Useful, elegant, and timeless, the Rolex Datejust has endured since 1945 in an impressive array of case materials, sizes, bezel configurations and dial types. Most iconic though, is the Datejust with Jubilee bracelet and fluted bezel. The present lot, however, takes this enduring design and steps it up, with the case and bracelet made of yellow gold and the dial made of lapis lazuli. The use of semi-precious stones as watch dials is not exclusive to Rolex; however, it is Rolex that has mastered the application of such a delicate hard-stone as a watch dial.

Lapis lazuli is a deep blue semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its vibrant and rich color. In powdered form, it is known as ultramarine, a particularly intense and expensive paint pigment often used by Renaissance painters used for the color of the robes of the Virgin Mary. The manufacturing process consists of milling this stone to a thickness of less than 1mm to create a dial, which of course must be free of any serious inclusions or natural flaws. The process being so complex and the rejection rate so high that it is believed that about only 20% of the dials fabricated made it into a production piece. The present lot is an incredibly fine example of a Datejust with lapis lazuli dial, its case in spectacular original condition and a beautiful dial free of any cracks or flaws.