1985 Rolex Datejust 36mm Steel & Gold Linen Dial 16013
Ref: 16013
Specification
Lugs :Â 20mm
Condition :Â Pre-Owned
Box & Papers :Â None
Case Material :Â Stainless Steel & 18ct Gold
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold “Watch Only” and therefore without a Rolex box or paperwork. The watch comes paired with a well-suited 20mm leather strap. The watch is from Circa. 1985 and is sold in worn, vintage condition with signs of wear and age throughout, the watch is running great but the winding can feel a little gritty on use. The case can be refurbished on request at an additional charge. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here -Â https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_sjVUqm1-3s0dy69pTLYXDNaJCzuxVs4?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 7:46Â -Â https://youtu.be/Nwm9YgUBXdY
The Watch
Here we have a 1985 Rolex Datejust Steel & Gold Linen Dial 16013 that has a 36mm Oyster case in stainless steel and solid 18k yellow gold. The slender curvaceous case has a subtle curve towards the drilled lugs with a lug-to-lug length of 44mm and a thickness of 12mm ensuring a comfortable fit on your wrist. On the right side, a signed crown. A fluted 18k yellow gold bezel adds character to the watch creating an impressive wrist presence, acrylic crystal sits above an attractive champagne linen dial. Applied baton indexes catch the light as you rotate your wrist, Tritium lume pips sit atop the indexes marking the hours. At 3 o’clock a date window with cyclops magnification on the crystal. Slim bevelled-edged baton hands are complemented with a tapered sweeping centre seconds hand, and at 12 o’clock an applied Rolex coronet “Oyster Perpetual DATEJUST” printed underneath and at 6 o’clock “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” completes this sophisticated dress watch. On the reverse, a coin-edged screw-down case back, inside an automatic Rolex Cal. 3035, 27 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour. The watch comes paired with a well-suited 20mm leather strap.
Personal Note
It is hard to beat a vintage 36mm Datejust in two-tone with this Linen dial, it truly is the gift that keeps on giving on the wrist. I do wonder if Rolex will bring a dial like this back any time soon, either way, these reference 16013s offer incredible value for money considering you get a truly different dial, 18ct gold and a flare that very few watches can provide. I would not hesitate to pull the trigger and add this beauty to your collection, almost all of the 16013s I have sold have stayed with their new owners indefinitely.
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. The Datejust 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.