Reference:18248 - Revision history

Klaudiusz: Deep audit: 18248 bark finish, caliber 3155, dial variants, auction evidence and image layout

2026-09-28T23:54:31Z

Deep audit: 18248 bark finish, caliber 3155, dial variants, auction evidence and image layout

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:54, 28 September 2026
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	\|-		\|-
	\| successor		\| successor
	\| ~~caliber-3155 carryover into the~~ 6-digit ~~era (scarce)~~		\| 118xxx 6-digit Day-Date generation
	\|}		\|}

Klaudiusz: Deep correctness, grounding, image and anti-slop audit: qualify 18248 bark finish, caliber 3155, dials, bracelet, production, provenance and auction claims; add gallery.

2026-09-28T16:43:08Z

Deep correctness, grounding, image and anti-slop audit: qualify 18248 bark finish, caliber 3155, dials, bracelet, production, provenance and auction claims; add gallery.

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Admin: Layout: restore the original lead caption

2026-09-06T22:59:23Z

Layout: restore the original lead caption

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:59, 6 September 2026
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	<div class="rp-lead">		<div class="rp-lead">
	[[File:Ref 18248 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18248\|Rolex Day-Date 18248]]		[[File:Ref 18248 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18248 in yellow gold — the bark (écorce) bezel and bracelet centre links of the caliber-3155 era, here with a ferrite dial.\|Rolex Day-Date 18248 in yellow gold — the bark (écorce) bezel and bracelet centre links of the caliber-3155 era, here with a ferrite dial.]]
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Layout: hero refreshed

2026-09-06T22:53:51Z

Layout: hero refreshed

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	<div class="rp-lead">		<div class="rp-lead">
	[[File:Ref 18248 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18248 ~~in yellow gold — the bark (écorce) bezel and bracelet centre links of the caliber-3155 era, here with a ferrite dial.~~\|Rolex Day-Date 18248 ~~in yellow gold — the bark (écorce) bezel and bracelet centre links of the caliber-3155 era, here with a ferrite dial.~~]]		[[File:Ref 18248 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18248\|Rolex Day-Date 18248]]
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Layout: hero promoted to lead

2026-09-06T22:29:03Z

Layout: hero promoted to lead

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:29, 6 September 2026
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	}}		}}
	<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] › '''18248'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] › '''18248'''</small>

			<div class="rp-lead">
			[[File:Ref 18248 hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18248 in yellow gold — the bark (écorce) bezel and bracelet centre links of the caliber-3155 era, here with a ferrite dial.\|Rolex Day-Date 18248 in yellow gold — the bark (écorce) bezel and bracelet centre links of the caliber-3155 era, here with a ferrite dial.]]
			</div>

	The 18248 is the bark-finish Day-Date of the caliber-3155 era, the double-quickset successor to the caliber-3055 bark [[Reference:18078\|18078]]. It is a yellow-gold President whose bezel and bracelet centre links carry the coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, now with the caliber 3155 that finally let an owner set both the day and the date from the crown. It ran from 1988 to about 2000. A common listing error files the 18248 as a diamond-bezel reference; its factory finish is bark, and the diamond-bezel Day-Date of this generation is the [[Reference:18348\|18348]]. Like the 18078 before it, the 18248 is collected as a textured case paired with an exotic dial.		The 18248 is the bark-finish Day-Date of the caliber-3155 era, the double-quickset successor to the caliber-3055 bark [[Reference:18078\|18078]]. It is a yellow-gold President whose bezel and bracelet centre links carry the coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, now with the caliber 3155 that finally let an owner set both the day and the date from the crown. It ran from 1988 to about 2000. A common listing error files the 18248 as a diamond-bezel reference; its factory finish is bark, and the diamond-bezel Day-Date of this generation is the [[Reference:18348\|18348]]. Like the 18078 before it, the 18248 is collected as a textured case paired with an exotic dial.

	[[File:Ref 18248 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|260px\|alt=Yellow gold Rolex Day-Date 18248 bark finish ferrite dial\|Rolex Day-Date 18248 in yellow gold — the bark (écorce) bezel and bracelet centre links of the caliber-3155 era, here with a ferrite dial.]]

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

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

2026-09-05T01:20:52Z

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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	\|titlemode=replace		\|titlemode=replace
	}}		}}
	<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] -> '''18248'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] › '''18248'''</small>

	The 18248 is the bark-finish Day-Date of the caliber-3155 era, the double-quickset successor to the caliber-3055 bark [[Reference:18078\|18078]]. It is a yellow-gold President whose bezel and bracelet centre links carry the coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, now with the caliber 3155 that finally let an owner set both the day and the date from the crown. It ran from 1988 to about 2000. A common listing error files the 18248 as a diamond-bezel reference; its factory finish is bark, and the diamond-bezel Day-Date of this generation is the [[Reference:18348\|18348]]. Like the 18078 before it, the 18248 is collected as a textured case paired with an exotic dial.		The 18248 is the bark-finish Day-Date of the caliber-3155 era, the double-quickset successor to the caliber-3055 bark [[Reference:18078\|18078]]. It is a yellow-gold President whose bezel and bracelet centre links carry the coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, now with the caliber 3155 that finally let an owner set both the day and the date from the crown. It ran from 1988 to about 2000. A common listing error files the 18248 as a diamond-bezel reference; its factory finish is bark, and the diamond-bezel Day-Date of this generation is the [[Reference:18348\|18348]]. Like the 18078 before it, the 18248 is collected as a textured case paired with an exotic dial.
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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

2026-08-09T23:55:17Z

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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	\| CHF 12,500		\| CHF 12,500
	\|}		\|}


	== Related references ==		== Related references ==
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	[[Category:Day-Date]]		[[Category:Day-Date]]
	~~[[Category:Working Draft]]~~

Admin: Text audit: voice, clarity, source links

2026-08-09T21:13:51Z

Text audit: voice, clarity, source links

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:13, 9 August 2026
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	}}		}}
	<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] → '''18248'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:day-date\|Day-Date]] -> '''18248'''</small>

	The 18248 is the bark-finish Day-Date of the caliber-3155 era, the double-quickset successor to the caliber-3055 bark [[Reference:18078\|18078]]. It is a yellow-gold President whose bezel and bracelet centre links carry the coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, now with the caliber 3155 that finally let an owner set both the day and the date from the crown. It ran from 1988 to about 2000. A common listing error files the 18248 as a diamond-bezel reference; its factory finish is bark, and the diamond-bezel Day-Date of this generation is the 18348. Like the 18078 before it, the 18248 is collected as a textured case paired with an exotic dial.		The 18248 is the bark-finish Day-Date of the caliber-3155 era, the double-quickset successor to the caliber-3055 bark [[Reference:18078\|18078]]. It is a yellow-gold President whose bezel and bracelet centre links carry the coarse vertical "bark" texture, écorce in French, now with the caliber 3155 that finally let an owner set both the day and the date from the crown. It ran from 1988 to about 2000. A common listing error files the 18248 as a diamond-bezel reference; its factory finish is bark, and the diamond-bezel Day-Date of this generation is the [[Reference:18348\|18348]]. Like the 18078 before it, the 18248 is collected as a textured case paired with an exotic dial.

	[[File:Ref 18248 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|260px\|alt=Yellow gold Rolex Day-Date 18248 bark finish ferrite dial\|Rolex Day-Date 18248 in yellow gold — the bark (écorce) bezel and bracelet centre links of the caliber-3155 era, here with a ferrite dial.]]		[[File:Ref 18248 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|260px\|alt=Yellow gold Rolex Day-Date 18248 bark finish ferrite dial\|Rolex Day-Date 18248 in yellow gold — the bark (écorce) bezel and bracelet centre links of the caliber-3155 era, here with a ferrite dial.]]
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	==Where it sits in the line==		==Where it sits in the line==

	The 18248 is the bark member of the caliber-3155 Day-Date generation, the textured sibling of the fluted [[Reference:18238\|18238]]. The generation splits by finish the way the caliber-3055 references did before it: the 18238 is the fluted volume reference, the 18348 carries the factory diamond bezel, and the bark follows in yellow gold as the 18248 and in white gold as the 18249. ~~The~~ 18248 ~~is routinely mislabelled as a diamond-bezel watch in the market, but the digit denotes the bark finish, and~~ the diamonds ~~on a genuine 18248~~ sit in the dial ~~rather than~~ on the bezel. Everything behind the finish is 18238: the same 36mm case, caliber 3155, sapphire crystal and President bracelet. The bark is the same coarse écorce the 18078 introduced in the previous generation; what changed is the movement underneath.		The 18248 is the bark member of the caliber-3155 Day-Date generation, the textured sibling of the fluted [[Reference:18238\|18238]]. The generation splits by finish the way the caliber-3055 references did before it: the 18238 is the fluted volume reference, the 18348 carries the factory diamond bezel, and the bark follows in yellow gold as the 18248 and in white gold as the 18249. On a genuine 18248 the diamonds sit in the dial, never on the bezel. Everything behind the finish is 18238: the same 36mm case, caliber 3155, sapphire crystal and President bracelet. The bark is the same coarse écorce the 18078 introduced in the previous generation; what changed is the movement underneath.

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

	The 18248 ran from 1988, when the caliber 3155 replaced the 3055 across the Day-Date line, until about 2000, when the 6-digit references took over. The bark remained a low-volume niche finish, made in far smaller numbers than the fluted 18238, which is why it surfaces so rarely. Across the run the only running change of note is the lume: early examples carry tritium, marked "T SWISS MADE T" at the foot of the dial, while the latest examples near the 2000 handover switch to Luminova. ~~No quartz, no case change, no~~ movement ~~change inside~~ the ~~reference;~~ the 18248 is a stable, single-spec watch whose variety lives entirely in the dial.		The 18248 ran from 1988, when the caliber 3155 replaced the 3055 across the Day-Date line, until about 2000, when the 6-digit references took over. The bark remained a low-volume niche finish, made in far smaller numbers than the fluted 18238, which is why it surfaces so rarely. Across the run the only running change of note is the lume: early examples carry tritium, marked "T SWISS MADE T" at the foot of the dial, while the latest examples near the 2000 handover switch to Luminova. Case and movement stayed put for the whole run, so the 18248 is a stable, single-spec watch whose variety lives entirely in the dial.

	==Movement notes==		==Movement notes==
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	[[File:Ref 18248 stella.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Bark Rolex 18248 with blue dégradé Stella dial\|A bark 18248 with a blue dégradé Stella diamond dial — the textured case collected as a pairing with a 1990s special dial.]]		[[File:Ref 18248 stella.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Bark Rolex 18248 with blue dégradé Stella dial\|A bark 18248 with a blue dégradé Stella diamond dial — the textured case collected as a pairing with a 1990s special dial.]]

			The common configuration is a champagne or silvered stick dial. Beyond that the reference is associated with the ferrite or "meteorite" dials, blue-grey textured grounds that suit the organic bark, blue dégradé Stella dials with diamond markers, glossy onyx and hardstone dials with diamond-set Arabic numerals at six and nine, and the occasional wood-effect dial with a Chinese calendar for the Asian market. Roman-numeral and diamond-set dials round out the range. The dial taxonomy that spans the whole President line sits on the [[Reference:1803\|1803]] entry.
	~~The bark is the constant on the 18248; the dial is where the variety lives, and the most collected examples pair the textured case with a dial idiom of the 1990s.~~ The common configuration is a champagne or silvered stick dial. Beyond that the reference is associated with the ferrite or "meteorite" dials, blue-grey textured grounds that suit the organic bark, blue dégradé Stella dials with diamond markers, glossy onyx and hardstone dials with diamond-set Arabic numerals at six and nine, and the occasional wood-effect dial with a Chinese calendar for the Asian market. Roman-numeral and diamond-set dials round out the range. The ~~deep~~ dial taxonomy that spans the President line sits on the [[Reference:1803\|1803]] entry~~; on the 18248, as 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 caliber-3155 Day-Date, with a sapphire crystal and Cyclops, a Twinlock screw-down crown and a screw-down caseback, here stamped with the 18200 case-family number on the inside. The defining feature is the bark finish, the coarse vertical woodgrain worked into the bezel, identical to the texture the [[Reference:18078\|18078]] introduced. The case flanks and lugs stay polished, so the bark reads as a deliberate band around the dial~~. It is the same finish the 18078 carried; the 18248 differs by its movement and its later production, not by its surface~~.		The case is the 36mm yellow-gold Oyster shared across the caliber-3155 Day-Date, with a sapphire crystal and Cyclops, a Twinlock screw-down crown and a screw-down caseback, here stamped with the 18200 case-family number on the inside. The defining feature is the bark finish, the coarse vertical woodgrain worked into the bezel, identical to the texture the [[Reference:18078\|18078]] introduced. The case flanks and lugs stay polished, so the bark reads as a deliberate band around the dial.

	==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==		==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==
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	[[File:Ref 18248 onyx.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Bark Rolex 18248 with diamond-set onyx dial\|A bark 18248 with a diamond-set onyx dial and Arabic numerals at 6 and 9.]]		[[File:Ref 18248 onyx.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Bark Rolex 18248 with diamond-set onyx dial\|A bark 18248 with a diamond-set onyx dial and Arabic numerals at 6 and 9.]]

			The bark 18248 is bought and sold as a case-and-dial pairing, the same way the 18078 is. Where wood and burl grounds defined the earlier reference, the ferrite and meteorite-effect dials are the signature of the caliber-3155 era, and on a reference this scarce the dial is what separates one example from the next.
	The bark 18248 is ~~collected~~ as a case-and-dial pairing, the same way the 18078 is. ~~The~~ ferrite and meteorite-effect dials are the signature of the caliber-3155 era~~, where the wood and burl dials had defined the 18078. Blue dégradé Stella dials with diamond markers, diamond-set onyx dials with Arabic numerals~~, and ~~wood-effect Chinese-calendar dials all appear~~ on ~~the bark case. On~~ a reference this scarce, the dial is what separates one ~~18248~~ from the next ~~and what sets the result~~.

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

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

2026-08-08T21:31:23Z

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

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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: SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

2026-08-04T00:19:27Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

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