171
Rolex
Ref. 18238
Day-Date
A rare and highly attractive yellow gold wristwatch with day and date apertures, onyx hardstone dial, bracelet, guarantee, and presentation box
- Estimate
- $20,000 - 40,000
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- Circa 1995
- Reference No
- 18238
- Movement No
- 5’218’896
- Case No
- W’170’174; inside caseback further stamped 18200
- Model Name
- Day-Date
- Material
- 18K yellow gold
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 3155, 31 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- 18K yellow gold Rolex President bracelet, endlinks stamped 53B, max overall length 220mm
- Clasp/Buckle
- 18K yellow gold Rolex deployant clasp, reference 8385, stamped ‘O1’
- Dimensions
- 36mm Diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed.
- Accessories
- Accompanied by Rolex punched guarantee paper dated September 1995, product literature, Rolex Day-Date pamphlet, leather folio, polishing cloth, wax hangtag, fitted presentation box, and outer box. Further accompanied by Rolex service pouch, presentation box and Rolex Service card.
Catalogue Essay
Notably, the present example is fitted with an inky black onyx hardstone dial. Onyx, a form of chalcedony with deep banded layers, is a popular stone used in jewelry and watchmaking. Historically, Roman soldiers went into battle with onyx amulets for courage in battle, engraved with the visage of the god of war, Mars. The slice of onyx used for the dial of this Day-Date is utterly flawless, with attractive gilt printing. Presented as a “full set”, complete with its original box and punched guarantee, it’s a lovely example for the connoisseur.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded 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.