Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 2000 Reference No: 118339, caseback stamped 2099 Movement No: 38'551'386 Case No: P195450 Model Name: Day-Date Material: 18k white gold Calibre: Automatic, 3155, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: 18k white gold Rolex President, stamped 83209 MA7, max. length 190 mm Clasp/Buckle: 18k white gold hidden folding clasp Dimensions: 36 mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed Accessories: With punched guarantee, leather pouch, product literature, hangtags and presentation box
Catalogue Essay
Rolex's Day-Date is an icon, and a key pillar within the company's product line since its launch. As it is one of the most diverse watches the brand manufactures, it is the perfect watch to suit anyone’s need to tell the time, while also knowing the day and date.
The reference 118339 was created in the early 2000s, and in this instance, was originally sold in London. The present example is encased in white gold, making this watch rare and desirable. The shimmering silvered sunburst dial is adorned with gold applied diamond hour markers and crisp lugs that are also accented with diamonds.
The present watch is accompanied by a presentation box, guarantee, tags and booklets, and was preserved in overall excellent condition.
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.