Reference 18038 was launched in 1978. While aesthetically very close to its ancestor reference 1803, technically it featured a number of improvements. the depth rating was elevated to 100m, the sapphire crystal makes its first appearance on a Day-Date, and a new movement is introduced: cal. 3055, featuring an increased frequency of 28’800 vph and introducing the quickset mechanism for the date.

Realized in a number of dial variations, ranging from Stella dial to hard stone dials to metal dials with various graphics, it was also fitted, as presently exemplified, with wooden dials, underlining the creativity of Rolex. The organic nature of the wooden dial provides a refreshing new aesthetic to the wristwatch, an item of pure technicality, usually as far as way as possible from “natural” shapes. Furthermore, as an added bonus, each wooden dial piece is necessarily “unique”, as no two piece of wood will feature the exact same grain.