1991 Rolex Datejust 36mm Silver Roman Dial 16234
Ref: 16234
Specification
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold “Watch Only” and therefore without its Rolex box or paperwork. The watch comes paired with its polished and brushed Rolex 20mm Jubilee bracelet, secured with a signed folding clasp and will fit up to a 7.15-inch wrist. The watch is from Circa. 1991 and in worn condition but is overall very good for its age. A full case and bracelet refurb can be provided at an additional cost. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1u8oOE0MomG1sOWhRTPnNeRseOBSxNjmP?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 6:10 - https://youtu.be/ll3JzXUjG04
The Watch
Here we have a 1991 Rolex Datejust Silver Roman Dial 16234 with a curvaceous 36mm stainless steel Oyster case, the case gently curves over your wrist with tapered drilled lugs, a lug-to-lug length of 43mm and a case thickness of 11.5mm ensuring a comfortable fit on your wrist. Brushed and polished surfaces transition with crisp edges. On the right side is a signed screw-down crown, the 18ct White Gold fluted bezel holds a flat sapphire crystal above the star of the show, a sunburst silver dial, an outer 12-hour track precisely executed with small Roman numerals surrounding applied baton indexes marking the hours. At 3 o’clock a date window with a cyclops magnification on the crystal, slender baton hands with lume stripes are complemented by a tapered sweeping second hand and at 12 o’clock the applied Rolex crown and printed underneath “Rolex Oyster Perpetual DateJust'', at 6 o’clock "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified'' completes this elegant versatile timepiece. On the reverse, a screw-down case back with coin edge detailing, inside an automatic Rolex Cal. 3135, 31 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour, this movement was first introduced in 1988. The watch comes paired with its polished and brushed Rolex 20mm Jubilee bracelet with a signed folding clasp and will fit a 7.15-inch wrist.
Personal Note
You can not go wrong with a 36mm Rolex Datejust, especially a "neo-vintage" reference 16234 like this one featuring a sapphire crystal, later Luminova dial & hands, white-gold fluted bezel and most importantly the forever comfortable Rolex Jubilee bracelet, although swapping out for a leather now and again looks incredible too! If you have been after a Datejust for a while, this is one I would highly recommend you consider, so don't hesitate to book an appointment and come see it in the metal for yourself.
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.