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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 18049}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 18049}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date 18049 — White Gold Diamond Bezel, 1977–1988 | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex Day-Date 18049 — White-Gold Diamond-Bezel Day-Date | Rolexopedia
|description=The Rolex 18049 is the white-gold factory-diamond-bezel 5-digit Day-Date President — caliber 3055, sapphire crystal, circa 1977-1988. The white-gold sibling of the 18048 and successor to the gem-set 1804, including the Omani Khanjar commission.
|description=White-gold Day-Date 18049 with a diamond-set bezel, caliber 3055 and auction-documented dial variations.
|keywords=Rolex 18049, Day-Date 18049, white gold diamond bezel, Khanjar Day-Date, caliber 3055, 5-digit Day-Date, President diamond bezel
|keywords=Rolex 18049, Day-Date 18049, white gold, diamond bezel, caliber 3055, Stella dial, Khanjar
|image=Ref 18049 hero.webp
|image=Ref 18049 khanjar.webp
|image_alt=White gold Rolex Day-Date 18049 with factory diamond bezel and salmon diamond dial
|image_alt=White-gold Day-Date 18049 with diamond-set bezel and Khanjar dial, photographed beside a diamond ring
|type=Article
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-08-10T00:41:02Z
|published_time=2026-09-26T00:00:00Z
|modified_time=2026-08-10T00:41:23Z
|modified_time=2026-09-26T00:00:00Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|titlemode=replace
|titlemode=replace
}}
}}
<small>[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] › '''18049'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''18049'''</small>


<div class="rp-lead">
<div class="rp-lead">[[File:Ref 18049 khanjar.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=White-gold Day-Date 18049 with diamond-set bezel and Khanjar dial, photographed beside a diamond ring|Circa-1981 18049 with the Khanjar emblem on its silvered dial. The Christie’s lot also included the ring shown beside it.]]</div>
[[File:Ref 18049 khanjar.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18049|Rolex Day-Date 18049]]
</div>
 
The 18049 is the white-gold diamond-bezel Day-Date of the sapphire-crystal era, the 5-digit continuation of the gem-set [[Reference:1804|1804]] and the white-gold counterpart to the yellow-gold [[Reference:18048|18048]]. Case, movement and bracelet are the [[Reference:18039|18039]]; the factory diamond bezel is what changes. It ran from the late 1970s to 1988 on the caliber 3055. Where a yellow-gold diamond Day-Date is a familiar object, the white-gold version reads almost as steel until the bezel catches light, and it appears at the major houses far less often than the 18048 does.


The 18049 is the white-gold Day-Date with a diamond-set bezel in the five-digit, caliber-3055 generation. Its yellow-gold counterpart is the 18048. Auction catalogues date individual examples from circa 1978 through circa 1988. Those lot dates do not establish the reference’s production boundaries or a complete factory dial list.


==Core facts==
==Core facts==
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
|-
Line 36: Line 32:
|-
|-
| production
| production
| circa 1977/78 to 1988
| Five-digit caliber-3055 generation, generally dated 1977–1988; exact 18049 start and end dates are not established
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
| caliber 3055, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, single quickset (date); hacking seconds
| caliber 3055, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph; date quickset, day advances with the hands
|-
|-
| case
| case
| 36mm 18k white gold President
| 18k white gold; auction records usually give 36 mm
|-
| bezel
| diamond-set; Antiquorum counts 44 stones on one example
|-
|-
| crystal
| crystal
| sapphire with Cyclops
| sapphire with Cyclops
|-
| bezel
| factory diamond-set
|-
|-
| bracelet
| bracelet
| President 8385 in white gold, concealed Crownclasp
| white-gold President; Antiquorum identifies bracelet 8385 on one example
|-
| dial
| silvered and salmon with diamond indexes; Omani Khanjar on special order
|-
|-
| crown
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
| screw-down
|-
|-
| siblings
| related references
| 18048 (yellow-gold diamond), 18039 (white-gold fluted), 18079 (white-gold bark), 18046 (platinum diamond)
| 18048 (yellow-gold diamond bezel), 18039 (white-gold fluted bezel), 18079 (white-gold bark finish), and 1804 (earlier gem-set Day-Date)
|-
| predecessor
| 1804
|-
|-
| successor
| successor
| caliber-3155 diamond-bezel generation from 1988 (18348 in yellow gold)
| 18348 in yellow gold and 18349 in white gold, from the caliber-3155 generation
|}
|}


==Where it sits in the line==
==Where it sits in the line==
 
The 18049 belongs to the Day-Date generation that replaced the four-digit models in the late 1970s. Reference 1804 is the earlier gem-set model. The five-digit siblings split by metal and finish: 18048 has a yellow-gold diamond bezel, 18039 a white-gold fluted bezel, and 18079 a white-gold bark finish. The caliber-3155 generation followed in 1988; its diamond-bezel references include 18348 in yellow gold and 18349 in white gold.
The gem-set thread runs 1804, then 18049, then the caliber-3155 references. In the 5-digit generation Rolex split the diamond bezel by metal, and the closing digit carries it: 18048 in yellow gold, 18049 in white, 18046 in platinum. Phillips stated the rule outright in a catalogue essay on a white-gold bark example, noting that the final 9 indicates 18k white gold.
 
Behind the bezel there is no difference between an 18049 and an [[Reference:18039|18039]]: the same 36mm white-gold Oyster, the same caliber 3055 with quickset date only, the same sapphire crystal and President bracelet. The [[Reference:18038|18038]] entry holds the generation's shared mechanical account, and the [[Reference:18048|18048]] entry covers the diamond-bezel branch in yellow gold. What the 18049 offers over its yellow-gold sibling is discretion, which sounds contradictory on a diamond-set watch and is exactly why the combination has a following.


==Production outline==
==Production outline==
 
Auction catalogues date individual 18049 examples from circa 1978 through circa 1988, within the broader five-digit group usually dated 1977–1988. These lot dates do not establish the 18049’s exact first or last production year.
The reference belongs to the 180XX group that replaced the 4-digit Day-Dates from 1977, bringing sapphire crystals and the caliber 3055, and it ends in 1988 with the arrival of the caliber 3155. Documented case numbers place surviving examples across the middle of that span: 6,654,074 on a circa-1981 example catalogued by Christie's, and 8,272,377 on a circa-1984 example catalogued by Antiquorum.
 
The 18049 is thinly represented in the major-house record. Two well-catalogued lots carry most of what can be said about it with confidence, against the much larger body of yellow-gold 18048 material, and no Rolex production figure has surfaced for either. The reference was a catalogue option rather than a limited edition, so the scarcity is relative — white gold simply sold in smaller numbers than yellow.


==Movement notes==
==Movement notes==
The 18049 uses caliber 3055, with 27 jewels and a frequency of 28,800 vph. Its quickset corrects the date; the day advances when the hands pass midnight. The movement also has hacking seconds. A 2002 Antiquorum catalogue describes a 3055 with 30 jewels, unlike the 27-jewel specification in the Movement reference and later lot records. That older listing is an outlier, not a basis for changing the caliber specification.


The 18049 runs the caliber 3055: 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, hacking seconds, a free-sprung Microstella balance and chronometer certification, with quickset on the date and nothing on the day, which still has to be advanced by running the hands through midnight. It is the same movement Rolex fitted to every reference in the generation regardless of metal or bezel. The [[Reference:Movements]] page holds the caliber lineage and the [[Reference:18038|18038]] entry covers the 3055 in detail.
==Dial map==
Auction records show several dial treatments. The table identifies individual watches, not a complete Rolex offering.


==Dial map==
{| class="wikitable"
[[File:Ref 18049 detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Diamond bezel and salmon diamond dial of a Rolex 18049|The factory bezel and a salmon diamond-index dial on a circa-1984 example — gem-set dial on a gem-set case is the reference's default, not an upgrade.]]
|-
! catalogue date
! dial and markers
! record
|-
| late 1970s
| Grey dial with eight round and two baguette diamond indexes
| Antiquorum, 2002, lot 398
|-
| circa 1978
| Burgundy dial with round and baguette diamond markers
| Christie’s, lot 4404032
|-
| circa 1978
| Salmon dial with diamond-set indexes
| Sotheby’s, 2023, lot 88
|-
| circa 1980
| Silvered dial with baguette sapphire numerals on a diamond-set chapter ring
| Christie’s, lot 4814219
|-
| circa 1981
| Silvered diamond-index dial with the Khanjar emblem
| Christie’s, Dubai, lot 89
|-
| circa 1983
| Blue dégradé lacquer dial
| Sotheby’s, 2023, lot 723
|-
| circa 1984
| Salmon/caramel dial with diamond indexes
| Antiquorum, 2023, lot 98
|-
| circa 1988
| Baby-green lacquer dial with eight round diamond indexes and baguettes at six and nine
| Christie’s, lot 6558374
|-
| 1979
| Red Stella lacquer dial with brilliant- and baguette-cut diamond indexes; Khanjar engraved on the caseback
| Monaco Legend, 2022, lot 270
|}


The diamond bezel is the constant; the dial is where individual watches separate. The catalogued configurations pair diamond hour markers with a light ground: Christie's sold a circa-1981 example with a silvered dial, diamond hour markers and the Omani Khanjar emblem, and Antiquorum a circa-1984 example with a salmon-to-caramel dial and diamond indexes. Both are gem-set dials on a gem-set case, which is the reference's default expression rather than an upgrade.
These catalogues document examples with sapphire numerals, lacquer, and the Khanjar on either the dial or caseback. They do not provide a full factory dial list or production totals.


Dial originality carries more weight here than on a plain reference. Diamond dials and diamond bezels are straightforward to fake or to add later, and on a gold case with factory stones the aftermarket versions circulate freely. Rolex paperwork, hallmarking and the evenness of the setting do the work; a documented service history from an authorised agent, as on the Christie's example, is worth more than any single visual test. The wider dial taxonomy for the President line sits on the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry.
[[File:Ref 18049 detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Angled view of a salmon-caramel dial and diamond-set bezel on a Day-Date 18049|Salmon/caramel dial and diamond-set bezel on Antiquorum’s circa-1984 example.]]


==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
The case is 18k white gold with a screw-down back and crown. The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops date magnifier. Most cited auction descriptions give a 36 mm diameter; Christie’s measured one circa-1978 example at 35 mm. Keep that figure attached to its lot rather than treating it as a settled reference specification.


The case is the 36mm white-gold Oyster shared across the 5-digit Day-Date, with a screw-down caseback, a Twinlock screw-down crown and a sapphire crystal with Cyclops. The bezel is factory diamond-set, replacing the fluting of the 18039. The catalogued examples are described as diamond-set without a published stone count, so a number counted off a photograph settles nothing on its own; proportion, matched table size and the quality of the seats are the better read, alongside papers.
The diamond bezel defines the reference. Antiquorum described 44 diamonds on its late-1970s example; other catalogues describe the bezel as diamond-set without giving a count. A stone count from one watch does not establish every bezel’s setting.
 
==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==
 
The 18049 wears the white-gold President bracelet, reference 8385, with the concealed Crownclasp and the solid links of the 5-digit era. A clasp date code dates the bracelet, not the watch head, and the cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].
 
One documented white-gold diamond-bezel example has surfaced on a President with bark-finish centre links, a bracelet type otherwise associated with the [[Reference:18079|18079]]. A single listing is a lead on fitment rather than evidence of factory delivery, and a bracelet swap over four decades is the simpler explanation.


==Special branches==
==Bracelet and clasp==
Auctioned examples use white-gold President bracelets. Antiquorum identifies an 8385 bracelet on its circa-1984 example; other catalogues describe a concealed or folding clasp. Loupe This also photographed an 18049 head on a bark-finish President bracelet and called the bracelet factory-finished. That listing documents the pairing, but it does not establish original delivery of that bracelet with the watch head. A clasp code dates the bracelet, not the case.


===The Omani Khanjar===
==Khanjar examples==
[[File:Ref 18049 khanjar.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18049 with Omani Khanjar dial and diamond bezel|A circa-1981 white-gold 18049 with a diamond bezel and the Omani Khanjar on a silvered diamond-index dial, sold with an Asprey presentation box.]]
Two auction records show different placements of the Omani Khanjar emblem. Christie’s describes it on the dial of its circa-1981 18049. Monaco Legend’s 1979 red-Stella example is catalogued with the emblem engraved on the caseback. Neither catalogue establishes a direct commission from Sultan Qaboos or the watch’s original recipient.


The strongest documented 18049 is a Gulf commission. Christie's catalogued a circa-1981 white-gold example with a diamond bezel and a silvered diamond-index dial carrying the Khanjar, the crossed-daggers-and-belt emblem of the Sultanate of Oman, sold in the house's Dubai online sale in 2023 accompanied by an Asprey & Co. presentation box and a Rolex service card issued by Khimji Ramdas in Muscat. Asprey of London and the Muscat distributor Khimji Ramdas are the two names that recur across the Omani Day-Dates of the period, and the same pairing appears on the [[Reference:18038|18038]] and the [[Reference:18048|18048]]. The service card and the presentation box are what lift this example above the usual Khanjar attribution problem, since the emblem itself is among the most frequently faked features on a vintage Rolex dial.
Christie’s listed a service card dated 28 November 2022 from Khimji Ramdas in Muscat, an Asprey presentation box, and a diamond ring with its Khanjar-dial watch. Those items document what accompanied the lot at auction. The catalogue does not say that the card or box proves the watch’s original delivery or commission.


==Auction record==
==Auction record==
 
These four sales cover different dials, dates, and accessories. Their prices are in different currencies and do not define a market range.
The record is short and the two anchor results are far apart. Christie's sold the Khanjar example in 2023 for USD 52,920 against a USD 40,000–60,000 estimate, and Antiquorum sold the salmon diamond-dial example in Hong Kong the same year for HKD 143,750 within its estimate. The gap is provenance rather than condition: a documented Omani commission with its Asprey box is a different object from a well-preserved catalogue watch. Standard white-gold diamond-bezel examples without a special dial or a paper trail trade below both figures, roughly in line with the yellow-gold [[Reference:18048|18048]], and original factory gem-setting is the value driver throughout.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! date
! sale date
! house
! house and lot
! configuration
! configuration
! result
! result
|-
| Sep 2002
| Antiquorum New York, lot 398
| Late-1970s grey dial with diamond indexes; 44-stone bezel
| USD 11,500
|-
| Apr 2022
| Monaco Legend, lot 270
| 1979 red Stella dial with diamond indexes; Khanjar engraved on caseback
| EUR 262,500, including premium
|-
|-
| 2023
| 2023
| Christie's Watches Online: The Dubai Edit, lot 89
| Christie’s Dubai, lot 89
| white gold, diamond bezel, silvered diamond dial with Omani Khanjar, c.1981, case 6,654,074
| Circa-1981 silvered diamond-index dial with Khanjar emblem
| USD 52,920
| USD 52,920
|-
|-
| Jun 2023
| Jun 2023
| Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 98
| Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 98
| white gold, diamond bezel, salmon diamond-index dial, c.1984, case 8,272,377
| Circa-1984 salmon/caramel dial with diamond indexes
| HKD 143,750
| HKD 143,750
|}
|}


== Related references ==
==Related references==
* [[Reference:18048|Day-Date 18048]], yellow-gold diamond bezel
* [[Reference:18039|Day-Date 18039]], white-gold fluted bezel
* [[Reference:18079|Day-Date 18079]], white-gold bark finish
* [[Reference:1804|Day-Date 1804]], earlier gem-set Day-Date
* [[Reference:18038|Day-Date 18038]], yellow-gold fluted model with caliber 3055
* [[Reference:18348|Day-Date 18348]], caliber-3155 generation, yellow-gold diamond bezel


* [[Reference:18048|Day-Date 18048]] — Yellow-gold diamond bezel (1977–1988)
See also the [[Reference:day-date|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet and clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial-number guide]].
* [[Reference:18039|Day-Date 18039]] — White-gold fluted President (1977–1988)
* [[Reference:18079|Day-Date 18079]] — White-gold bark (1977–1988)
* [[Reference:1804|Day-Date 1804]] — Gem-set 4-digit President
* [[Reference:18038|Day-Date 18038]] — Cal 3055 President (1977–1988)
* [[Reference:18028|Day-Date 18028]] — 1977–1988
* [[Reference:18238|Day-Date 18238]] — 1988–2000


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 18049 khanjar.webp|Circa-1981 white-gold 18049 with Khanjar dial; Christie’s also catalogued the diamond ring shown in the photograph
File:Ref 18049 hero.webp|Circa-1984 white-gold 18049 with salmon/caramel dial and diamond-set bezel
File:Ref 18049 detail.webp|Angled view of Antiquorum’s circa-1984 salmon/caramel dial and bezel
</gallery>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
 
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18049-day-date-lot-361-98 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 18049 Day-Date, 18k white gold with diamond bezel and salmon diamond dial — Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 98", Antiquorum, 2023-06-13]
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/watches-online-dubai-edit/rolex-day-date-ref-18049-gold-diamond-set-automatic-wristwatch-khanjar-89/181697 Christie's, "Rolex Day-Date Ref. 18049, white gold and diamond-set with Omani Khanjar dial — Christie's Watches Online: The Dubai Edit, lot 89", Christie's, 2023]
* [https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/watches-online-dubai-edit/rolex-day-date-ref-18049-gold-diamond-set-automatic-wristwatch-khanjar-89/181697 Christie's, "Rolex Day-Date Ref. 18049, white gold and diamond-set with Omani Khanjar dial — Christie's Watches Online: The Dubai Edit, lot 89", Christie's, 2023]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18049-day-date-lot-361-98 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 18049 Day-Date, 18k white gold with diamond bezel and salmon diamond dial — Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 98", Antiquorum, 2023-06-13]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-30-398 Antiquorum, "Rolex Day-Date 18049, late-1970s grey diamond dial — Antiquorum New York lot 398", Antiquorum, 2002-09-25]
* [https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4404032 Christie’s, "Rolex ref. 18049 with burgundy diamond dial — Christie’s lot 4404032", Christie’s, 2004-12-15]
* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4814219 Christie’s, "Rolex ref. 18049 with sapphire numerals — Christie’s lot 4814219", Christie’s]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/important-watches/reference-18049-day-date-a-white-gold-and-diamond Sotheby’s, "Rolex ref. 18049 with salmon diamond-index dial — Sotheby’s Important Watches 2023, lot 88", Sotheby’s, 2023]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/ad86e74c-7057-4843-848c-3fbcabe7ff96/lots/30281a3f-52a9-45aa-9d06-c9a6baf6ddee Sotheby’s, "Rolex ref. 18049 blue dégradé dial — Sotheby’s Fine Watches 2023, lot 723", Sotheby’s, 2023]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-28/lot-270 Monaco Legend Auctions, "Rolex ref. 18049 red Stella and Khanjar caseback — Monaco Legend, lot 270", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2022-04-23]
* [https://loupethis.com/auctions/rolex-day-date-18049-diamond-dial-and-bezel-bark-bracelet-18k-wg Loupe This, "Rolex Day-Date 18049, white gold with diamond dial and bezel on a bark-finish bracelet — Loupe This, lot 2928", Loupe This]
* [https://loupethis.com/auctions/rolex-day-date-18049-diamond-dial-and-bezel-bark-bracelet-18k-wg Loupe This, "Rolex Day-Date 18049, white gold with diamond dial and bezel on a bark-finish bracelet — Loupe This, lot 2928", Loupe This]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080115/56 Phillips, "Rolex Ref. 18079 Day-Date, 18k white gold bark with burgundy Stella diamond dial — Phillips Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 56", Phillips, 2015]
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/important-watches-part-i-ge2504/day-date-reference-18079-a-white-gold-and Sotheby's, "Rolex Day-Date Reference 18079, a white gold and diamond-set wristwatch with bark bracelet — Sotheby's Important Watches Part I, Geneva, lot 119", Sotheby's, 2025-11-09]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18039-18038-lot-289-292 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 18039/18038 Day-Date, 18k white gold with charcoal-grey baton dial — Antiquorum Geneva, lot 292", Antiquorum, 2015-03-15]
* [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.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://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://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.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/quickset-vintage-day-date-models.html Bob's Watches editorial, "Quickset Vintage Day-Date Models", Bob's Watches]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/quickset-vintage-day-date-models.html Bob's Watches editorial, "Quickset Vintage Day-Date Models", Bob's Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6558374 Christie’s, "Rolex Day-Date 18049 baby-green Stella dial — Christie’s lot 6558374", Christie’s]
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/ Hairspring editorial, "Hairspring — Khanjar Oman 1803 White Gold Blue Stella", Hairspring]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]


[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Day-Date]]

Latest revision as of 08:54, 29 September 2026

Day-Date → 18049

White-gold Day-Date 18049 with diamond-set bezel and Khanjar dial, photographed beside a diamond ring
Circa-1981 18049 with the Khanjar emblem on its silvered dial. The Christie’s lot also included the ring shown beside it.

The 18049 is the white-gold Day-Date with a diamond-set bezel in the five-digit, caliber-3055 generation. Its yellow-gold counterpart is the 18048. Auction catalogues date individual examples from circa 1978 through circa 1988. Those lot dates do not establish the reference’s production boundaries or a complete factory dial list.

Core facts

detail value
reference 18049
family Day-Date
production Five-digit caliber-3055 generation, generally dated 1977–1988; exact 18049 start and end dates are not established
movement caliber 3055, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph; date quickset, day advances with the hands
case 18k white gold; auction records usually give 36 mm
bezel diamond-set; Antiquorum counts 44 stones on one example
crystal sapphire with Cyclops
bracelet white-gold President; Antiquorum identifies bracelet 8385 on one example
crown screw-down
related references 18048 (yellow-gold diamond bezel), 18039 (white-gold fluted bezel), 18079 (white-gold bark finish), and 1804 (earlier gem-set Day-Date)
successor 18348 in yellow gold and 18349 in white gold, from the caliber-3155 generation

Where it sits in the line

The 18049 belongs to the Day-Date generation that replaced the four-digit models in the late 1970s. Reference 1804 is the earlier gem-set model. The five-digit siblings split by metal and finish: 18048 has a yellow-gold diamond bezel, 18039 a white-gold fluted bezel, and 18079 a white-gold bark finish. The caliber-3155 generation followed in 1988; its diamond-bezel references include 18348 in yellow gold and 18349 in white gold.

Production outline

Auction catalogues date individual 18049 examples from circa 1978 through circa 1988, within the broader five-digit group usually dated 1977–1988. These lot dates do not establish the 18049’s exact first or last production year.

Movement notes

The 18049 uses caliber 3055, with 27 jewels and a frequency of 28,800 vph. Its quickset corrects the date; the day advances when the hands pass midnight. The movement also has hacking seconds. A 2002 Antiquorum catalogue describes a 3055 with 30 jewels, unlike the 27-jewel specification in the Movement reference and later lot records. That older listing is an outlier, not a basis for changing the caliber specification.

Dial map

Auction records show several dial treatments. The table identifies individual watches, not a complete Rolex offering.

catalogue date dial and markers record
late 1970s Grey dial with eight round and two baguette diamond indexes Antiquorum, 2002, lot 398
circa 1978 Burgundy dial with round and baguette diamond markers Christie’s, lot 4404032
circa 1978 Salmon dial with diamond-set indexes Sotheby’s, 2023, lot 88
circa 1980 Silvered dial with baguette sapphire numerals on a diamond-set chapter ring Christie’s, lot 4814219
circa 1981 Silvered diamond-index dial with the Khanjar emblem Christie’s, Dubai, lot 89
circa 1983 Blue dégradé lacquer dial Sotheby’s, 2023, lot 723
circa 1984 Salmon/caramel dial with diamond indexes Antiquorum, 2023, lot 98
circa 1988 Baby-green lacquer dial with eight round diamond indexes and baguettes at six and nine Christie’s, lot 6558374
1979 Red Stella lacquer dial with brilliant- and baguette-cut diamond indexes; Khanjar engraved on the caseback Monaco Legend, 2022, lot 270

These catalogues document examples with sapphire numerals, lacquer, and the Khanjar on either the dial or caseback. They do not provide a full factory dial list or production totals.

Angled view of a salmon-caramel dial and diamond-set bezel on a Day-Date 18049
Salmon/caramel dial and diamond-set bezel on Antiquorum’s circa-1984 example.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The case is 18k white gold with a screw-down back and crown. The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops date magnifier. Most cited auction descriptions give a 36 mm diameter; Christie’s measured one circa-1978 example at 35 mm. Keep that figure attached to its lot rather than treating it as a settled reference specification.

The diamond bezel defines the reference. Antiquorum described 44 diamonds on its late-1970s example; other catalogues describe the bezel as diamond-set without giving a count. A stone count from one watch does not establish every bezel’s setting.

Bracelet and clasp

Auctioned examples use white-gold President bracelets. Antiquorum identifies an 8385 bracelet on its circa-1984 example; other catalogues describe a concealed or folding clasp. Loupe This also photographed an 18049 head on a bark-finish President bracelet and called the bracelet factory-finished. That listing documents the pairing, but it does not establish original delivery of that bracelet with the watch head. A clasp code dates the bracelet, not the case.

Khanjar examples

Two auction records show different placements of the Omani Khanjar emblem. Christie’s describes it on the dial of its circa-1981 18049. Monaco Legend’s 1979 red-Stella example is catalogued with the emblem engraved on the caseback. Neither catalogue establishes a direct commission from Sultan Qaboos or the watch’s original recipient.

Christie’s listed a service card dated 28 November 2022 from Khimji Ramdas in Muscat, an Asprey presentation box, and a diamond ring with its Khanjar-dial watch. Those items document what accompanied the lot at auction. The catalogue does not say that the card or box proves the watch’s original delivery or commission.

Auction record

These four sales cover different dials, dates, and accessories. Their prices are in different currencies and do not define a market range.

sale date house and lot configuration result
Sep 2002 Antiquorum New York, lot 398 Late-1970s grey dial with diamond indexes; 44-stone bezel USD 11,500
Apr 2022 Monaco Legend, lot 270 1979 red Stella dial with diamond indexes; Khanjar engraved on caseback EUR 262,500, including premium
2023 Christie’s Dubai, lot 89 Circa-1981 silvered diamond-index dial with Khanjar emblem USD 52,920
Jun 2023 Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 98 Circa-1984 salmon/caramel dial with diamond indexes HKD 143,750

Related references

See also the Day-Date family index, movement reference, bracelet and clasp guide, and serial-number guide.

  • Circa-1981 white-gold 18049 with Khanjar dial; Christie’s also catalogued the diamond ring shown in the photograph
    Circa-1981 white-gold 18049 with Khanjar dial; Christie’s also catalogued the diamond ring shown in the photograph
  • Circa-1984 white-gold 18049 with salmon/caramel dial and diamond-set bezel
    Circa-1984 white-gold 18049 with salmon/caramel dial and diamond-set bezel
  • Angled view of Antiquorum’s circa-1984 salmon/caramel dial and bezel
    Angled view of Antiquorum’s circa-1984 salmon/caramel dial and bezel

Sources

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