Rolex Day-Date
 The Rolex Day-Date ref. 1803 produced from 1959 until 1977. | |
| Manufacturer | Rolex |
|---|---|
| Type | Automatic |
| Display | Analog |
| Introduced | 1956 |
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date is a COSC certified, self-winding chronometer manufactured by Rolex. Initially presented in 1956, the Day-Date was the first watch to display the date as well as the day of the week, spelled in full.[1]
History
Rolex introduced the Day-Date at the Swiss Industries Fair Basel in 1956. Intended to be the brand's flagship model, the Ref.6511 was available only in 18ct gold, or platinum. The model also featured a new bracelet configuration, exclusive to the model, featuring three rounded links across the width of the band.[2][3]
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson became the first president to wear a gold Day-Date.[4] Whilst Rolex took advantage of this connection for advertising purposes, first running an advert calling it 'The Presidents' Watch', it had also previously referred to the bracelet style as the 'President Bracelet', as early as 1957.[3][5][6]
Variants
Stella Dial
A variant of the Day-Date called the "Lacquered Stella" (now more commonly known as "Stella") was introduced to Middle Eastern and Asian markets in the 1970s.[7][8] The Stella featured vivid, bright color dials[9] and was rumored to be named after the American painter Frank Stella.[10] A gold with yellow lacquered Stella sold at Christie's for $131,250 in 2019.[11]
The Stella model with 18k gold and yellow lacquered dial is considered one of the rarest, with one selling at Christie's for US$131,250 in 2019,[12] with another selling for 275,000 Swiss Francs (approximately US$300,000) at Phillips.[13] Other models with different dial color and band combinations have been sold for over CHF50,000.[14]
In 2013, Rolex released a new Day-Date with vividly colored leather straps and matching colored dials.[15] that Rolex enthusiasts also dubbed "Stella".[16][17]
Stainless steel
Whilst the Day-Date has been offered in only gold and platinum throughout its production, six of the Ref. 6611 were made in stainless steel and offered as prizes to students of the Geneva school of Horology.[18]
Day-Date II
In 2008, Rolex introduced the Day-Date II in 4mm. This was retired in 2015, and Rolex instead offered the model in both 36mm and 40mm sizes.[18]
Today, the Day-Date is available in 26 different languages English, Spanish, Dutch, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Arabic, German, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Danish, Basque, Catalan, Ethiopian, Finnish, French, Greek, Hebrew, Moroccan, Norwegian, Persian, Swedish and Turkish.[19]
Notable wearers
- John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States; gifted a yellow gold Day-Date by his alleged mistress Marilyn Monroe for his birthday in 1962, engraved with the message "JACK / With love as always / from / MARILYN / May 29th 1962." This same birthday was where she performed Happy Birthday, Mr. President. The watch was never worn by Kennedy[20][21]
- Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States[22][23]
- Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States[22]
- Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States[22]
- Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States[22]
- Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States[22]
- J. R. Ewing, American billionaire and owner of Ewing Oil[24]
- Warren Buffett, American billionaire investor[25]
- Michael Jordan, American professional basketball player[22]
- LeBron James, American professional basketball player[26]
- Kevin Love, American professional basketball player[26]
- Carmelo Anthony, American professional basketball player[26]
- Jack Nicklaus, American professional golfer[22]
- Tenzin Gytaso, 14th Dalai Lama[22]
- Emeril Lagasse, American celebrity chef[27]
Related pages
References
- ↑ Silver, David (27 October 2022). Vintage Rolex: The largest collection in the world. HarperCollins UK. ISBN 978-0-00-859164-9.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ↑ Dowling, James (16 October 2025). The Rolex Legacy: The history of Rolex through 120 seminal and rare watches. Octopus. ISBN 978-1-78840-637-6.
- 1 2 "Buying, Selling, & Collecting: How The Rolex Day-Date Became A Million-Dollar Watch". Hodinkee. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ Mazarian, Clément (12 September 2024). Exceptional Watches: From the Rolex Daytona to the Casio G-Shock, 90 rare and collectible watches explored. Octopus. ISBN 978-1-78472-945-5.
- ↑ Nudds, Rob (7 May 2021). "Yellow-Gold Rolex Day-Date: A Stately Story Of An Ever-Evolving Legend". Fratello Watches - The Magazine Dedicated To Luxury Watches. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ Seal, Mark (1 February 1984). "Texas Primer: The Texas Timex". Texas Monthly. Archived from the original on 23 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ "A Brief History of Rolex Stella Dial Timepieces". watchtime. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ↑ Callan, Andy (28 August 2019). "The Top 10 Rolex Day-Date Dials -". Beckertime, LLC. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ↑ "Take a Look at Paul Altieri's Complete Rolex Stella Dial Collection". Hypebeast. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ↑ "Inside Paul Altieri's Complete Rolex Stella Dial Collection". www.msn.com. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ↑ "10 Rolex references to die for". www.christies.com. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ↑ "Rolex. A very find and very rare 18K gold automatic wristwatch with a yellow lacquired Stella dial, sweep centre seconds, day, date and original guarantee, signed Rolex, Oyster Perpetual, day-date, superlative chronometer, officially certified, ref. 1803, case no. 5'107'722, circa 1977". www.christies.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ↑ "Rolex - A very rare and attractive yellow gold and diamonds calendar wristwatch with bracelet, centre seconds, yellow lacquered "Stella" dial, guarantee and box, 1973". Phillips. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ↑ "Rolex. A very rare and attractive 18K gold automatic wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, day, date, green Stella dial, bracelet, original guarantee and box, signed Rolex, Oyster Oerpetual, day-date, ref. 1803, case no. 3'312'280, CIRCA 1972". www.christies.com. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ↑ "Baselworld" (PDF). 18 September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ↑ "The Highly Coveted Rolex Stella Dial". JustLuxe. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ↑ "Take a Look at Paul Altieri's Complete Rolex Stella Dial Collection". Hypebeast. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- 1 2 White, Colin A. (1 May 2020). The Vintage Rolex Field Manual Chevalier Digital Edition: The Essential Collectors Reference. MORNINGTUNDRA. ISBN 978-0-578-63089-2.
- ↑ "Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date [Watch Wiki]". www.watch-wiki.net. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ↑ "The Watch that John F. Kennedy Never Wore - Barrington". Barrington Watch Winders. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ↑ "Historical Perspectives: Your Complete Guide To The Watches Of United States Presidents (Updated Yet Again)". Hodinkee. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Who Wears Rolex Day Date?". The Watch Club by SwissWatchExpo. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ↑ "In-Depth: Twelve Of The Greatest Missing Watches". Hodinkee. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ↑ Riche, Rhonda. "How The Rolex Day-Date Became Known As The Texas Timex". www.watchonista.com. Watchonista. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ↑ "Warren Buffett's Rolex Day-Date is a bold flex, even for a billionaire". British GQ. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- 1 2 3 "Culture Of Time: How One Rolex Became The NBA's De Facto Starter Watch". Hodinkee. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ↑ "Talking Watches: With Culinary Icon Emeril Lagasse, Bam!". Hodinkee. Retrieved 19 December 2023.