2018 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41 Slate 126300
Ref: 126300
Specification
Lugs : 21mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Box & Papers
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its original Rolex box and paperwork. The watch comes paired with its original Rolex 21mm Jubilee bracelet, all links included. The watch is from February 2018 and is sold in very good condition with light wear visible, a full refurb to the case and bracelet can be provided at an additional cost. The watch comes with our 12-Month Warranty.
The Watch
Here we have a 2018 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 126300 with a contemporary sized 41mm Oyster 904L stainless steel (Oystersteel) case, gently sloping lugs elegantly taper with a lug-to-lug of 47mm and a case thickness of 11.5mm giving the watch an impressive wrist presence, polished and brushed surfaces transition with crisp edges. On the right side, is a signed Twinlock screw-down crown, the smooth polished bezel holds a flat sapphire crystal above a slate grey sunburst dial, around the outer flange, we have the engraved repeating Rolex rehaut. An outer minute track is precisely printed with Arabic numerals, applied baton indexes are filled with Chromalight which is a Rolex proprietary luminance marking the hours, at 3 o’clock a framed date window with Cyclops 2.5 times magnification on the sapphire crystal. Slender steel baton hands have Chromalight infill and are complemented by a tapered sweeping second hand, at 12 o’clock we have the applied Rolex crown printed underneath “Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust”. At 6 o’clock “ Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” completes this elegant timepiece. On the reverse, a coin-edged case back, inside an automatic Rolex Cal. 3235, 31 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour, this inhouse movement was introduced at BaselWorld 2017 it has 14 patents acquired by the Crown. The modern parts used in manufacturing such as a Paramagnetic Oscillator give the watch robust reliability and resistance to magnetism. The watch comes fitted on its Rolex 21mm Jubilee bracelet, the folding OysterLock clasp has 5mm Easylink micro-adjustments that simplify adjusting the bracelet. The watch also comes with its Rolex presentation box and paperwork.
Personal Note
For me the 36mm Datejust will always be my choice, however, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how the watch wears on my just shy of 7inch wrist, it didn't feel too big or clumsy on the wrist as I had thought it would initially. If you are considering a larger Datejust, book an appointment and come try this one on for yourself, I suspect you may also be surprised!
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 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 it 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. The Rolex explorer came about after 20 years of development in extreme environments, starting back in the 1930s. The goal of the watch was to create the perfect mountaineer’s tool, keeping the perfect time at -50°C (-58°F) with 70% less oxygen than at sea level. Rolex announced at BaselWorld in 2016, the Ref. 214270 which was again updated from the 36mm with lume-filled 3, 6, and 9 indexes. The handset is also slightly longer and thicker than the 36mm, making it a much better-proportioned dial.