Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1990 Reference No: 18239 Movement No: 5'498'662 Case No: E201198 Model Name: Day-Date Material: 18K white gold Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3155, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: 18K white gold Rolex President bracelet stamped "55B" to the endlinks, max length 200mm Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold concealed Rolex deployant clasp stamped "548 06" and "8385" Dimensions: 36mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
Catalogue Essay
This superb white gold Day-Date is fitted with an incredibly attractive and very rare blue sodalite dial with diamond-set numerals. The deep blue "mottled pattern" surface of the sodalite dial - with no two dials being exactly the same - provides perfect contrast for the white of the diamond-set numerals and gold case to truly shine. The calendar windows, like with all hard-stone dials, are framed in white metal.
Hardstone dials are among the most attractive and collectible dials to have ever found their way into the Day-Date line. Beyond the present sodalite, other stones have been employed by Rolex: onyx, malachite, marble, agate and jade are just some examples of this remarkable diversity.
To the best of our knowledge, the consignor of the present timepiece is a VIP client of Rolex who obtained the upgrade of his timepiece - a truly unusual occurrence - with the present dial during a service.
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. 18239 An elegant and impressive white gold automatic wristwatch with center seconds, day, date, blue sodalite dial, diamond-set numerals and bracelet
Circa 1990 36mm Diameter Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
