Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1980 Reference No: 18038 Movement No: 0'410'920 Case No: 6'375'517 Model Name: Day-Date Material: 18K yellow gold Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3055, 27 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Rolex pin buckle Dimensions: 36mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and pin buckle signed Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex punched guarantee, numbered sales tag, product literature, wallet and fitted presentation box.
Catalogue Essay
Ever glamorous, the Day-Date model delights with its myriad of dial, bracelet, bezel and gold-finished designs. This superlative Day-Date is fitted with a beautiful red lacquer "Stella" dial. Preserved in excellent and most probably unpolished condition, the case displays an attractive layer of patina throughout and crisp hallmarks beneath the lugs. Furthermore, it is accompanied by its original punched guarantee and numbered sales tag, which adds another layer of collectibility.
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.
Ref. 18038 A rare and extremely well-preserved yellow gold calendar wristwatch with red lacquer "Stella" dial, numbered sales tag, original guarantee and presentation box
Circa 1980 36mm Diameter Case, dial, movement and pin buckle signed