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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 1804}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 1804}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date 1804 — The Gem-Set President (Diamond Bezel, Platinum Arabic)
|title=Rolex Day-Date 1804, Gem-Set Diamond-Bezel Reference
|description=The Rolex 1804 is the gem-set, diamond-bezel member of the 4-digit Day-Date group. Built on the 1803 case and caliber 1555/1556, offered in gold and platinum, with the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|description=The Rolex 1804 is the diamond-bezel member of the four-digit Day-Date family. It shares the 36mm case and caliber 1555/1556 lineage with the 1803 and is documented in gold and platinum, with gem-set dial and calendar variants.
|keywords=Rolex 1804, Day-Date 1804, gem-set Day-Date, diamond bezel President, platinum Day-Date, Scheherazade, Brooklyn Bridge, Eastern Arabic Day-Date, Khanjar
|keywords=Rolex 1804, Day-Date 1804, gem-set Day-Date, diamond bezel President, platinum Day-Date, Scheherazade, Brooklyn Bridge, Eastern Arabic Day-Date, Khanjar
|image=Ref 1804 hero.webp
|image=Ref 1804 hero.webp
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</div>
</div>


The 1804 is the gem-set Day-Date, the diamond-bezel member of the 4-digit President group. It is built on the same 36mm case and caliber 1555/1556 movement as the fluted [[Reference:1803|1803]], with a factory diamond-set bezel in place of the fluting. Rolex made it in yellow, white and pink gold and in platinum, and platinum is where the reference earns its reputation. The platinum 1804s, several carrying Eastern-Arabic calendar discs made for Gulf clients, are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates of all, and they sit far above the gold examples in both rarity and price.
The 1804 is the diamond-bezel member of the four-digit Day-Date family. It shares the 36mm case and caliber 1555/1556 lineage with the fluted [[Reference:1803|1803]], replacing the fluted bezel with a gem-set bezel. Auction and reference sources document yellow, white, and pink gold as well as platinum, with several gem-set dial and calendar branches.




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|-
|-
| production
| production
| catalogue from 1961 (alongside the 1803 and 1806) into the late 1970s (4-digit era)
| approximately 1959/60 to 1977/78; printed catalogue evidence is dated 1961 and sources differ on the first production year
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
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|-
|-
| case
| case
| 36mm 18k gold or platinum President — yellow, white, pink/rose gold, and platinum
| 36mm 18k gold or platinum President, yellow, white, pink/rose gold, and platinum
|-
|-
| crystal
| crystal
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|-
|-
| bezel
| bezel
| factory diamond-set; 44 round brilliants the platinum standard, the count set per example
| factory diamond-set; surviving catalogued examples have different stone counts
|-
|-
| bracelet
| bracelet
| President, including gem-set President on the high-jewellery examples; Jubilee on special order
| President; gem-set President bracelets are documented on some gem-set examples
|-
|-
| dial
| dial
| diamond-index, geometric-engraved, Eastern-Arabic, and Stella lacquer — gem-set configurations the 1804's signature
| diamond-index, geometric-engraved, Eastern-Arabic, and Stella lacquer, gem-set configurations the 1804's signature
|-
|-
| crown
| crown
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==Where it sits in the line==
==Where it sits in the line==


The 1804 is the jewellery member of the 4-digit Day-Date group. Where the textured siblings work the gold surface itself, the 1806 with a Florentine cross-hatch, the [[Reference:1807|1807]] with bark and the 1811 with the Morellis moiré, the 1804 sets diamonds into the bezel and leaves the gold polished. It is the reference Rolex reached for when a Day-Date was meant to be as much jewellery as watch.
The 1804 is the diamond-bezel member of the four-digit Day-Date group. The 1806 uses a Florentine bezel, the [[Reference:1807|1807]] a bark bezel, and the 1811 a Morellis bezel; the 1804's defining external change is the diamond setting.


Everything behind the bezel is 1803. The 36mm case, the caliber 1555/1556 movement, the quickset-free day-and-date mechanism and the President bracelet all carry over, and the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry holds the full account. What sets the 1804 apart is metal and stones. It is the 4-digit reference most often seen in platinum, and the gold diamond-bezel examples trade as dressed-up Presidents while the platinum ones, especially those with Arabic calendar discs, sit in a different market altogether.
The 36mm case, caliber 1555/1556 lineage, non-quickset day-and-date mechanism, and President bracelet connect the 1804 to the [[Reference:1803|1803]]. The reference-specific evidence concerns the bezel, case metal, dial, calendar discs, and bracelet fitment on each example.


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


The 1804 appears in the Rolex catalogue from 1961, alongside the 1802, the fluted 1803 and the Florentine 1806, on the printed-archive research in Giorgia and Guido Mondani's ''Rolex Day-Date'' (Guido Mondani Editore). Physical production tracks the 1803 from around 1960. The reference carries no serial sequence of its own but shares the 1803's case-serial stream, and documented platinum and gold examples run from case numbers around 549,000 in 1960 and 740,000 in 1961, through roughly 1,526,000 in 1967 and 1,865,000 around 1969, to about 5,028,000 by 1978. The run closes with the 4-digit era in 1977-78, when the 5-digit references take over and split the diamond-bezel Day-Date by metal, the 18048 in yellow gold, the 18049 in white gold and the 18046 in platinum. No Rolex production figure has surfaced for the 1804, and like the other non-fluted siblings it sold in small numbers against the volume 1803.
Printed catalogue research places the 1804 in the 1961 Day-Date range, while auction and reference sources place the first examples around 1959/60. The reference shares the Day-Date case-serial stream rather than having a separate sequence. Documented examples continue into the late 1970s, when the five-digit diamond-bezel references appear. No Rolex production total or complete serial boundary has been published.


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


The 1804 uses the standard 4-digit Day-Date movement, caliber 1555 from the start, replaced by caliber 1556 around 1965 with the 19,800 vph rate, the extra jewel and the free-sprung Microstella balance. Hacking seconds arrived across the 1500 family in 1972, and no 4-digit Day-Date has quickset, so day and date advance only by running the hands through midnight. The platinum and gem-set cases carry the same movement as the plain 1803; there is no 1804-specific caliber. The [[Reference:Movements]] page holds the caliber lineage, and the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry covers the 1555-to-1556 transition in detail.
The 1804 uses the standard four-digit Day-Date movement lineage: caliber 1555 in early examples and caliber 1556 from about 1965. The 1556 is commonly described with a 19,800 vph rate, an additional jewel, and Microstella regulation. Hacking was introduced during the 1500-family run; no quickset is documented for the four-digit Day-Date, so day and date advance by running the hands through midnight. There is no 1804-specific caliber. The [[Reference:Movements]] page holds the family lineage, and the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry covers the transition in detail.


==Dial map==
==Dial map==
[[File:Ref 1804 stella.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=White gold Rolex 1804 with carmine red Stella dial|A white-gold 1804 with a carmine-red Stella lacquer dial and diamond bezel — Stella lacquer is documented on the 1804 itself, not only the plain 1803.]]
The 1804 took the standard 4-digit Day-Date dials, but its signature configurations are the gem-set and special ones.


The 1804 took the standard 4-digit Day-Date dials, but its signature configurations are the gem-set and special ones.
[[File:Ref 1804 stella.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=White gold Rolex 1804 with carmine red Stella dial|A white-gold 1804 with a carmine-red Stella lacquer dial and diamond bezel, Stella lacquer is documented on the 1804 itself, not only the plain 1803.]]


Diamond-set hour markers, round brilliants on silvered or champagne grounds with larger stones at 6 and 9, are the standard gem dial and the most common 1804 face. Sotheby's catalogued a platinum example with a blue diamond-index dial dated to about 1978. The yellow-gold "Octopussy" pairs a champagne dial with blue sapphire baguette markers, the most heavily jewelled of the documented dials.
Diamond-set hour markers on silvered or champagne grounds are documented on standard gem-set examples. Sotheby's catalogued a platinum example with a blue diamond-index dial dated to about 1978. Phillips catalogued the yellow-gold “Octopussy” with a champagne dial and blue sapphire baguette markers.


Two named dials carry the reference's reputation. The "Brooklyn Bridge", a platinum 1961 example, runs a linear geometric engraved dial with eight round-brilliant markers and two baguettes at 6 and 9, named for the bridge-cable pattern of the engraving; the nickname traces to the 2015 Phillips sale that brought the watch to market rather than to any published source. The "Scheherazade" is the collector Pucci Papaleo's name for the Eastern-Arabic configuration, applied white-gold Arabic numerals with an Arabic day-and-date disc on platinum. It reached print in ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' (Pucci Papaleo Editore, 2015), the monograph Papaleo published with photography by Fabio Santinelli and text by Paolo Gobbi. The name covers a small group of watches, not one piece.
Two named dial descriptions recur in auction and collector literature. “Brooklyn Bridge” describes a platinum 1961 example with a linear geometric engraved dial, eight round-brilliant markers, and baguettes at 6 and 9. “Scheherazade” is Pucci Papaleo's name for an Eastern-Arabic platinum configuration with applied white-gold Arabic numerals and Arabic day-and-date discs. These names identify catalogued examples or branches; they are not Rolex reference designations.


Stella lacquer turns up on the 1804 in its own right, running baby-blue on platinum, sea-foam and peppermint green and pink on white gold, and carmine red and burgundy, several paired with baguette diamond markers, across the early-to-late 1970s. Stone dials such as onyx belong to the 5-digit diamond references rather than the 4-digit 1804, and an onyx-on-platinum 1804 is not documented. The deep dial taxonomy that spans the whole President line sits on the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry; on the 1804 the bezel stones share the billing with whatever is under them.
Stella lacquer dials are documented on 1804 examples in several colours, including blue, green, pink, red, and burgundy, sometimes with baguette markers. The cited sources do not establish a complete colour list. Onyx examples belong to later five-digit references in the sources reviewed; an onyx-on-platinum 1804 is not documented here.


==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
[[File:Ref 1804 yellow gold.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Yellow gold Rolex 1804 Octopussy with 48-diamond bezel|The yellow-gold Octopussy 1804 — a 48-diamond bezel with sapphire-baguette markers on a gem-set President, the high-jewellery extreme of the reference.]]
The case is the 36mm gold or platinum Oyster shared across the four-digit Day-Date, with a Twinlock crown, screw-down caseback, and acrylic crystal. The factory diamond-set bezel distinguishes the 1804 from the fluted 1803. Catalogued stone counts vary: Phillips examples use 44 diamonds, another white-gold example 46, and the yellow-gold “Octopussy” 48. Those are lot-specific observations, not a single universal 1804 specification.


The case is the 36mm gold or platinum Oyster shared across the 4-digit Day-Date, with a Twinlock screw-down crown, screw-down caseback and acrylic crystal. The factory diamond-set bezel that replaces the 1803's fluting is the reference's whole point of difference. The stone count is not fixed across the reference, and the sources do not agree on a standard. Mondani gives 46 round diamonds as the reference's bezel count, while the platinum examples catalogued by Phillips carry 44; one white-gold example carried 46 and the yellow-gold "Octopussy" 48. Platinum examples weigh markedly more than their gold counterparts, one catalogued near 65 grams, and the platinum dial is typically silvered with eight round-brilliant markers and two baguettes at 6 and 9.
[[File:Ref 1804 yellow gold.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Yellow gold Rolex 1804 Octopussy with 48-diamond bezel|The yellow-gold Octopussy 1804, a 48-diamond bezel with sapphire-baguette markers on a gem-set President, the high-jewellery extreme of the reference.]]


The 1804 shares the 1803's case and caseback, to the point that Phillips catalogued a yellow-gold 1804 whose inner caseback is stamped 1803. Attribution therefore rests on the reference engraved between the lugs and on the gem-set bezel, not on the caseback stamp. Factory gem-setting is the value driver, and aftermarket stones are common on Day-Dates, so a genuine 1804 is read from Rolex paperwork and from the quality and pattern of the setting.
The 1804 shares much of the 1803 case architecture, and auction lots can carry an inner caseback stamp reading 1803. Attribution therefore requires the between-lug reference, bezel, case, movement, dial, and service history; a caseback stamp alone is not decisive. Aftermarket gem-setting exists, so paperwork and component-level inspection matter.


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


The 1804 wears the President, with gem-set President bracelets on the high-jewellery examples and Jubilee fitments on some special orders. As with any vintage President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet, which may be older or newer than the head, and decades of service can put a later bracelet on an earlier head. The cross-family bracelet detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].
The 1804 is documented on President bracelets, including gem-set President bracelets on some gem-set examples. A clasp date code dates the bracelet, not the watch head, and service can put a later bracelet on an earlier case. The cross-family bracelet detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].


==Special branches==
==Special branches==


===The platinum Arabic Day-Dates===
===The platinum Arabic Day-Dates===
[[File:Ref 1804 scheherazade.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Platinum Rolex 1804 Scheherazade with Eastern-Arabic dial|The platinum Scheherazade 1804 — applied white-gold Arabic numerals and an Arabic day-and-date disc with a 44-diamond bezel, the 1804's signature branch.]]


The platinum case with an Eastern-Arabic calendar disc is the 1804's signature and its most valuable branch. Rolex offered platinum Day-Dates with Arabic script to Gulf clients from the late 1950s; auction-house catalogues tie the choice of platinum to a preference among Muslim clients, for whom gold is discouraged for men, a rationale that is widely repeated but not documented in a Rolex order record. The configuration, nicknamed "Scheherazade" by Pucci Papaleo, pairs applied white-gold Arabic numerals and an Arabic day-and-date disc with a diamond bezel. Phillips sold a 1960 example for CHF 185,000 in 2015, and Antiquorum a separate c.1966 example for HKD 1,375,000 in 2023. SJX's history of the Arabic Day-Date calls the platinum Arabic 1804 the ultimate Arabic Rolex of its era.
The platinum Eastern-Arabic configuration pairs applied white-gold Arabic numerals and Arabic day-and-date discs with a diamond bezel. Pucci Papaleo uses “Scheherazade” for this configuration. Phillips sold a 1960 example in 2015, and Antiquorum catalogued a separate circa-1966 example in 2023. The sources do not document the original ordering rationale for every watch.


===Brooklyn Bridge===
===Brooklyn Bridge===


A platinum 1961 1804 with a linear geometric engraved dial, named "Brooklyn Bridge" for the dial's bridge-cable pattern, sold at Phillips in Geneva in May 2015 for CHF 305,000, the highest documented 1804 result. It is a distinct watch from the Arabic "Scheherazade" sold in the same auction, and the two are easily confused because both are platinum with a 44-diamond bezel.
A platinum 1961 1804 with a linear geometric engraved dial, described as “Brooklyn Bridge,” sold at Phillips in Geneva in May 2015 for CHF 305,000. It is distinct from the Eastern-Arabic example sold in the same auction; both are platinum and diamond-set.


===Oman and Khanjar commissions===
===Oman and Khanjar commissions===


Platinum 1804s carry Omani Khanjar dials, the crossed-daggers emblem applied by the London retailer Asprey for Sultan Qaboos. Le Monde Edmond records a platinum Khanjar 1804 sold at Christie's in 2014 for CHF 311,000, then a record for any Day-Date, though the engraved reference on that lot is not independently confirmed. One Khanjar 1804 is confirmed by its engraved reference. Phillips sold "The Flaming Sword", a 1975 example pairing a burgundy Stella dial with the Khanjar emblem, for CHF 191,000 in the 2015 Glamorous Day-Date sale, and the 1802, 1803 and 1831 carry confirmed Omani examples of the same period. Asprey and the Muscat distributor Khimji Ramdas are the names that recur on the Gulf Day-Dates of the era.
Khanjar-marked Day-Dates appear in the auction and specialist record, including a 1975 1804 “Flaming Sword” with a burgundy Stella dial in Phillips' 2015 sale. Attribution to a specific retailer or commission route needs to be checked on the individual case, dial, paperwork, and provenance; a repeated catalogue description is not a factory order record.


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


The platinum 1804s anchor the reference's auction record, several multiples above the gold examples. The Phillips "Glamorous Day-Date" sale in Geneva in May 2015 ran two platinum lots in a single session, the geometric "Brooklyn Bridge" at CHF 305,000 and the Eastern-Arabic "Scheherazade" at CHF 185,000, both against CHF 50,000–100,000 estimates. Antiquorum sold a second platinum Arabic example in Hong Kong in 2023 for HKD 1,375,000, the highest confirmed 1804 result, and Monaco Legend Group sold a third in Monaco in 2022 for EUR 260,000. Gold examples sit lower, in the tens of thousands, with the striking exception of the yellow-gold "Octopussy", whose 48-diamond bezel, sapphire-baguette dial and gem-set President bracelet carried it to CHF 203,200, the only gold result to reach the platinum band. Stella-dial examples and plain diamond-index examples in white and yellow gold trade in the CHF/EUR 30,000–60,000 range. Original factory gem-setting and unpolished cases are the value drivers throughout.
The table records individual 1804 auction lots across platinum, gold, Arabic, Stella, and gem-set configurations. Estimates and results vary with metal, dial, bezel, provenance, condition, and service history; they are not a price guide or a complete ranking of the reference.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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== Related references ==
== Related references ==


* [[Reference:1803|Day-Date 1803]] — Fluted President (1960–1977)
* [[Reference:1803|Day-Date 1803]], Fluted President (1960–1977)
* [[Reference:1806|Day-Date 1806]]
* [[Reference:1806|Day-Date 1806]]
* [[Reference:1807|Day-Date 1807]]
* [[Reference:1807|Day-Date 1807]]
* [[Reference:1811|Day-Date 1811]]
* [[Reference:1811|Day-Date 1811]]
* [[Reference:1831|Day-Date 1831]]
* [[Reference:1831|Day-Date 1831]]
* [[Reference:6510|Day-Date 6510]] — 1956–1957
* [[Reference:6510|Day-Date 6510]], 1956–1957


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]].
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1804 scheherazade.webp|1804 overview|Platinum Eastern-Arabic example
File:Ref 1804 stella.webp|Stella dial|White-gold Stella lacquer dial
File:Ref 1804 yellow gold.webp|Octopussy|Yellow-gold gem-set example
</gallery>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==


* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'', Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo, Pucci Papaleo Editore, 2015]
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date ''Day-Date, The Presidential Rolex'', Pucci Papaleo, Pucci Papaleo Editore, 2015]
* [https://www.mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history ''Rolex Day-Date'' — Giorgia Mondani and Guido Mondani, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history ''Rolex Day-Date'', Giorgia Mondani and Guido Mondani, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080115/21 Phillips, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date "Brooklyn Bridge", platinum with 44-diamond bezel and linear geometric engraved dial — Phillips Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 21", Phillips, 2015]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080115/21 Phillips, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date "Brooklyn Bridge", platinum with 44-diamond bezel and linear geometric engraved dial, Phillips Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 21", Phillips, 2015]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080115/24 Phillips, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date "Scheherazade", platinum with 44-diamond bezel and Eastern-Arabic dial — Phillips Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 24", Phillips, 2015]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080115/24 Phillips, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date "Scheherazade", platinum with 44-diamond bezel and Eastern-Arabic dial, Phillips Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 24", Phillips, 2015]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080424/131 Phillips, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date "Octopussy", 18k yellow gold with 48-diamond bezel and sapphire-baguette dial on gem-set President — Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XX, lot 131", Phillips, 2024]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080424/131 Phillips, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date "Octopussy", 18k yellow gold with 48-diamond bezel and sapphire-baguette dial on gem-set President, Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XX, lot 131", Phillips, 2024]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1804-day-date-lot-365-163 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date "Scheherazade", platinum with diamond bezel and Eastern-Arabic calendar — Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 163", Antiquorum, 2023]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1804-day-date-lot-365-163 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date "Scheherazade", platinum with diamond bezel and Eastern-Arabic calendar, Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 163", Antiquorum, 2023]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1804-lot-291-478 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date, 18k white gold with 46-diamond bezel and carmine-red Stella diamond dial — Antiquorum Geneva, lot 478", Antiquorum, 2015]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1804-lot-291-478 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date, 18k white gold with 46-diamond bezel and carmine-red Stella diamond dial, Antiquorum Geneva, lot 478", Antiquorum, 2015]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-30/lot-270 Monaco Legend Group, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date, platinum with 46-diamond bezel and Eastern-Arabic dial — Monaco Legend Group, Exclusive Timepieces 30, lot 270", Monaco Legend Group, 2022]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-30/lot-270 Monaco Legend Group, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date, platinum with 46-diamond bezel and Eastern-Arabic dial, Monaco Legend Group, Exclusive Timepieces 30, lot 270", Monaco Legend Group, 2022]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-25/lot-159 Monaco Legend Group, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date, 18k white gold with diamond bezel and diamond-index dial — Monaco Legend Group, Exclusive Timepieces 25, lot 159", Monaco Legend Group, 2021]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-25/lot-159 Monaco Legend Group, "Rolex Ref. 1804 Day-Date, 18k white gold with diamond bezel and diamond-index dial, Monaco Legend Group, Exclusive Timepieces 25, lot 159", Monaco Legend Group, 2021]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/important-watches-2/reference-1804-day-date-a-platinum-and-diamond-set Sotheby's, "Reference 1804 Day-Date, platinum and diamond-set with blue diamond-index dial — Sotheby's Important Watches, lot 15", Sotheby's, 2023]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/important-watches-2/reference-1804-day-date-a-platinum-and-diamond-set Sotheby's, "Reference 1804 Day-Date, platinum and diamond-set with blue diamond-index dial, Sotheby's Important Watches, lot 15", Sotheby's, 2023]
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2016/09/hands-on-with-the-rolex-day-date-40-eastern-arabic-middle-east-edition-plus-a-brief-history-of-the-arabic-day-date.html Adel Al-Rahmani with Eric Ku, "A Brief History of the Arabic Day-Date (with the Day-Date 40 Arabic special edition hands-on)", SJX Watches, 2016-09]
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2016/09/hands-on-with-the-rolex-day-date-40-eastern-arabic-middle-east-edition-plus-a-brief-history-of-the-arabic-day-date.html Adel Al-Rahmani with Eric Ku, "A Brief History of the Arabic Day-Date (with the Day-Date 40 Arabic special edition hands-on)", SJX Watches, 2016-09]
* [https://le-monde-edmond.com/rolex-1804-day-date-summer-colors-edition/ Le Monde Edmond editorial, "Rolex 1804 Day-Date — Summer Colors Edition (Stella-lacquer and Khanjar gem-set Day-Dates)", Le Monde Edmond]
* [https://le-monde-edmond.com/rolex-1804-day-date-summer-colors-edition/ Le Monde Edmond editorial, "Rolex 1804 Day-Date, Summer Colors Edition (Stella-lacquer and Khanjar gem-set Day-Dates)", Le Monde Edmond]
* [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://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.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]

Latest revision as of 06:21, 29 September 2026

Day-Date › 1804

Rolex Day-Date 1804
Rolex Day-Date 1804

The 1804 is the diamond-bezel member of the four-digit Day-Date family. It shares the 36mm case and caliber 1555/1556 lineage with the fluted 1803, replacing the fluted bezel with a gem-set bezel. Auction and reference sources document yellow, white, and pink gold as well as platinum, with several gem-set dial and calendar branches.


Core facts

detail value
reference 1804
family Day-Date
production approximately 1959/60 to 1977/78; printed catalogue evidence is dated 1961 and sources differ on the first production year
movement caliber 1555 (to c. 1965), then caliber 1556; hacking from 1972; no quickset
case 36mm 18k gold or platinum President, yellow, white, pink/rose gold, and platinum
crystal acrylic
bezel factory diamond-set; surviving catalogued examples have different stone counts
bracelet President; gem-set President bracelets are documented on some gem-set examples
dial diamond-index, geometric-engraved, Eastern-Arabic, and Stella lacquer, gem-set configurations the 1804's signature
crown Twinlock screw-down
sibling references 1803 (fluted), 1806 (Florentine), 1807 (bark), 1811 (Morellis)
predecessor originals-era 6610 / 6611 / 6612 cluster
successor 5-digit 18048 (yellow gold), 18049 (white gold), 18046 (platinum), all diamond-bezel

Where it sits in the line

The 1804 is the diamond-bezel member of the four-digit Day-Date group. The 1806 uses a Florentine bezel, the 1807 a bark bezel, and the 1811 a Morellis bezel; the 1804's defining external change is the diamond setting.

The 36mm case, caliber 1555/1556 lineage, non-quickset day-and-date mechanism, and President bracelet connect the 1804 to the 1803. The reference-specific evidence concerns the bezel, case metal, dial, calendar discs, and bracelet fitment on each example.

Production outline

Printed catalogue research places the 1804 in the 1961 Day-Date range, while auction and reference sources place the first examples around 1959/60. The reference shares the Day-Date case-serial stream rather than having a separate sequence. Documented examples continue into the late 1970s, when the five-digit diamond-bezel references appear. No Rolex production total or complete serial boundary has been published.

Movement notes

The 1804 uses the standard four-digit Day-Date movement lineage: caliber 1555 in early examples and caliber 1556 from about 1965. The 1556 is commonly described with a 19,800 vph rate, an additional jewel, and Microstella regulation. Hacking was introduced during the 1500-family run; no quickset is documented for the four-digit Day-Date, so day and date advance by running the hands through midnight. There is no 1804-specific caliber. The Reference:Movements page holds the family lineage, and the 1803 entry covers the transition in detail.

Dial map

The 1804 took the standard 4-digit Day-Date dials, but its signature configurations are the gem-set and special ones.

White gold Rolex 1804 with carmine red Stella dial
A white-gold 1804 with a carmine-red Stella lacquer dial and diamond bezel, Stella lacquer is documented on the 1804 itself, not only the plain 1803.

Diamond-set hour markers on silvered or champagne grounds are documented on standard gem-set examples. Sotheby's catalogued a platinum example with a blue diamond-index dial dated to about 1978. Phillips catalogued the yellow-gold “Octopussy” with a champagne dial and blue sapphire baguette markers.

Two named dial descriptions recur in auction and collector literature. “Brooklyn Bridge” describes a platinum 1961 example with a linear geometric engraved dial, eight round-brilliant markers, and baguettes at 6 and 9. “Scheherazade” is Pucci Papaleo's name for an Eastern-Arabic platinum configuration with applied white-gold Arabic numerals and Arabic day-and-date discs. These names identify catalogued examples or branches; they are not Rolex reference designations.

Stella lacquer dials are documented on 1804 examples in several colours, including blue, green, pink, red, and burgundy, sometimes with baguette markers. The cited sources do not establish a complete colour list. Onyx examples belong to later five-digit references in the sources reviewed; an onyx-on-platinum 1804 is not documented here.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The case is the 36mm gold or platinum Oyster shared across the four-digit Day-Date, with a Twinlock crown, screw-down caseback, and acrylic crystal. The factory diamond-set bezel distinguishes the 1804 from the fluted 1803. Catalogued stone counts vary: Phillips examples use 44 diamonds, another white-gold example 46, and the yellow-gold “Octopussy” 48. Those are lot-specific observations, not a single universal 1804 specification.

Yellow gold Rolex 1804 Octopussy with 48-diamond bezel
The yellow-gold Octopussy 1804, a 48-diamond bezel with sapphire-baguette markers on a gem-set President, the high-jewellery extreme of the reference.

The 1804 shares much of the 1803 case architecture, and auction lots can carry an inner caseback stamp reading 1803. Attribution therefore requires the between-lug reference, bezel, case, movement, dial, and service history; a caseback stamp alone is not decisive. Aftermarket gem-setting exists, so paperwork and component-level inspection matter.

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

The 1804 is documented on President bracelets, including gem-set President bracelets on some gem-set examples. A clasp date code dates the bracelet, not the watch head, and service can put a later bracelet on an earlier case. The cross-family bracelet detail sits on Reference:Bracelets.

Special branches

The platinum Arabic Day-Dates

The platinum Eastern-Arabic configuration pairs applied white-gold Arabic numerals and Arabic day-and-date discs with a diamond bezel. Pucci Papaleo uses “Scheherazade” for this configuration. Phillips sold a 1960 example in 2015, and Antiquorum catalogued a separate circa-1966 example in 2023. The sources do not document the original ordering rationale for every watch.

Brooklyn Bridge

A platinum 1961 1804 with a linear geometric engraved dial, described as “Brooklyn Bridge,” sold at Phillips in Geneva in May 2015 for CHF 305,000. It is distinct from the Eastern-Arabic example sold in the same auction; both are platinum and diamond-set.

Oman and Khanjar commissions

Khanjar-marked Day-Dates appear in the auction and specialist record, including a 1975 1804 “Flaming Sword” with a burgundy Stella dial in Phillips' 2015 sale. Attribution to a specific retailer or commission route needs to be checked on the individual case, dial, paperwork, and provenance; a repeated catalogue description is not a factory order record.

Auction record

The table records individual 1804 auction lots across platinum, gold, Arabic, Stella, and gem-set configurations. Estimates and results vary with metal, dial, bezel, provenance, condition, and service history; they are not a price guide or a complete ranking of the reference.

date house configuration result
May 2015 Phillips Geneva, Glamorous Day-Date, lot 21 platinum, 44-diamond bezel, "Brooklyn Bridge" geometric engraved dial, 1961, cal. 1555 CHF 305,000
May 2015 Phillips Geneva, Glamorous Day-Date, lot 24 platinum, 44-diamond bezel, Eastern-Arabic "Scheherazade" dial, 1960 CHF 185,000
Nov 2024 Phillips Geneva XX, lot 131 yellow gold "Octopussy", 48-diamond bezel, sapphire-baguette dial, gem-set President, 1976 CHF 203,200
May 2015 Phillips Geneva, Glamorous Day-Date, lot 12 "The Flaming Sword", burgundy Stella dial with Khanjar emblem, 1975 CHF 191,000
Nov 2023 Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 163 platinum "Scheherazade", Eastern-Arabic, diamond bezel, c.1966 HKD 1,375,000
Oct 2022 Monaco Legend Group, Exclusive Timepieces 30, lot 270 platinum, 46-diamond bezel, Eastern-Arabic dial, 1968 EUR 260,000
May 2015 Phillips Geneva, Glamorous Day-Date, lot 35 platinum, diamond bezel, full set, 1967 CHF 56,250
May 2015 Antiquorum Geneva, lot 478 white gold, 46-diamond bezel, carmine-red Stella diamond dial, 1968 CHF 47,500
Oct 2021 Monaco Legend Group, Exclusive Timepieces 25, lot 159 white gold, diamond bezel, diamond-index dial, 1975 EUR 59,800
Jan 2022 Antiquorum Monaco, lot 42 yellow gold, diamond bezel, burgundy Stella diamond dial, c.1977 EUR 35,100
Dec 2023 Sotheby's Important Watches, lot 15 platinum, blue diamond-index dial, diamond bezel, c.1978 not sold (est. USD 30,000–60,000)

Related references

See also the Day-Date family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.

  • Platinum Eastern-Arabic example
    Platinum Eastern-Arabic example
  • White-gold Stella lacquer dial
    White-gold Stella lacquer dial
  • Yellow-gold gem-set example
    Yellow-gold gem-set example

Sources

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