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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 36 118239}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 36 118239}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date 118239 — White Gold President, Cal 3155 | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex Day-Date 118239: white gold and calibre 3155 | Rolexopedia
|description=The Rolex 118239 is the 18k white-gold Day-Date 36 — fluted bezel, caliber 3155, catalogued from 2000 on both the President and the Oyster bracelet. Lapis, meteorite and paved dials are the ones that matter.
|description=The 118239 is a 36 mm white-gold Day-Date with a fluted bezel and calibre 3155. Rolex price lists and auction records document President and Oyster bracelets and several dial variants.
|keywords=Rolex 118239, Day-Date 118239, white gold President, white gold Day-Date, caliber 3155, lapis lazuli dial, meteorite dial, 6-digit Day-Date, Day-Date 36
|keywords=Rolex 118239, Day-Date 118239, white gold Day-Date, calibre 3155, lapis dial, meteorite dial
|image=Ref 118239 hero.webp
|image=Ref 118239 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 118239 in 18k white gold with white Roman dial on the President bracelet
|image_alt=White-gold Rolex Day-Date 118239 with meteorite dial and President bracelet, Phillips auction lot
|type=Article
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-08-10T00:28:40Z
|published_time=2026-08-10T00:28:40Z
|modified_time=2026-08-10T00:28:40Z
|modified_time=2026-09-25T04:55:46Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|titlemode=replace
|titlemode=replace
}}
}}


<small>[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] › '''118239'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''118239'''</small>


The 118239 is the white-gold Day-Date 36 of the 6-digit era. Same 36mm President case as the yellow-gold [[Reference:118238|118238]], same fluted bezel, same caliber 3155, cut in 18k white gold instead. At arm's length it reads as steel, and that quietness is the whole appeal: a watch that weighs like gold and looks like nothing in particular until the fluting catches the light. Rolex catalogued it from 2000, on the President bracelet and on the Oyster, and gave it the widest dial range of any reference in the generation. Lapis lazuli, meteorite, mother-of-pearl, cherry lacquer and full pavé all sit in the same catalogue as plain silver and black.
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 118239 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=White-gold Rolex Day-Date 118239 with meteorite dial and President bracelet, Phillips auction lot|Reference 118239 in 18 ct white gold with a meteorite dial. Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XXII.]]
</div>


[[File:Ref 118239 hero.webp|thumb|right|340px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118239 in 18k white gold with white Roman dial on the President bracelet|Rolex Day-Date 36 118239 in 18k white gold — fluted bezel, white Roman dial, President bracelet.]]
The 118239 is the fluted-bezel, white-gold Day-Date 36 from the six-digit generation introduced around 2000. It uses calibre 3155 and was listed with both President and Oyster bracelets. Rolex price lists and auction catalogues document a range of dial types, including lapis lazuli and meteorite; the surviving records do not establish a complete factory dial menu.


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


{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
|-
! detail
! Detail !! Documented specification
! value
|-
|-
| reference
| Reference || 118239
| 118239
|-
|-
| family
| Model || Day-Date 36
| Day-Date (Day-Date 36, 6-digit)
|-
|-
| production
| Catalogue period || Listed in 2011 and 2015; the exact final production year is not established by the sources cited here
| from 2000, through the 2010s to about 2019
|-
|-
| movement
| Case || 36 mm, 18 ct white gold
| caliber 3155, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, ~48h reserve, double quickset
|-
|-
| case
| Bezel || Fluted
| 36mm 18k white gold
|-
|-
| crystal
| Crystal || Sapphire, with Cyclops date magnifier
| sapphire
|-
|-
| bezel
| Crown and back || Screw-down Twinlock crown; screw-down case back
| fluted
|-
|-
| bracelet
| Movement || Calibre 3155, automatic, day and date double quickset
| President or Oyster
|-
|-
| dial
| Bracelet || President or Oyster, both listed in Rolex’s 2015 Netherlands price list
| silver, black, blue, cherry, white and grey Roman, silver "computer", mother-of-pearl, lapis lazuli, meteorite, diamond-set, paved
|-
|-
| crown
| Predecessor / successor || 18239 / 128239; the successor reference appears in Rolex’s 2019 Day-Date 36 launch material
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| siblings
| 118238 (yellow gold), 118235 (Everose), 118208 (yellow gold, smooth), 118206 (platinum, smooth), 118139 (white gold, leather strap)
|-
| predecessor
| 18239 (5-digit white gold)
|-
| successor
| 128239
|}
|}


==Where it sits in the line==
== Where it sits in the line ==


The 6-digit Day-Date 36 splits by metal and by bezel. The [[Reference:118238|118238]] is the yellow-gold fluted volume reference, the [[Reference:118235|118235]] the Everose, the [[Reference:118208|118208]] the yellow-gold smooth, and the 118239 the white-gold fluted. White gold has always been the awkward member of the Day-Date family, because the one thing a President is supposed to do at a glance is announce itself, and white gold declines to. That has kept the 118239 out of the spotlight and made it the reference collectors reach for when they want the watch without the announcement.
The 118239 is the white-gold fluted-bezel member of the 118xxx Day-Date 36 generation. Its yellow-gold counterpart is the [[Reference:118238|118238]]; the Everose version is the [[Reference:118235|118235]]. The 2015 Netherlands price list identifies the 118239 as 18 ct white gold and lists it with bracelet references 73209 (Oyster) and 83209 (President). That listing establishes both options for that market and date; it does not show that every dial could be ordered with either bracelet.


Mechanically there is nothing to separate it from its siblings. The case, the caliber 3155, the double quickset and the Twinlock crown are shared across the generation, and the [[Reference:118238|118238]] entry carries the full account of the caliber. What the 118239 has of its own is metal and dial. White gold takes a mirror polish differently from yellow, and it is the natural ground for the cool-toned dials, lapis and meteorite and pavé, that make up the more interesting half of the reference's catalogue.
Rolex’s 2019 Baselworld material documents the new 128239 Day-Date 36 with calibre 3255. Auction catalogues include 118239 examples guaranteed as late as 2015. These sources establish the generation change but do not give a precise last delivery date for the 118239.


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


Rolex introduced the 118xxx series in 2000, and the work went into the bracelet and the clasp. The caliber 3155 carried over from the preceding 182xx references and the 36mm Oyster case stayed as it was, while the bracelet gained substance, the lugs were polished along their length, and the clasp was made more secure. Monochrome's history adds the detail that matters most on the wrist: the President bracelet moved from hollow links to solid, which accounts for most of the added weight, and the rehaut picked up the engraved ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX ring carrying the serial number.
The six-digit Day-Date generation appears in 2000-era records, and auction catalogues document 118239 watches from 2000 onward. Rolex’s archived 2011 US and 2015 Netherlands price lists establish that the reference remained in the catalogue during those years. The 2019 launch material for the 128239 marks the successor generation, but it does not state when the last 118239 left the catalogue or was delivered.


The end of the run is less tidy than the start. Monochrome's Day-Date history closes the 118238, and with it the generation, at 2009. That date is hard to square with the same article's account of the caliber 3155 being re-regulated in 2015, from the COSC standard of −4/+6 seconds a day to Rolex's own Superlative Chronometer rating of −2/+2, a change that only means anything if 3155-powered Day-Dates were still being sold. The reference ran on through the 2010s until the caliber-3255 128239 took over the 36mm line, around 2019.
Serial-number systems changed during this period. Serial placement and format vary across examples; use the individual watch and the guidance at [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers]] rather than treating one serial format as a precise production date.


==Movement notes==
== Movement notes ==


The 118239 runs the caliber 3155, the double-quickset Day-Date movement, with 31 jewels, a 28,800 vph beat and a reserve of roughly 48 hours. Day and date both index from the crown, which is the practical dividing line between this generation and the 4-digit references, where the only way to change either is to run the hands round. Monochrome describes the 3155 as a jewel count up from 27 to 31 over the outgoing 3055, with a double bridge for the escapement, and slightly slimmer despite the additions.
The reference uses calibre 3155, Rolex’s automatic day-and-date movement with independent quick-setting for both calendar indications. Auction catalogues identify it as a 31-jewel movement. The 3155 followed calibre 3055 in the Day-Date line; see [[Reference:Movements#cal-3155|calibre 3155]] for the broader chronology.


Two changes land mid-run. The blue Parachrom hairspring arrives across the Rolex catalogue from 2005, so late examples carry it and early ones do not. Then in 2015 Rolex re-regulated the 3155 to the Superlative Chronometer standard of −2/+2 seconds a day. A late 118239 is therefore a materially better timekeeper on paper than an early one, running the same caliber number. The caliber lineage sits on [[Reference:Movements]].
Rolex introduced its revised Superlative Chronometer standard in 2015. That date describes the certification standard, not a new calibre number. A 2015 warranty on an individual watch can establish its delivery period, but the standard alone does not date every 118239 or prove a specific movement change within the reference.


==Dial map==
== Dial map ==


[[File:Ref 118239 meteorite.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 118239 with meteorite dial and diamond hour markers|Meteorite dial with diamond hour markers — the crystalline banding runs differently on every example.]]
The May 2011 US Rolex price list gives a dated menu of extra-cost dial options for the 118239. It names the following configurations with a President bracelet. This is the list for one market and one date, not a complete record of every dial offered during the reference’s run. Auction records add examples beyond the named list.
 
The dial range is the reason to care about this reference. Thirty-four configurations are catalogued for the 118239, running from plain lacquer to fully paved. The same dial menu appears against both bracelet options, so a buyer choosing the Oyster gave up nothing on the dial.
 
[[File:Ref 118239 lapis lazuli.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 118239 with lapis lazuli hardstone dial and diamond markers|Lapis lazuli, the hardstone dial that suits white gold best.]]


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! dial
! Dial option in the May 2011 US list !! Details printed in the list
! description
! bracelets
|-
|-
| silver
| Diamond markers || Eight round and two baguette diamonds
| plain silvered ground, applied baton markers
| President, Oyster
|-
|-
| black
| Jubilee with diamond markers || Eight round and two baguette diamonds on a Jubilee dial
| glossy black, applied batons
| President, Oyster
|-
|-
| blue
| Diamond markers || Ten diamonds set on the dial
| blue ground, applied batons
| President, Oyster
|-
|-
| cherry
| Baguette markers || Ten baguette diamonds set on the dial
| cherry-red lacquer
| President, Oyster
|-
|-
| white Roman
| Mother-of-pearl Roman || Roman or decorated Roman numerals
| white ground, applied Roman numerals
| President, Oyster
|-
|-
| grey Roman
| Mother-of-pearl with diamonds || Diamond-set mother-of-pearl dial
| grey ground, applied Roman numerals
| President, Oyster
|-
|-
| silver "computer"
| Mother-of-pearl with baguette diamonds || Ten baguette diamonds
| silvered ground printed with the circuit-board motif, diamond markers
| President, Oyster
|-
|-
| mother-of-pearl
| Lapis lazuli || Arabic numerals with two diamonds
| white, black, Oxford and carousel patterns
| President, Oyster
|-
|-
| lapis lazuli
| Meteorite || Arabic numerals with two diamonds; the list also names an eight-round/two-baguette setting on meteorite
| deep-blue lapis hardstone, diamond markers
| President, Oyster
|-
|-
| meteorite
| Sodalite || Eight round and two baguette diamonds
| meteorite slice with crystalline banding, diamond markers
| President, Oyster
|-
|-
| diamond-set
| Patterned Arabic || Diamond-set Arabic-pattern dial
| silver or black grounds with diamond hour markers; one configuration pairs diamonds with emeralds
| President, Oyster
|-
|-
| paved
| Paved || Blue-enamel Arabic numerals; a separate “Pave Extra Large” option is also listed
| ground fully paved with diamonds, applied blue Arabic numerals
|-
| President, Oyster
| Yellow mother-of-pearl Roman || A circa-2001 example is recorded in Phillips lot 8032
|-
| Cherry red || A circa-2002 example is recorded by Sotheby’s, fitted to an Oyster bracelet
|}
|}
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 118239 meteorite.webp|alt=118239 meteorite dial with diamond markers, catalogue render|Meteorite dial
File:Ref 118239 lapis lazuli.webp|alt=118239 lapis lazuli dial with diamond markers, catalogue render|Lapis lazuli
File:Ref 118239 paved.webp|alt=118239 diamond-paved dial with blue Arabic numerals, catalogue render|Diamond-paved dial
</gallery>


[[File:Ref 118239 computer dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 118239 silver computer dial with diamond markers|The silver "computer" dial, printed with a circuit-board motif and set with diamond markers.]]
Auction catalogues describe individual watches, not every year or bracelet combination. A stone or precious-metal dial on an auction watch establishes that a watch was catalogued with it; originality and delivery configuration still depend on the watch’s papers and service history.


Two of these deserve singling out. The lapis is the hardstone that suits white gold best, because the metal stays out of the way and the stone does not have to fight a warm case for attention. The meteorite is the one that never repeats, since the crystalline banding is cut from a different part of the slice on every dial. The wider hardstone story across the Rolex catalogue is covered 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 ==


[[File:Ref 118239 paved.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 118239 with fully diamond-paved dial and blue Arabic numerals|The paved dial with applied blue Arabic numerals, the most decorated configuration catalogued for the reference.]]
The May 2011 US Rolex price list specifies a 36 mm 18 ct white-gold case, fluted bezel and synthetic sapphire crystal for the 118239. The auction lots cited here give the same case diameter and material. I have not found a period Rolex technical sheet in this source set that documents the crown or case-back specification specifically for this reference.


==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
Serial engraving may appear between the lugs or on the rehaut, depending on the watch’s production period. The transition was not simultaneous across every reference. Inspect the individual case and consult [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers]]; a serial format alone does not establish the exact year.


The case is the 36mm white-gold Oyster of the 6-digit generation, with the broader, fully polished lugs that separate it from the 5-digit [[Reference:18238|18238]] era. The bezel is fluted, machined from solid white gold. The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops, the crown a Twinlock screw-down, and the caseback screws down.
== Bracelets, end links and clasps ==


The rehaut is the quickest way to place an example in the run. Earlier production carries the serial engraved between the lugs at six o'clock; from the mid-2000s the serial moves to the inner crystal ring, engraved alongside the repeating ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX that Rolex added as an anti-counterfeiting measure. In 2010 the letter-prefix serial system gives way to random alphanumeric strings, so a 118239 can carry a lug serial, a rehaut serial with a letter prefix, or a rehaut serial with a scrambled one.
The 2011 US and 2015 Netherlands price lists name Oyster bracelet 73209 and President bracelet 83209 for the 118239. The US list prints its extra-cost dial menu with President bracelets, so it does not show that every dial was available on Oyster. Sotheby’s catalogued a circa-2002 cherry-dial example on an Oyster bracelet; Phillips lots document President-bracelet examples. These records establish both fitments, not their relative frequency.


==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==
The Oyster-bracelet configuration is shown below. A bracelet or clasp date code dates that component, not the watch head. For bracelet construction and clasp details, see [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelets]].


[[File:Ref 118239 oyster bracelet.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 118239 in white gold on the three-piece Oyster bracelet with black dial|The 118239 on the Oyster bracelet — a fluted white-gold Day-Date on a flat three-piece bracelet, the least Presidential a President gets.]]
[[File:Ref 118239 oyster bracelet.webp|thumb|right|240px|alt=White-gold 118239 on an Oyster bracelet, catalogue render|118239 on Oyster bracelet, catalogue render for configuration 118239-0121.]]


Most 118239s wear the President, the three-piece semicircular bracelet the reference inherited from the [[Reference:1803|1803]], here with solid centre links and the concealed Crownclasp that hides the folding mechanism under a cover stamped with the coronet. The solid centre link is the generation's clearest tell against the hollow-link 5-digit bracelets, and it is most of the reason a 6-digit Day-Date feels heavier than its predecessor at the same case size.
== Selected auction records ==


The Oyster bracelet is the surprise. Roughly half the catalogued 118239 configurations sit on the flat three-piece Oyster instead of the President, a pairing usually associated with the smooth-bezel references like the [[Reference:118208|118208]]. A fluted white-gold Day-Date on an Oyster is about as far from the dress-watch reading of the model as Rolex ever took it. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet and not the head, and a serviced watch may well wear a later bracelet than its case. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].
These lots show specific watches and published sale results. They do not set prices for the reference as a whole.


==Market==
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
The 118239 moves through the dealer and certified-pre-owned market rather than the catalogued auctions, which is true of the 6-digit Day-Date generation generally. Where the generation does reach the auction record, the pattern is consistent: the dial carries the result, not the reference. 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, several multiples over a plain-dial equivalent. On the 118239 the configurations that do the same work are the lapis, the meteorite and the pavé; a plain silver or black example is a straightforward modern Day-Date and prices like one.
! Sale !! Catalogued watch !! Published result
 
|-
== Related references ==
| Phillips, Geneva, 5 November 2022, lot 16 || Circa 2000; lapis-lazuli dial; President bracelet; guarantee dated 21 October 2000 || CHF 40,320
|-
| Phillips, Hong Kong, 29 November 2016, lot 961 || Circa 2006; lapis-lazuli dial; President bracelet || HKD 150,000
|-
| Phillips, Hong Kong, 2022, lot 945 || Circa 2001; lapis-lazuli dial; President bracelet || HKD 604,800
|-
| Phillips, New York, 2022, lot 3 || Circa 2015; lapis-lazuli dial; guarantee dated 22 December 2015 || USD 44,450
|-
| Phillips, Hong Kong, 2024, lot 886 || Circa 2003; meteorite dial with diamond markers; guarantee dated 27 January 2005 || HKD 482,600
|}


* [[Reference:118238|Day-Date 118238]] — 2000–2019
== Image gallery ==
* [[Reference:118235|Day-Date 118235]] — 2005–2019
* [[Reference:118208|Day-Date 118208]] — 2000–2019
* [[Reference:118138|Day-Date 118138]] — 2013–2019
* [[Reference:218238|Day-Date 218238]] — 2008–2015
* [[Reference:218206|Day-Date 218206]] — 2008–2015


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]].
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 118239 hero.webp|alt=White-gold 118239 with meteorite dial and President bracelet, Phillips auction lot|Meteorite dial, Phillips lot
File:Ref 118239 lapis lazuli.webp|alt=118239 lapis lazuli dial with diamond markers, catalogue render|Lapis lazuli dial
File:Ref 118239 paved.webp|alt=118239 diamond-paved dial with blue Arabic numerals, catalogue render|Paved dial
File:Ref 118239 oyster bracelet.webp|alt=White-gold 118239 on Oyster bracelet, catalogue render|Oyster-bracelet configuration
</gallery>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==


* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.thewatch.co.il/image/users/190146/ftp/my_files/ROLEX/Rolex-Price-List%20--2011%20-usa.pdf?id=13123755 Rolex, 2011 US price list], reproduced by thewatch.co.il.
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo, Pucci Papaleo Editore, 2015]
* [https://www.rolexforum.nl/prijslijst-rolex-NL2015.pdf Rolex Netherlands price list, February 2015], archived by Rolexforum.nl.
* [https://www.mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history ''Rolex Day-Date'' — Giorgia Mondani and Guido Mondani, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://newsroom-content.rolex.com/-/media/project/rolex/newsroom/rolex/rolex-newsroom-int/watches/new-watches/new-watches-2019/en_02_2019_presentation_oyster_english.pdf Rolex, Baselworld 2019 presentation].
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.rolex.com/about-rolex/history/2013-2022 Rolex, 2013–2022 history], revised Superlative Chronometer standard.
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-day-date-a-complete-collectors-guide Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/173027 Phillips, Geneva Sessions, Fall 2022, lot 16].
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/181129 Phillips, Hong Kong Sessions, Spring 2023, lot 8032].
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/exploring-evergreens-the-rolex-day-date-18238/ Fratello editorial, "Exploring Evergreens: The Rolex Day-Date 18238", Fratello Watches]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/95650 Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction Three, lot 961].
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/watch-guide-rolex-stone-dials/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "Watch Guide: Rolex Stone Dials", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/167616 Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XIV, lot 945].
* [https://www.swisswatchexpo.com/thewatchclub/2024/01/25/generations-rolex-president-day-date/ SwissWatchExpo editorial, "Generations of the Rolex President Day-Date", SwissWatchExpo, 2024]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/207097 Phillips, New York Watch Auction XI, lot 3].
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/3155 WatchBase, "Rolex caliber 3155 (registry page)", WatchBase]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/230039 Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XXII, lot 886].
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/important-watches-part-i-ge2501/day-date-reference-118239-a-white-gold-wristwatch Sotheby’s, Important Watches, Part I, 2025, 118239 on Oyster bracelet].
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/day-date WatchBase, "Rolex Day-Date 36 118239 — factory configuration registry", WatchBase]
* [https://www.monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome, history of the Day-Date].


[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:published]]
[[Category:References]]

Latest revision as of 04:58, 25 September 2026


Day-Date → 118239

White-gold Rolex Day-Date 118239 with meteorite dial and President bracelet, Phillips auction lot
Reference 118239 in 18 ct white gold with a meteorite dial. Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XXII.

The 118239 is the fluted-bezel, white-gold Day-Date 36 from the six-digit generation introduced around 2000. It uses calibre 3155 and was listed with both President and Oyster bracelets. Rolex price lists and auction catalogues document a range of dial types, including lapis lazuli and meteorite; the surviving records do not establish a complete factory dial menu.

Core facts

Detail Documented specification
Reference 118239
Model Day-Date 36
Catalogue period Listed in 2011 and 2015; the exact final production year is not established by the sources cited here
Case 36 mm, 18 ct white gold
Bezel Fluted
Crystal Sapphire, with Cyclops date magnifier
Crown and back Screw-down Twinlock crown; screw-down case back
Movement Calibre 3155, automatic, day and date double quickset
Bracelet President or Oyster, both listed in Rolex’s 2015 Netherlands price list
Predecessor / successor 18239 / 128239; the successor reference appears in Rolex’s 2019 Day-Date 36 launch material

Where it sits in the line

The 118239 is the white-gold fluted-bezel member of the 118xxx Day-Date 36 generation. Its yellow-gold counterpart is the 118238; the Everose version is the 118235. The 2015 Netherlands price list identifies the 118239 as 18 ct white gold and lists it with bracelet references 73209 (Oyster) and 83209 (President). That listing establishes both options for that market and date; it does not show that every dial could be ordered with either bracelet.

Rolex’s 2019 Baselworld material documents the new 128239 Day-Date 36 with calibre 3255. Auction catalogues include 118239 examples guaranteed as late as 2015. These sources establish the generation change but do not give a precise last delivery date for the 118239.

Production outline

The six-digit Day-Date generation appears in 2000-era records, and auction catalogues document 118239 watches from 2000 onward. Rolex’s archived 2011 US and 2015 Netherlands price lists establish that the reference remained in the catalogue during those years. The 2019 launch material for the 128239 marks the successor generation, but it does not state when the last 118239 left the catalogue or was delivered.

Serial-number systems changed during this period. Serial placement and format vary across examples; use the individual watch and the guidance at Serial numbers rather than treating one serial format as a precise production date.

Movement notes

The reference uses calibre 3155, Rolex’s automatic day-and-date movement with independent quick-setting for both calendar indications. Auction catalogues identify it as a 31-jewel movement. The 3155 followed calibre 3055 in the Day-Date line; see calibre 3155 for the broader chronology.

Rolex introduced its revised Superlative Chronometer standard in 2015. That date describes the certification standard, not a new calibre number. A 2015 warranty on an individual watch can establish its delivery period, but the standard alone does not date every 118239 or prove a specific movement change within the reference.

Dial map

The May 2011 US Rolex price list gives a dated menu of extra-cost dial options for the 118239. It names the following configurations with a President bracelet. This is the list for one market and one date, not a complete record of every dial offered during the reference’s run. Auction records add examples beyond the named list.

Dial option in the May 2011 US list Details printed in the list
Diamond markers Eight round and two baguette diamonds
Jubilee with diamond markers Eight round and two baguette diamonds on a Jubilee dial
Diamond markers Ten diamonds set on the dial
Baguette markers Ten baguette diamonds set on the dial
Mother-of-pearl Roman Roman or decorated Roman numerals
Mother-of-pearl with diamonds Diamond-set mother-of-pearl dial
Mother-of-pearl with baguette diamonds Ten baguette diamonds
Lapis lazuli Arabic numerals with two diamonds
Meteorite Arabic numerals with two diamonds; the list also names an eight-round/two-baguette setting on meteorite
Sodalite Eight round and two baguette diamonds
Patterned Arabic Diamond-set Arabic-pattern dial
Paved Blue-enamel Arabic numerals; a separate “Pave Extra Large” option is also listed
Yellow mother-of-pearl Roman A circa-2001 example is recorded in Phillips lot 8032
Cherry red A circa-2002 example is recorded by Sotheby’s, fitted to an Oyster bracelet
  • 118239 meteorite dial with diamond markers, catalogue render
    Meteorite dial
  • 118239 lapis lazuli dial with diamond markers, catalogue render
    Lapis lazuli
  • 118239 diamond-paved dial with blue Arabic numerals, catalogue render
    Diamond-paved dial

Auction catalogues describe individual watches, not every year or bracelet combination. A stone or precious-metal dial on an auction watch establishes that a watch was catalogued with it; originality and delivery configuration still depend on the watch’s papers and service history.

Case, bezel, crystal and crown

The May 2011 US Rolex price list specifies a 36 mm 18 ct white-gold case, fluted bezel and synthetic sapphire crystal for the 118239. The auction lots cited here give the same case diameter and material. I have not found a period Rolex technical sheet in this source set that documents the crown or case-back specification specifically for this reference.

Serial engraving may appear between the lugs or on the rehaut, depending on the watch’s production period. The transition was not simultaneous across every reference. Inspect the individual case and consult Serial numbers; a serial format alone does not establish the exact year.

Bracelets, end links and clasps

The 2011 US and 2015 Netherlands price lists name Oyster bracelet 73209 and President bracelet 83209 for the 118239. The US list prints its extra-cost dial menu with President bracelets, so it does not show that every dial was available on Oyster. Sotheby’s catalogued a circa-2002 cherry-dial example on an Oyster bracelet; Phillips lots document President-bracelet examples. These records establish both fitments, not their relative frequency.

The Oyster-bracelet configuration is shown below. A bracelet or clasp date code dates that component, not the watch head. For bracelet construction and clasp details, see Bracelets.

White-gold 118239 on an Oyster bracelet, catalogue render
118239 on Oyster bracelet, catalogue render for configuration 118239-0121.

Selected auction records

These lots show specific watches and published sale results. They do not set prices for the reference as a whole.

Sale Catalogued watch Published result
Phillips, Geneva, 5 November 2022, lot 16 Circa 2000; lapis-lazuli dial; President bracelet; guarantee dated 21 October 2000 CHF 40,320
Phillips, Hong Kong, 29 November 2016, lot 961 Circa 2006; lapis-lazuli dial; President bracelet HKD 150,000
Phillips, Hong Kong, 2022, lot 945 Circa 2001; lapis-lazuli dial; President bracelet HKD 604,800
Phillips, New York, 2022, lot 3 Circa 2015; lapis-lazuli dial; guarantee dated 22 December 2015 USD 44,450
Phillips, Hong Kong, 2024, lot 886 Circa 2003; meteorite dial with diamond markers; guarantee dated 27 January 2005 HKD 482,600

Image gallery

  • White-gold 118239 with meteorite dial and President bracelet, Phillips auction lot
    Meteorite dial, Phillips lot
  • 118239 lapis lazuli dial with diamond markers, catalogue render
    Lapis lazuli dial
  • 118239 diamond-paved dial with blue Arabic numerals, catalogue render
    Paved dial
  • White-gold 118239 on Oyster bracelet, catalogue render
    Oyster-bracelet configuration

Sources

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