2003 Rolex Day-Date 36mm White Gold 118239 Blue Dial
Ref: 118239

Points of Mention

This watch is sold with its original inner and outer Rolex presentation boxes, Rolex wallet, original Rolex paperwork, and swing tag. The watch comes paired with its original 20mm 18ct White Gold President bracelet with a concealed clasp. The watch is from June 2003 and is sold in worn condition. Overall, however, the watch is in very good condition as you can see from the photos The watch comes with our 12-Months Warranty.

The Watch

In 1905, German-born Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis set up a company in London that imported Swiss movements which are 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.

Here we have an outstanding 2003 Rolex Day-Date Ref. 118239 with a 36mm 18ct White Gold Oyster case. Polished surfaces transition with crisp edges. A lug to lug length of 43mm and a case thickness of 12mm give the watch an impressive wrist presence. On the right side is a screw-down signed crown. A fluted 18ct White Gold bezel holds a flat scratch-resistant sapphire crystal above a striking sunburst blue dial.  An outer minute track with Roman numerals is precisely applied. Bevel-edged 18ct White Gold baton indexes mark the hours and as you rotate your wrist they catch the light perfectly. At 3 o’clock a date window with a cyclops magnification on the crystal. At 12 o’clock you have the day's crescent. 18ct White Gold sword hands tipped with luminance are complemented with a sweeping tapered second hand. At 12 o'clock an applied Rolex crown. Text is precisely applied at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock respectively. On the reverse a coin-edged screw-down case back. Inside an Automatic Rolex Cal. 3155, 31 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour. This COSC Chronometer Certified movement was first introduced in 1988. The watch comes fitted on its original Rolex President 20mm 18ct White Gold bracelet with a signed concealed clasp. Brushed outer links and polished center links complete this outstanding Rolex. The watch comes with its original inner and outer Rolex presentation boxes complete with its swing tag, paperwork wallet, and booklets, a beautiful set.

Personal Note

For me this is THE perfect Rolex, there isn't one single thing I'd change and I was recently asked on a Q&A video what would be my dream Rolex and this exact configuration was my answer, that was 1 week before this was offered to me! If only I could keep this watch, I guarantee you wouldn't be getting the opportunity to buy it, so I'd suggest you snap it up whilst you can as this is as good as it gets.