Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1978 Reference No: 18038 Movement No: 0'031'328 Case No: 5'420'926 Model Name: Day-Date Material: 18K yellow gold Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3055, 27 jewels Bracelet/Strap: 18K yellow gold Rolex President bracelet, end links stamped 55, maximum overall length 170mm Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Rolex concealed folding deployant clasp stamped Rolex Dimensions: 36mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial and movement signed.
Catalogue Essay
The Rolex “Stella” Day-Date is one that is admired by many due to its playfully diverse offering of vibrant dial colors and its unique glossy luster. These vivacious, glossy lacquered dial-fitted Day-Date’s are amongst the most sought after and collectable vintage Rolex timepieces today. From a lustrous turquoise blue to a bright pastel pink, “Stella” Day-Dates were the first time in the history of the firm that such whimsical, spirited array of dial colors were used in a Rolex wristwatch.
Introduced in the exciting period of the 1970s and produced for roughly a decade, these colorful lacquered dials were manufactured by a company called Stella, based in Châtelaine and Geneva. The firm supplied Rolex’s dial makers of the period with special types of lacquer that resulted in the name it proudly deserves. The present ref. 18038 features a rare and desireable color, the “candy” pink. Contrasting beautifully against a yellow gold case, the combination is considered one of the more sought after configurations of Stella Day-Date.
Preserved in stunning condition, the present lot remains most probably unpolished and is fitted with a flawless lacquer dial. In a time where colorful Rolex watches are highly coveted, this watch is certainly a head-turner for the connoisseur.
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.
