Reference:18078 - Revision history

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

2026-09-05T01:20:48Z

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

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:20, 5 September 2026
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	<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] -> '''18078'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] › '''18078'''</small>

	The 18078 is the bark-finish Day-Date of the sapphire-crystal era, the 5-digit successor to the 4-digit bark [[Reference:1807\|1807]]. It is a yellow-gold President whose bezel and bracelet centre links carry the coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, while the case flanks stay polished. Caliber 3055, sapphire crystal, made from the late 1970s to 1988. The bark drew few buyers when new and Rolex built it in small numbers, which makes it the scarcer of the 5-digit finishes today. The examples that command attention pair the bark case with an exotic dial: wood, hardstone, lacquered Stella, or an Omani Khanjar.		The 18078 is the bark-finish Day-Date of the sapphire-crystal era, the 5-digit successor to the 4-digit bark [[Reference:1807\|1807]]. It is a yellow-gold President whose bezel and bracelet centre links carry the coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, while the case flanks stay polished. Caliber 3055, sapphire crystal, made from the late 1970s to 1988. The bark drew few buyers when new and Rolex built it in small numbers, which makes it the scarcer of the 5-digit finishes today. The examples that command attention pair the bark case with an exotic dial: wood, hardstone, lacquered Stella, or an Omani Khanjar.
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	==Core facts==		==Core facts==

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

Admin: Cleanup: remove stale Category:Working Draft — page is fully published, category has no functional gate in code

2026-08-09T23:55:15Z

Cleanup: remove stale Category:Working Draft — page is fully published, category has no functional gate in code

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:55, 9 August 2026
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	\| HKD 336,000 per Sotheby's editorial; lot page reads unsold		\| HKD 336,000 per Sotheby's editorial; lot page reads unsold
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	== Related references ==		== Related references ==
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	[[Category:Day-Date]]		[[Category:Day-Date]]
	~~[[Category:Working Draft]]~~

Admin: Text audit: voice, clarity, source links

2026-08-09T21:10:47Z

Text audit: voice, clarity, source links

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:10, 9 August 2026
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	<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] → '''18078'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] -> '''18078'''</small>

	The 18078 is the bark-finish Day-Date of the sapphire-crystal era, the 5-digit successor to the 4-digit bark [[Reference:1807\|1807]]. It is a yellow-gold President whose bezel and bracelet centre links carry the coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, while the case flanks stay polished. Caliber 3055, sapphire crystal, made from the late 1970s to 1988. The bark drew few buyers when new and Rolex built it in small numbers, which makes it the scarcer of the 5-digit finishes today. The examples that command attention pair the bark case with an exotic dial: wood, hardstone, lacquered Stella, or an Omani Khanjar.		The 18078 is the bark-finish Day-Date of the sapphire-crystal era, the 5-digit successor to the 4-digit bark [[Reference:1807\|1807]]. It is a yellow-gold President whose bezel and bracelet centre links carry the coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, while the case flanks stay polished. Caliber 3055, sapphire crystal, made from the late 1970s to 1988. The bark drew few buyers when new and Rolex built it in small numbers, which makes it the scarcer of the 5-digit finishes today. The examples that command attention pair the bark case with an exotic dial: wood, hardstone, lacquered Stella, or an Omani Khanjar.
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	==Where it sits in the line==		==Where it sits in the line==

	The 18078 is the bark member of the first 5-digit Day-Date generation, the sapphire-crystal continuation of the bark thread that runs from the 4-digit [[Reference:1807\|1807]]. The 5-digit references split by metal and finish: the [[Reference:18038\|18038]] is the yellow-gold fluted volume reference, the [[Reference:18048\|18048]] carries the diamond bezel, and the bark follows in yellow gold as the 18078 and in white gold as the 18079. The bark is ~~the~~ coarse, vertical, tree-bark texture, distinct from the finer cross-hatched Florentine of the 1806 and the watered moiré Morellis of the 1811. Everything behind the finish is 18038: the ~~same~~ case, caliber 3055, sapphire crystal and President bracelet. The bark never caught on the way the fluting did, so the 18078 is the scarcest of the standard 5-digit finishes, and the textured look that limited it when new is most of its appeal now.		The 18078 is the bark member of the first 5-digit Day-Date generation, the sapphire-crystal continuation of the bark thread that runs from the 4-digit [[Reference:1807\|1807]]. The 5-digit references split by metal and finish: the [[Reference:18038\|18038]] is the yellow-gold fluted volume reference, the [[Reference:18048\|18048]] carries the diamond bezel, and the bark follows in yellow gold as the 18078 and in white gold as the 18079. The bark is a coarse vertical tree-bark texture, distinct from the finer cross-hatched Florentine of the 1806 and the watered moiré Morellis of the 1811.

			Everything behind the finish is 18038, down to the case, the caliber 3055, the sapphire crystal and the President bracelet. The bark never caught on the way the fluting did, so the 18078 is the scarcest of the standard 5-digit finishes, and the textured look that limited it when new is most of its appeal now.

	==Production outline==		==Production outline==

	The 18078 ran from the late 1970s, when the 5-digit references took over with sapphire crystals and the caliber 3055, until 1988, when the caliber 3155 arrived. The bark finish continued in small numbers into the caliber-3155 era, but it is most associated with this 18078/18079 generation. No Rolex production figure has surfaced; the scarcity collectors cite is drawn from how rarely the reference appears rather than from any factory data~~. The bark sold slowly when new, which is precisely why it is uncommon today~~. Within the run ~~the reference~~ is a stable, single-spec watch, and its variety lives in the dial.		The 18078 ran from the late 1970s, when the 5-digit references took over with sapphire crystals and the caliber 3055, until 1988, when the caliber 3155 arrived. The bark finish continued in small numbers into the caliber-3155 era, but it is most associated with this 18078/18079 generation. No Rolex production figure has surfaced; the scarcity collectors cite is drawn from how rarely the reference appears rather than from any factory data. Within the run it is a stable, single-spec watch, and its variety lives in the dial.

	==Movement notes==		==Movement notes==
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	[[File:Ref 18078 tigereye.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Bark Rolex 18078 with tiger-eye dial\|A bark 18078 with a tiger-eye hardstone dial — the textured case is collected as a pairing with an exotic dial.]]		[[File:Ref 18078 tigereye.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Bark Rolex 18078 with tiger-eye dial\|A bark 18078 with a tiger-eye hardstone dial — the textured case is collected as a pairing with an exotic dial.]]

			The common configuration is a champagne or silvered stick dial. Beyond that the reference is closely associated with wood and burl dials, birch, mahogany, walnut and burlwood, which suit the organic bark texture and are the signature pairing. Hardstone dials in onyx, tiger-eye and lapis appear from the early-1980s exotic-dial window, lacquered Stella colours such as burgundy and blue turn up with diamond markers, and Roman-numeral and diamond-index dials round out the range. A champagne 18078 carrying the Omani Khanjar emblem and an Arabic day disc documents the reference's reach into the Gulf special orders. The dial taxonomy that spans the whole President line sits on the [[Reference:1803\|1803]] entry.
	~~The bark is the constant on the 18078; the dial is where the variety lives, and the most collected examples pair the textured case with an exotic dial.~~ The common configuration is a champagne or silvered stick dial. Beyond that the reference is closely associated with wood and burl dials, birch, mahogany, walnut and burlwood, which suit the organic bark texture and are the signature pairing. Hardstone dials in onyx, tiger-eye and lapis appear from the early-1980s exotic-dial window, lacquered Stella colours such as burgundy and blue turn up with diamond markers, and Roman-numeral and diamond-index dials round out the range. A champagne 18078 carrying the Omani Khanjar emblem and an Arabic day disc documents the reference's reach into the Gulf special orders. The ~~deep~~ dial taxonomy that spans the President line sits on the [[Reference:1803\|1803]] entry~~; on the 18078 the dial is the identity of the individual watch~~.

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

	The case is the 36mm yellow-gold Oyster shared across the 5-digit Day-Date, with a sapphire crystal and Cyclops, a Twinlock screw-down crown and a screw-down caseback. The defining feature is the bark finish, a coarse vertical woodgrain worked into the bezel. The case flanks and lugs stay polished, so the texture reads as a deliberate band around the dial rather than an all-over treatment. The bark is coarser and more organic than the fine Florentine cross-hatch of the 1806 and unlike the rippled moiré of the 1811, the three textured finishes that Rolex offered across the President line.		The case is the 36mm yellow-gold Oyster shared across the 5-digit Day-Date, with a sapphire crystal and Cyclops, a Twinlock screw-down crown and a screw-down caseback. The defining feature is the bark finish, a coarse vertical woodgrain worked into the bezel. The case flanks and lugs stay polished, so the texture reads as a deliberate band around the dial rather than an all-over treatment.

	==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==		==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

	The 18078 wears the President bracelet, reference 8385, with the concealed Crownclasp and the solid links of the 5-digit era. The bark carries onto the bracelet's centre links, so the texture runs from the bezel down the length of the bracelet ~~and onto the centre links~~. That continuity is much of the reference's look, and a bark 18078 that keeps its original bark centre links rather than service-replaced plain ones is the complete expression of the watch. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet, which may be older or newer than the head, and the cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].		The 18078 wears the President bracelet, reference 8385, with the concealed Crownclasp and the solid links of the 5-digit era. The bark carries onto the bracelet's centre links, so the texture runs unbroken from the bezel down the length of the bracelet. That continuity is much of the reference's look, and a bark 18078 that keeps its original bark centre links rather than service-replaced plain ones is the complete expression of the watch. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet, which may be older or newer than the head, and the cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

	==Special branches==		==Special branches==
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	===Bark with an exotic dial===		===Bark with an exotic dial===

	The bark 18078 is ~~collected~~ as a case-and-dial pairing. ~~The wood~~ and burl ~~dials are the signature, birch, mahogany and burlwood~~ grounds ~~that echo the bark texture, and they~~ are the configurations the major houses catalogue most often~~. Hardstone dials in onyx and tiger-eye~~, ~~lacquered Stella colours in burgundy~~ and ~~blue, and diamond-set dials all appear~~ on ~~the bark case. On~~ a reference this scarce, the dial is what separates one ~~18078~~ from the next ~~and what drives the result~~.		The bark 18078 is bought and sold as a case-and-dial pairing rather than as a standard reference with dial options. Wood and burl grounds are the configurations the major houses catalogue most often, and on a reference this scarce the dial is what separates one example from the next.

	===The Omani Khanjar===		===The Omani Khanjar===
	[[File:Ref 18078 khanjar.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Bark Rolex 18078 with Omani Khanjar emblem\|A bark 18078 carrying the green Omani Khanjar emblem and an Arabic day disc — the textured case turned to a Gulf special order.]]		[[File:Ref 18078 khanjar.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Bark Rolex 18078 with Omani Khanjar emblem\|A bark 18078 carrying the green Omani Khanjar emblem and an Arabic day disc — the textured case turned to a Gulf special order.]]

			A bark 18078 with the green Omani Khanjar emblem and an Arabic day disc, catalogued by Phillips at the Geneva Watch Auction XVIII in 2023, places the reference in the Gulf special-order tradition alongside the platinum Arabic Day-Dates.
	A bark 18078 with the green Omani Khanjar emblem and an Arabic day disc, catalogued by Phillips, places the reference in the Gulf special-order tradition alongside the platinum Arabic Day-Dates~~. It is the bark case turned to a Middle-Eastern commission, and a reminder that the textured references reached the same clientele as the platinum ones~~.

	==Auction record==		==Auction record==

	The 18078 is thinly represented at the major houses, and where it appears the dial usually drives the lot. Antiquorum sold a tiger-eye example in Hong Kong in 2015 for HKD 237,500 and an onyx example with a bark-and-diamond bezel in Geneva in 2016 for CHF 18,750. Sotheby's catalogued a burgundy-Stella diamond example in 2018, which went unsold, and a birch wood-dial example in 2023. A blue-Stella diamond 18078 in Hong Kong in 2024 shows the kind of result the special dials reach: the lot page reads unsold, while a Sotheby's editorial article records it selling for HKD 336,000. A plain champagne or silver bark 18078 sits at a more modest level, roughly the low-to-mid five figures in dollars, at or slightly below a comparable plain fluted 18038~~, with the~~ textured look ~~still~~ a divisive, period-specific taste. The premium appears when the bark is paired with a wood, stone or Stella dial.		The 18078 is thinly represented at the major houses, and where it appears the dial usually drives the lot. Antiquorum sold a tiger-eye example in Hong Kong in 2015 for HKD 237,500 and an onyx example with a bark-and-diamond bezel in Geneva in 2016 for CHF 18,750. Sotheby's catalogued a burgundy-Stella diamond example in 2018, which went unsold, and a birch wood-dial example in 2023. A blue-Stella diamond 18078 in Hong Kong in 2024 shows the kind of result the special dials reach: the lot page reads unsold, while a Sotheby's editorial article records it selling for HKD 336,000. A plain champagne or silver bark 18078 sits at a more modest level, roughly the low-to-mid five figures in dollars, at or slightly below a comparable plain fluted 18038. The textured look remains a divisive, period-specific taste. The premium appears when the bark is paired with a wood, stone or Stella dial.

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

Admin: Style: canonical '== Sources ==' heading spacing per AGENTS.md

2026-08-08T21:31:19Z

Style: canonical '== Sources ==' heading spacing per AGENTS.md

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:31, 8 August 2026
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	See also the [[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements\|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets\|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers\|serial numbers by year]].		See also the [[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements\|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets\|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers\|serial numbers by year]].

	==Sources==		== Sources ==

	* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra		* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

Admin: Fact fix: Sotheby's New York 2023 lot 205 "Birch" did not sell — replace placeholder with verified outcome

2026-08-04T00:39:24Z

Fact fix: Sotheby's New York 2023 lot 205 "Birch" did not sell — replace placeholder with verified outcome

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	\| Sotheby's Fine Watches, lot 205		\| Sotheby's Fine Watches, lot 205
	\| "Birch" wood dial		\| "Birch" wood dial
	\| ~~published lot reference~~		\| not sold (est. USD 20,000–40,000)
	\|-		\|-
	\| 2024		\| 2024

Admin: SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

2026-08-04T00:19:16Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

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2026-08-04T00:10:47Z

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Admin: Name the cal-3155 bark successor explicitly: 18248

2026-08-03T14:25:35Z

Name the cal-3155 bark successor explicitly: 18248

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	\|-		\|-
	\| successor		\| successor
	\| caliber-3155 ~~bark references (scarce~~)		\| 18248 (bark, caliber 3155, double quickset)
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Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

2026-07-18T12:55:51Z

Internal linking: related references + component links

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2026-06-29T01:19:29Z

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