Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1987 Reference No: 18039, inside caseback stamped 18000 Movement No: 1’812’347 Case No: R279’855 Model Name: Day-Date Material: 18K white gold Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3055, 27 jewels Bracelet/Strap: 18K white gold Rolex President bracelet, endlinks stamped “55”, max length 190mm Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold Rolex concealed folding clasp Dimensions: 36mm diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement, bracelet and clasp signed Accessories: Accompanied by a Rolex service guarantee.
Catalogue Essay
Always referred as the “President’s watch”, the Rolex Day-Date has garnered an iconic status since its initial release in 1956. Predominantly encased in precious metals, the Day-Date is one of the most diverse range of wristwaches that Rolex has to offer, with examples in varying sizes, case and dial materials, dial configuration and gem-set examples as well.
The present Day-Date from circa 1987 falls into the rarer category of the model. Referenced 18039, it was first introduced by Rolex in 1978, upgraded from the famed and much loved ref. 1803. Encased in white gold, the present example features a rare “wood” dial. With most “wood” dials found in yellow gold cases, the white gold variant is certainly rare. Requiring precise execution, no “wood” dial is the same as another, making every single one “unique”.
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.