Admin: Revise prose to attribute reference and bezel claims

2026-10-26T00:05:01Z

Revise prose to attribute reference and bezel claims

Admin: Publish researched Datejust reference 1602

2026-10-25T23:53:58Z

Publish researched Datejust reference 1602

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Datejust 1602}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Datejust 1602 — Florentine-finish gold examples | Rolexopedia
|description=Auction-documented Rolex Datejust ref. 1602 examples, including the gold Florentine or Morellis finish, early calibers, dial variations, and caseback markings.
|keywords=Rolex Datejust 1602, Florentine, Morellis, 1602/8, caliber 1560, caliber 1570
|image=Ref 1602 hero.webp
|image_alt=Yellow-gold Rolex Datejust catalogued as ref. 1602, with a textured case and matching bracelet
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

<small>Datejust → '''1602'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 1602 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Yellow-gold Rolex Datejust catalogued as ref. 1602, with a textured case and matching bracelet|A circa-1961 ref. 1602 catalogued by Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257.]]
</div>

Auction catalogues use ref. 1602 for early Datejusts in 18K gold with a crosshatched finish on the case and bezel; several include a matching bracelet. Most specify yellow gold. The records reviewed here date individual watches from circa 1960 to circa 1966. Their caseback markings complicate identification: Christie's and Monaco Legend show or report 1601, while Antiquorum and Dr. Crott report both 1601 and 1602. The exact production span and factory designation remain unverified.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
! Detail !! Evidence
|-
| Reference || 1602; Crott catalogs a gold example with the suffix /8
|-
| Family || Datejust, four-digit generation
|-
| Documented dates || Auction catalogues date examples circa 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1966; no serial-linked production ledger was found
|-
| Movement || Auction catalogues list Cal. 1560 on circa-1960–62 examples and Cal. 1570 on a circa-1966 example. These are catalogue labels; the date-equipped movement family is Cal. 1565/1575
|-
| Date setting || Slow-set date, advanced by turning the hands through midnight; the quickset arrived with the later Cal. 3035 generation in 1977
|-
| Case || Catalogues describe 18K gold, with three explicitly specifying yellow gold; measured diameters are 35.5 or 36 mm
|-
| Finish || Crosshatch, called Florentine or Morellis by the catalogues
|-
| Dials || Silvered, champagne and sunburst gold dials appear in the cited lots; each is a specimen record
|-
| Bracelet || Matching textured 18K gold examples are documented. Crott identifies one bracelet as ref. 6765/8 and its clasp as dated 1/62
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 1602 belongs to the four-digit Datejust generation. Fratello's overview assigns an engine-turned bezel to 1602; a reader comment on that page says the engine-turned reference was 1603, and an Antiquorum 2010 lot describes a 1964 ref. 1603 with an engine-turned bezel. The five gold 1602 lots reviewed here have crosshatched casework that the catalogues call Florentine or Morellis. A Rolex Forums collector taxonomy also calls 1602 Florentine, but is not factory documentation. No Rolex reference list reviewed here resolves the conflicting descriptions. This page follows the auction records for the specific gold watches described below.

The casebacks in the Christie's condition report and Monaco Legend photographs show or report 1601 alone; Antiquorum and Crott report 1601 and 1602 together. These catalogues identify their watches as 1602s, but they do not settle how Rolex assigned the number or whether every surviving example was marked the same way.

==Production outline==

The earliest dated example in this source set is Antiquorum's circa-1960 watch; Monaco Legend dates another to 1961, while Christie's and Crott both give circa 1962. Antiquorum's Hong Kong catalogue dates its example to circa 1966. This establishes a documented early-to-mid-1960s presence, not the beginning or end of production.

Monaco Legend gives 1959–1977 in its lot essay, but supplies no serial-linked or factory evidence for those endpoints. That span is not used here as a production claim.

==Movement notes==

Christie's, Monaco Legend and Crott list Cal. 1560 in examples dated circa 1960–62. Monaco Legend's movement photo shows the bridge marked 1560. Antiquorum lists Cal. 1570 in its circa-1966 example. Those labels do not by themselves identify the date-equipped caliber inside each watch. Rolex used shared bridge engravings across related 15xx movements, so 1560 and 1570 can appear on date movements identified by reference literature as 1565 and 1575. Fratello dates the family change from 1565 to 1575 to 1965; that is a family-level timeline, not a verified 1602 changeover.

The four-digit Datejust has no quickset date. The later quickset system came with Cal. 3035 in 1977. See the [[Reference:Movements|Movements]] guide for the 15xx family and its bridge markings.

[[File:Ref 1602 movement.webp|thumb|right|230px|alt=Automatic Rolex movement photographed in the ref. 1602 Monaco Legend Auctions lot|Movement photographed with Monaco Legend Auctions' lot 257. The catalogue identifies it as Cal. 1560.]]

==Dial map==

The catalogues show several dial treatments, but the sample is too small to define a full factory dial range.

{| class="wikitable"
! Appearance !! Source example !! Record
|-
| Silvered, baton markers and lume plots || Monaco Legend, circa 1961 || The dial carries a Serpico y Laino signature beneath DATEJUST; the auction record does not establish when or where that mark was applied
|-
| Silver dial || Antiquorum, circa 1960 || Catalogued on the watch with movement D18006 and caseback marked 1601/1602
|-
| Champagne || Christie's, circa 1962 || Christie's calls the crosshatched casework “Morelis” and reports an inside caseback stamped 1601
|-
| Gold sunburst || Antiquorum, circa 1966 || The catalogue describes applied radial indexes and luminous dots
|-
| Gilt sunburst || Crott, circa 1962 || A separate catalogued example; its caseback is reported as marked “1601 AND 1602”
|}

[[File:Ref 1602 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|230px|alt=Silvered dial with baton markers and a Serpico y Laino signature|Dial of the Monaco Legend Auctions example. The retailer signature is visible below DATEJUST.]]

The Serpico y Laino signature is documented on one watch, not a reference-wide dial option. None of these records establishes dial originality or production frequency beyond its own lot.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes==

The five auction records describe 18K gold cases; three specify yellow gold. They give measurements of 35.5 mm or 36 mm. Their cases, lugs and bezels carry the crosshatch surface that catalogues call Florentine or Morellis. These are the terms used in the records; they do not establish a factory name or how the work was carried out.

The Crott and Antiquorum 2021 lots report casebacks marked 1601 and 1602. Christie's reports 1601 inside the caseback of a watch titled ref. 1602. The sources do not explain these markings, so they cannot establish whether Rolex reused casebacks or used a shared case component.

Crott describes a screw-down Twinlock crown on its circa-1962 watch; that lot does not establish a crown specification for every example. The Datejust family history places acrylic crystals in the four-digit generation before the sapphire change in the five-digit successor generation. The auction records reviewed here do not identify the crystal material on each 1602 specimen.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1602 crown.webp|Textured case, bezel, lugs and crown, Monaco Legend Auctions lot 257
File:Ref 1602 caseback.webp|Inside caseback stamped 1601, Monaco Legend Auctions lot 257
</gallery>

==Bracelets, clasps, and packaging notes==

Monaco Legend describes a yellow-gold tile bracelet with a geometric pattern across its center rows. Antiquorum's circa-1966 watch has a textured Florentine-finish bracelet; Crott identifies its circa-1962 bracelet as ref. 6765/8 and reports a clasp date of 1/62. These catalogue examples document matching gold bracelets on individual watches, not original delivery for every 1602 head.

The clasp date belongs to the bracelet. The reviewed lot records do not establish a box, papers or other reference-specific packaging.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1602 bracelet.webp|Textured yellow-gold bracelet on Monaco Legend Auctions lot 257
File:Ref 1602 clasp.webp|Clasp photographed with the same lot
</gallery>

==Special branches==

Monaco Legend records a Serpico y Laino dial signature on its 1961 watch. The retailer operated in Venezuela, but the signature alone does not show where that particular watch was first sold or prove its delivery history.

The gold Florentine or Morellis examples are a distinct catalogued branch within the four-digit Datejust records. Catalogues differ on the reference marking inside the caseback, and no primary production list was found to settle that point.

==Historical market and auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
! Auction record !! Catalogue details
|-
| Antiquorum Monaco, lot 220 || Circa 1960; 18K yellow gold; Cal. 1560; silver dial; caseback marked 1601/1602; 36 mm
|-
| Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257 || 1961; 18K yellow gold; Cal. 1560; silvered dial signed Serpico y Laino; Morellis finish; gold tile bracelet; 36 mm; inner caseback photo stamped 1601
|-
| Christie's Watches Online, lot 92 || Circa 1962; 18K gold; Cal. 1560; champagne dial; caseback reported stamped 1601; 35.5 mm
|-
| Dr. Crott, 112th Auction, lot 48 || Circa 1962; ref. 1602/8; 18K gold; Cal. 1560; bracelet 6765/8; clasp dated 1/62; caseback marked 1601 and 1602; 36 mm
|-
| Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 150 || Circa 1966; 18K yellow gold; Cal. 1570 as catalogued; sunburst dial; matching Florentine bracelet; 36 mm
|}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1602 hero.webp|Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257, circa 1961
File:Ref 1602 dial-detail.webp|Signed silvered dial, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257
File:Ref 1602 crown.webp|Crosshatched case and bezel, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257
File:Ref 1602 caseback.webp|Caseback detail, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257
File:Ref 1602 movement.webp|Movement, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257
File:Ref 1602 bracelet.webp|Matching bracelet, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257
</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1602-datejust-lot-335-220 "Antiquorum Monaco, Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces, lot 220 — Datejust ref. 1602", Antiquorum Genève SA, 2021-01-24]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-22/lot-257 "Monaco Legend Auctions, Exclusive Timepieces 22, lot 257 — Datejust ref. 1602", Monaco Legend Auctions]
* [https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/watches-online-collectors-edition/rolex-18k-gold-datejust-ref-1602-morelis-92/92931 "Christie's Watches Online, lot 92 — Datejust ref. 1602 “Morelis”", Christie's, 2020-08-05]
* [https://uhren-muser.de/us/api/v1/print?lotid=61192 "Dr. Crott 112th Auction, lot 48 — Florentine Datejust ref. 1602/8", Dr. Crott Auctioneers, 2025-05-10]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1602-oyster-perpetual-datejust-superlative-chronometer-officially-certified-lot-356-150 "Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 150 — Datejust ref. 1602 with Florentine finish", Antiquorum Genève SA, 2022-11-25]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/fratellos-top-5-rolex-datejust-references-ever-created/ "Fratello, Fratello's Top 5 Rolex Datejust References Ever Created", Fratello]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-240-172 "Antiquorum New York, lot 172 — Datejust ref. 1603, case 1106767", Antiquorum Genève SA, 2010-09-15]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?highlight=Bezel&t=837346 "The Rolex Forums, “All 15 bezel textures of 15xx OP Date models”", The Rolex Forums, 2022-01-13]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/exploring-evergreens-rolex-datejust-36mm-ref-1601/ Thomas Van Straaten, "Fratello, Exploring Evergreens: Rolex Datejust 36mm Ref. 1601", Fratello, 2024-02-23]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-datejust-complete-history/ Monochrome, "Monochrome Watches — The Evergreens: Complete History of the Rolex Datejust", Monochrome, current]

[[Category:Datejust]]

Reference:1602 - Revision history

Admin: Revise prose to attribute reference and bezel claims

Admin: Publish researched Datejust reference 1602