1975 Rolex Datejust 36mm Steel & Gold Champagne Dial 1601
Ref: 1601
Specification
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-OwnedÂ
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel & 18ct Gold
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as “Watch Only” and, therefore, without its original Rolex box and paperwork. It comes paired with a well-suited aftermarket 20mm leather strap and pin buckle. The watch is from Circa 1975 and is sold in vintage worn condition; but overall is incredibly fair for the age, as you can see from the photos. The dial is the original tritium dial, the hands are later service hands. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pt9f5o-Ec13iboaxk2Q1Av0OIZfMtl84?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 3:48Â - https://youtu.be/tqVVCHFINgQ
The Watch
Here we have a 1975 Rolex Datejust Steel & 18ct Yellow Gold Champagne Dial 1601 with a curvaceous 36mm stainless steel Oyster case that curves in all the right places, and the tapered drilled lugs make strap changing a breeze. Rolex introduced the Datejust in 1945 to commemorate the company’s 40th anniversary. The Rolex Datejust first appeared as the reference 4467, and upon its initial release, it was only available in solid 18k yellow gold. It wasn’t until the 1950s, with the introduction of the reference 5030 and reference 5031 Datejust, that stainless steel and Rolesor (two-tone) versions became available, and the “Datejust” name started to appear on the dial. A 43mm lug-to-lug length and a case thickness of 11.5mm will ensure a comfortable fit on your wrist, polished and brushed surfaces transition with crisp lines. On the right side, a large 18ct yellow gold signed screw-down crown, making adjustments hassle-free. An 18ct Yellow gold-fluted bezel supports a flat acrylic crystal that sits proudly above the bezel. The stunning sunburst Champagne dial has an outer minute chapter ring with Tritium pips surrounding applied gold baton indexes filled with Tritium to mark the hours. Long Gold baton Service hands are complemented by a Gold tapered centre second hand. At 3 o’clock, there is a date window with Cyclops magnification above the crystal. At noon, we have the Rolex coronet “Oyster Perpetual Datejust”, and at 6 o’clock “, Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified “ completes this striking vintage timepiece. On the reverse, a coin-edged screw-down case back, inside an automatic Rolex Cal.1570, 26 jewels, 19,800 beats per hour. The watch comes paired with a well-suited aftermarket 20mm leather strap and pin buckle.
Personal Note
There will forever be something alluring and attractive with a steel & gold Rolex Datejust paired with a champagne dial, it worked beautifully in 1975 on this reference 1601 and looks just as good today, nearly 50 years later. Paired with a nice leather strap this Datejust is ready for a clean-cut suit or a pair of shorts and a shirt, the versatility is endless. I would not hesitate to add a Datejust to your collection today, the prices are super competitive for such great examples!
The Brand
In 1905, German-born Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis set up a company in London that imported Swiss movements, which were installed in British cases and sold to jewellers who put their names on the dials. Recognising the potential for their brand, Wilsdorf created the brand name Rolex in 1908. In 1910, a Rolex became the first wristwatch to carry the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision, awarded by the Official Watch Rating Centre in Bienne, Switzerland. Demand for Rolex watches rose swiftly, and British taxes on the Swiss movements Rolex used prompted Wilsdorf to move the business to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1919. With production costs lowered, Wilsdorf quickly set out to solve the age-old problem of moisture and dust entering a watch case and damaging the movement. The Rolex watchmakers came up with a fully sealed watch case, which Wilsdorf named the Oyster and released to an appreciative audience in 1926. In 1931, Rolex introduced the first automatic winding wristwatch, giving it the legendary name Oyster Perpetual. In 1945, they released the Datejust, which was the first watch to have the date jump instantaneously at midnight. The 1950s saw a whole lot of releases, such as the Air-King (1958), the Explorer (1953), the Submariner (1953), the GMT Master (1955), the Day-Date (1956), the electromagnetic field resistant Milgauss (1956), the Lady-Datejust (1957) and the first Deep Sea model (1960). Wilsdorf’s death in 1960 saw ownership of Rolex S.A. (a collection of sub-companies) passed to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, which was founded by Wilsdorf in 1945, the mission of which is simply to sustain Rolex S.A. indefinitely.