Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1987 Reference No: 18039B Case No: 9'001'054 Model Name: Day-Date, Tridor Material: Three color 18k gold, diamonds and emeralds Calibre: Automatic, 3055 Bracelet/Strap: Rolex President, end links stamped 55 Clasp/Buckle: Concealed deployment clasp Dimensions: 36mm. Diameter Signed:Movement, dial, case and bracelet signed
Catalogue Essay
In the mid Eighties the Day-Date line introduces the Tridor version. One single model combining three gold colors: a yellow gold bezel, a white gold case and a President bracelet with fused yellow, white and pink gold centre links. Perfectly exemplified by the outstanding piece which is illustrated here, manufactured in 1987 bearing the 18039B reference number.The superb and rare dial is adorned with ten baguette-cut emerald hour markers, harmoniously interlace with round cut diamonds.The calibre 3055 movement, powering Day-Dates from 1977 to 1988, is characterised by the single quick-set date function, which allows a rapid date adjustment.
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.