Reference:118389 - Revision history

Admin: Add required display title and SEO metadata

2026-09-25T22:52:02Z

Add required display title and SEO metadata

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:52, 25 September 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
			{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 36 118389}}
			{{#seo:
			\|title=Rolex Day-Date 118389: White Gold, Diamond Bezel and Set Lugs, Rolexopedia
			\|description=Rolex's 36 mm white-gold Day-Date 118389 has a diamond-set bezel and lugs, caliber 3155, and catalogue-listed Oyster and President bracelets.
			\|keywords=Rolex 118389, Day-Date 118389, white gold, diamond bezel, diamond-set lugs, caliber 3155
			\|image=Ref 118389 hero.webp
			\|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 36 reference 118389 in white gold with diamond bezel and meteorite dial
			\|type=Article
			\|og_type=article
			\|published_time=2026-09-25T00:00:00Z
			\|modified_time=2026-09-25T22:51:28Z
			\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
			\|titlemode=replace
			}}

	<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] → '''118389'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] → '''118389'''</small>

Admin: Audit and rewrite reference 118389; correct sourcing, remove unsupported claims, and improve image layout

2026-09-25T22:51:28Z

Audit and rewrite reference 118389; correct sourcing, remove unsupported claims, and improve image layout

Show changes

Klaudiusz: Layout: convert 'Bracelets, end links, and clasps' image stack to a packed comparison gallery -- 2 images left dead whitespace beside thin prose

2026-09-12T23:38:13Z

Layout: convert 'Bracelets, end links, and clasps' image stack to a packed comparison gallery -- 2 images left dead whitespace beside thin prose

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:38, 12 September 2026
Line 21:		Line 21:

	The 118389 is the white-gold gem-set Day-Date 36, the gem-set President that does not look like a gold watch. It carries the same setting as the yellow-gold [[Reference:118388\|118388]] — a double row of brilliants on the bezel and a further run down the lug flanks — but in white gold the stones and the metal sit at the same temperature, so the case reads as one continuous bright surface instead of gold-with-diamonds-on-it. That changes what the watch is. The 118388 announces money; the 118389 reads as jewellery. Under it all sits an ordinary [[Reference:118239\|118239]]: 36mm case, caliber 3155, President bracelet.		The 118389 is the white-gold gem-set Day-Date 36, the gem-set President that does not look like a gold watch. It carries the same setting as the yellow-gold [[Reference:118388\|118388]] — a double row of brilliants on the bezel and a further run down the lug flanks — but in white gold the stones and the metal sit at the same temperature, so the case reads as one continuous bright surface instead of gold-with-diamonds-on-it. That changes what the watch is. The 118388 announces money; the 118389 reads as jewellery. Under it all sits an ordinary [[Reference:118239\|118239]]: 36mm case, caliber 3155, President bracelet.


	==Core facts==		==Core facts==
Line 187:		Line 186:
	==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==		==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

	[[File:Ref 118389 gem-set bracelet.webp~~\|thumb\|right\|250px~~\|alt=Rolex 118389 on the fully diamond-set President bracelet with silver computer dial\|The diamond-set President. In white gold the setting runs unbroken from bezel to lugs to bracelet.]]		<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
			File:Ref 118389 gem-set bracelet.webp\|alt=Rolex 118389 on the fully diamond-set President bracelet with silver computer dial\|The diamond-set President. In white gold the setting runs unbroken from bezel to lugs to bracelet.
			File:Ref 118389 oyster bracelet.webp\|alt=Rolex 118389 with silver Roman dial on the Oyster bracelet\|Silver Roman on the Oyster — a set case on the plainest bracelet in the catalogue.
			</gallery>

	Three bracelets appear. The standard President with solid centre links and the concealed Crownclasp is the usual fitment. The diamond-set President carries stones down the centre links, and in white gold this is where the reference goes furthest, because there is no tonal break anywhere: bezel, lugs and bracelet read as one set surface. The Oyster is the third and least expected, a flat three-piece bracelet under a fully set case.		Three bracelets appear. The standard President with solid centre links and the concealed Crownclasp is the usual fitment. The diamond-set President carries stones down the centre links, and in white gold this is where the reference goes furthest, because there is no tonal break anywhere: bezel, lugs and bracelet read as one set surface. The Oyster is the third and least expected, a flat three-piece bracelet under a fully set case.

	[[File:Ref 118389 oyster bracelet.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex 118389 with silver Roman dial on the Oyster bracelet\|Silver Roman on the Oyster — a set case on the plainest bracelet in the catalogue.]]

	A clasp date code dates only the bracelet. That caution carries more weight on a gem-set reference than a plain one, since a set President is valuable enough to be swapped onto a watch that left the factory on a plain one. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].		A clasp date code dates only the bracelet. That caution carries more weight on a gem-set reference than a plain one, since a set President is valuable enough to be swapped onto a watch that left the factory on a plain one. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

Admin: Image sourcing: place the already-uploaded but unshown mother-of-pearl carousel dial photo, converting the Dial map section to a packed gallery (3 images)

2026-09-12T17:00:53Z

Image sourcing: place the already-uploaded but unshown mother-of-pearl carousel dial photo, converting the Dial map section to a packed gallery (3 images)

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:00, 12 September 2026
Line 114:		Line 114:
	==Dial map==		==Dial map==

	[[File:Ref 118389 lapis lazuli.webp~~\|thumb\|right\|250px~~\|alt=Rolex 118389 with lapis lazuli dial and diamond markers\|Lapis lazuli with diamond markers — the strongest colour Rolex put against this case.]]		<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
			File:Ref 118389 lapis lazuli.webp\|alt=Rolex 118389 with lapis lazuli dial and diamond markers\|Lapis lazuli with diamond markers — the strongest colour Rolex put against this case.
			File:Ref 118389 paved.webp\|alt=Rolex 118389 with fully diamond-paved dial and blue Arabic numerals\|The paved Arabic dial. Set against a set bezel and set lugs, the whole watch becomes one diamond surface.
			File:Ref 118389 mop carousel.webp\|alt=Rolex 118389 with mother-of-pearl carousel dial\|Mother-of-pearl segments arranged around a diamond-set centre.
			</gallery>

	Forty-three configurations are catalogued for the 118389, and the white-gold case pushes the dial selection somewhere different from its yellow-gold twin. Where the 118388 runs champagne and jade, the 118389 runs silver, blue, lapis and pavé.		Forty-three configurations are catalogued for the 118389, and the white-gold case pushes the dial selection somewhere different from its yellow-gold twin. Where the 118388 runs champagne and jade, the 118389 runs silver, blue, lapis and pavé.

	[[File:Ref 118389 paved.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex 118389 with fully diamond-paved dial and blue Arabic numerals\|The paved Arabic dial. Set against a set bezel and set lugs, the whole watch becomes one diamond surface.]]

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"

Klaudiusz: Text audit: voice, clarity — negation-pivot cleanup, resolved lapis/blue dial-colour contradiction

2026-09-12T14:23:27Z

Text audit: voice, clarity — negation-pivot cleanup, resolved lapis/blue dial-colour contradiction

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:23, 12 September 2026
Line 94:		Line 94:
	\|}		\|}

	White gold does something specific to this design. On the 118388 the stones sit against a warm metal and the contrast does the work, so the eye reads bezel, then lugs, then bracelet as three separate decisions. On the 118389 the diamonds and the case are close enough in tone that the setting reads as texture ~~rather than as ornament~~, and the watch ends up looking less decorated than it actually is. Whether that is the point or the problem depends on the buyer, and it is why white gold gem-set Presidents tend to be the ones collectors keep coming back to.		White gold does something specific to this design. On the 118388 the stones sit against a warm metal and the contrast does the work, so the eye reads bezel, then lugs, then bracelet as three separate decisions. On the 118389 the diamonds and the case are close enough in tone that the setting reads as texture, and the watch ends up looking less decorated than it actually is. Whether that is the point or the problem depends on the buyer, and it is why white gold gem-set Presidents tend to be the ones collectors keep coming back to.

	Against the plain [[Reference:118239\|118239]] nothing mechanical changes.		Against the plain [[Reference:118239\|118239]] nothing mechanical changes.
Line 175:		Line 175:
	\|}		\|}

	Lapis is the ~~one~~ that ~~gives~~ the reference a colour~~. Everything~~ else on the white-gold side is silver, white or grey~~, so a lapis dial in a bright case~~ is the ~~only configuration where~~ the ~~watch has~~ a ~~hue at all~~, and it works better here than the same stone does against yellow gold. At the other extreme the paved dials turn the whole watch into a single set surface, bezel and lugs and dial all stones, with the blue Arabic numerals on the paved Arabic version the only thing interrupting it. The broader hardstone story is set out in Italian Watch Spotter's stone-dial guide, and the cross-family dial taxonomy sits on the [[Reference:1803\|1803]] entry.		Lapis and blue are the only dials that give the reference real colour; everything else on the white-gold side runs silver, white or grey. Lapis is the stronger of the two against a bright case, and it works better here than the same stone does against yellow gold. At the other extreme the paved dials turn the whole watch into a single set surface, bezel and lugs and dial all stones, with the blue Arabic numerals on the paved Arabic version the only thing interrupting it. The broader hardstone story is set out in Italian Watch Spotter's stone-dial guide, and the cross-family dial taxonomy sits on the [[Reference:1803\|1803]] entry.

	==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==		==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
Line 191:		Line 191:
	[[File:Ref 118389 oyster bracelet.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex 118389 with silver Roman dial on the Oyster bracelet\|Silver Roman on the Oyster — a set case on the plainest bracelet in the catalogue.]]		[[File:Ref 118389 oyster bracelet.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex 118389 with silver Roman dial on the Oyster bracelet\|Silver Roman on the Oyster — a set case on the plainest bracelet in the catalogue.]]

	A clasp date code dates the bracelet~~, not the head~~. That caution carries more weight on a gem-set reference than a plain one, since a set President is valuable enough to be swapped onto a watch that left the factory on a plain one. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].		A clasp date code dates only the bracelet. That caution carries more weight on a gem-set reference than a plain one, since a set President is valuable enough to be swapped onto a watch that left the factory on a plain one. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

	==Market==		==Market==

	The 118389 moves through the jewellery and dealer market ~~rather than~~ the catalogued watch auctions. Factory setting is the first question on any example, because aftermarket stones on Day-Dates are common and worth a fraction of the original; Rolex paperwork and the regularity of the setting are what settle it. After that the dial does the work, which holds across the whole 6-digit generation — Christie's Hong Kong sold a coral-dial [[Reference:118208\|118208]] for HKD 525,000 in 2014 and a bloodstone example for HKD 225,000 in 2018, both well clear of a plain-dial example of the same reference. On the 118389 the lapis, the meteorite and the paved configurations sit at that end, and a plain silver dial on a standard President sits at the other.		The 118389 moves through the jewellery and dealer market; the catalogued watch auctions rarely carry it. Factory setting is the first question on any example, because aftermarket stones on Day-Dates are common and worth a fraction of the original; Rolex paperwork and the regularity of the setting are what settle it. After that the dial does the work, which holds across the whole 6-digit generation — Christie's Hong Kong sold a coral-dial [[Reference:118208\|118208]] for HKD 525,000 in 2014 and a bloodstone example for HKD 225,000 in 2018, both well clear of a plain-dial example of the same reference. On the 118389 the lapis, the meteorite and the paved configurations sit at that end, and a plain silver dial on a standard President sits at the other.

	== Related references ==		== Related references ==

Admin: Layout: restore the original lead caption

2026-09-06T22:58:10Z

Layout: restore the original lead caption

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:58, 6 September 2026
Line 17:		Line 17:

	<div class="rp-lead">		<div class="rp-lead">
	[[File:Ref 118389 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Day-Date 36 118389\|Rolex Day-Date 36 118389]]		[[File:Ref 118389 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Day-Date 36 118389 in 18k white gold — diamond bezel, diamond-set lugs, meteorite dial on the President bracelet.\|Rolex Day-Date 36 118389 in 18k white gold — diamond bezel, diamond-set lugs, meteorite dial on the President bracelet.]]
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Layout: hero refreshed

2026-09-06T22:52:16Z

Layout: hero refreshed

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:52, 6 September 2026
Line 17:		Line 17:

	<div class="rp-lead">		<div class="rp-lead">
	[[File:Ref 118389 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Day-Date 36 118389 ~~in 18k white gold — diamond bezel, diamond-set lugs, meteorite dial on the President bracelet.~~\|Rolex Day-Date 36 118389 ~~in 18k white gold — diamond bezel, diamond-set lugs, meteorite dial on the President bracelet.~~]]		[[File:Ref 118389 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Day-Date 36 118389\|Rolex Day-Date 36 118389]]
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Layout: hero promoted to lead

2026-09-06T22:27:27Z

Layout: hero promoted to lead

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:27, 6 September 2026
Line 15:		Line 15:

	<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] › '''118389'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] › '''118389'''</small>

			<div class="rp-lead">
			[[File:Ref 118389 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Day-Date 36 118389 in 18k white gold — diamond bezel, diamond-set lugs, meteorite dial on the President bracelet.\|Rolex Day-Date 36 118389 in 18k white gold — diamond bezel, diamond-set lugs, meteorite dial on the President bracelet.]]
			</div>

	The 118389 is the white-gold gem-set Day-Date 36, the gem-set President that does not look like a gold watch. It carries the same setting as the yellow-gold [[Reference:118388\|118388]] — a double row of brilliants on the bezel and a further run down the lug flanks — but in white gold the stones and the metal sit at the same temperature, so the case reads as one continuous bright surface instead of gold-with-diamonds-on-it. That changes what the watch is. The 118388 announces money; the 118389 reads as jewellery. Under it all sits an ordinary [[Reference:118239\|118239]]: 36mm case, caliber 3155, President bracelet.		The 118389 is the white-gold gem-set Day-Date 36, the gem-set President that does not look like a gold watch. It carries the same setting as the yellow-gold [[Reference:118388\|118388]] — a double row of brilliants on the bezel and a further run down the lug flanks — but in white gold the stones and the metal sit at the same temperature, so the case reads as one continuous bright surface instead of gold-with-diamonds-on-it. That changes what the watch is. The 118388 announces money; the 118389 reads as jewellery. Under it all sits an ordinary [[Reference:118239\|118239]]: 36mm case, caliber 3155, President bracelet.

	[[File:Ref 118389 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|340px\|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118389 in white gold with diamond bezel, diamond-set lugs and meteorite dial\|Rolex Day-Date 36 118389 in 18k white gold — diamond bezel, diamond-set lugs, meteorite dial on the President bracelet.]]

	==Core facts==		==Core facts==

Admin: site-wide: layout classes (core-facts card, breadcrumb, entry-point cards)

2026-09-05T01:19:56Z

site-wide: layout classes (core-facts card, breadcrumb, entry-point cards)

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:19, 5 September 2026
Line 14:		Line 14:
	}}		}}

	<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] -> '''118389'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] › '''118389'''</small>

	The 118389 is the white-gold gem-set Day-Date 36, the gem-set President that does not look like a gold watch. It carries the same setting as the yellow-gold [[Reference:118388\|118388]] — a double row of brilliants on the bezel and a further run down the lug flanks — but in white gold the stones and the metal sit at the same temperature, so the case reads as one continuous bright surface instead of gold-with-diamonds-on-it. That changes what the watch is. The 118388 announces money; the 118389 reads as jewellery. Under it all sits an ordinary [[Reference:118239\|118239]]: 36mm case, caliber 3155, President bracelet.		The 118389 is the white-gold gem-set Day-Date 36, the gem-set President that does not look like a gold watch. It carries the same setting as the yellow-gold [[Reference:118388\|118388]] — a double row of brilliants on the bezel and a further run down the lug flanks — but in white gold the stones and the metal sit at the same temperature, so the case reads as one continuous bright surface instead of gold-with-diamonds-on-it. That changes what the watch is. The 118388 announces money; the 118389 reads as jewellery. Under it all sits an ordinary [[Reference:118239\|118239]]: 36mm case, caliber 3155, President bracelet.
Line 22:		Line 22:
	==Core facts==		==Core facts==

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable rp-facts"
	\|-		\|-
	! detail		! detail

Admin: site-wide: domain move BezelBase → Rolexopedia (rolexopedia.net)

2026-09-05T00:36:02Z

site-wide: domain move BezelBase → Rolexopedia (rolexopedia.net)

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:36, 5 September 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 36 118389}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 36 118389}}
	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Rolex Day-Date 118389 — Diamond Bezel & Set Lugs, White Gold \| ~~BezelBase~~		\|title=Rolex Day-Date 118389 — Diamond Bezel & Set Lugs, White Gold \| Rolexopedia
	\|description=The Rolex 118389 is the white-gold gem-set Day-Date 36 — diamond bezel plus diamond-set lugs, caliber 3155, from 2000. The white-gold twin of the 118388, with lapis, meteorite and paved dials.		\|description=The Rolex 118389 is the white-gold gem-set Day-Date 36 — diamond bezel plus diamond-set lugs, caliber 3155, from 2000. The white-gold twin of the 118388, with lapis, meteorite and paved dials.
	\|keywords=Rolex 118389, Day-Date 118389, white gold diamond Day-Date, diamond set lugs, gem-set President, lapis lazuli dial, paved dial, caliber 3155		\|keywords=Rolex 118389, Day-Date 118389, white gold diamond Day-Date, diamond set lugs, gem-set President, lapis lazuli dial, paved dial, caliber 3155