractive iteration is indeed the one exemplified here: a dial realized with a very thin slab of marble, a material hardly ever used as a dial medium.
Fresh to the market and in superlative condition - unpolished and still retaining its original green Rolex sticker to the back - the present piece is a remarkable testament to Rolex’s creativity and design boldness, and one of the most collectible Day-Date iterations known. It is furthermore accompanied by its original guarantee and presentation box.
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.