1986 Rolex Day-Date 36mm Champagne Dial 18038
Ref: 18038
Specification
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : 18ct Yellow Gold
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold “Watch Only” and, therefore, comes without its Rolex box or Rolex paperwork. It comes paired with its original 20mm 18ct Yellow Gold Rolex signed Presidential bracelet secured with a concealed clasp and 22 links which will fit up to a 7.15-inch wrist. The watch is from Circa. 1986, based on the serial numbers, is sold in worn vintage condition, but overall, it is in very fair condition; a superb Tritium champagne dial and hands, the bracelet is in excellent condition with minimal stretch, as you can see. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AMN1UESG_491J5-fjfW1ht7a55QFvDiv?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 3:10 - https://youtu.be/asMahBxhbR4
The Watch
Here we have a 1986 Rolex Day-Date 36mm Champagne Dial 18038 with a 36mm 18ct Yellow Gold Oyster case that gently curves over your wrist with elegant tapered lugs, and a lug-to-lug length of 43.5mm and a case thickness of 12mm ensures a comfortable fit on your wrist. Polished and brushed surfaces transition with crisp, well-defined edges. On the right side, a signed screw-down crown and the attractive fluted bezel hold a chamfered edge sapphire crystal above a stunning sunburst champagne dial. An outer minute track has Roman numerals precisely printed above applied 18ct Yellow Gold baton indexes that magically catch the light when you rotate your wrist. At 3 o’clock, a framed date window with cyclops magnification on the crystal; at 12 o’clock, a convenient day crescent, elegant 18ct Yellow Gold hands infilled with Tritium is complemented by a sweeping tapered second hand. At 12 o’clock, an applied Rolex crown with “Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date'' and at 6 o’clock “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified”. On the reverse, a screw-down coin-edged case back, inside an automatic Rolex Cal. 3055, 27 jewels, beating at 28,800 beats per hour. This movement was first introduced in 1978. It comes paired with its original 20mm 18ct Yellow Gold Rolex signed Presidential bracelet secured with a concealed clasp, 22 links which will fit up to a 7.15-inch wrist.Â
Personal Note
It is hard to get more classic than an 18ct yellow gold Rolex Day Date with a lovely champagne dial and on its original bracelet, this reference 18038 from 1986 ticks all those boxes and can be purchased at an absolute bargain for what it is in today's market. One of the aspects of the Day Date I love most is its versatility being paired on straps too, throw this on a lovely brown suede and you've got yourself a completely different look and feel on the wrist. I would not hesitate to add this gem to your collection today before someone else does!
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 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.