Reference:day-date

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Vintage Rolex Day-Date advertisement.

The Day-Date is Rolex's calendar watch with the weekday written in full at twelve o'clock and the date at three. It launched in 1956. Gold and platinum are the regular case materials, and Rolex dates the three-piece-link President bracelet to the same launch.

Most vintage and earlier modern Day-Dates have a 36mm case. The 41mm Day-Date II arrived in 2008, followed by the Day-Date 40 in 2015. This guide covers selected references through the 118xxx generation, alongside Day-Date II and Oysterquartz.

Common entry points

First generation

6510

Smooth-bezel Day-Date from the launch period. Early dates, bracelet fitment and caliber descriptions need to be checked against the individual watch.

Acrylic crystal, no quickset

1803

The fluted-bezel reference of the 1960s and 1970s, with calibers 1555 and 1556 and a wide range of dial finishes.

36mm with double quickset

118238

Yellow-gold Day-Date with caliber 3155. Both calendar displays can be corrected independently of the hands.

Originals era (1956–1959)

The smooth-bezel 6510 and fluted-bezel 6511 belong to the launch generation. The 66xx references followed during the late 1950s. Auction dates overlap the usual reference chronology: Phillips catalogues a 6511 as 1955 and a 6611 as 1956, while Rolex dates the public launch to 1956.

The earliest watches also appear with different bracelets. Phillips's pink-gold 6511 in its 2015 sale has a President bracelet with a clasp stamped 2.57. That stamp dates the clasp; it does not prove when the watch head was made or which bracelet was delivered with it.

Reference	Period	Bezel	Notes
6510	Launch period, c.1956	Smooth or domed	Early 36mm Day-Date
6511	Launch period, c.1956	Fluted	Phillips also catalogues examples as 1955
6611	Late 1950s	Fluted	Phillips lot 50 is dated 1956 and has German chronometer wording
6612	Late 1950s	Smooth	Phillips documents a platinum example dated 1958
6613	Late 1950s	Gem-set	Gem-set member of the early family
6611B	Late 1950s	Fluted	B-suffix designation encountered in cataloguing
6612B	Late 1950s	Smooth	B-suffix designation encountered in cataloguing

Caliber 1055 is associated with this generation, but catalogue entries are not fully consistent. Phillips lists 1555 for its 2015 lot 40 and 1055 for lot 41, both 6511s. A movement photograph or direct inspection is needed to resolve that difference; the reference number alone cannot do it.

4-digit era (1959–1977/78)

The 1803 is the fluted-bezel model of the acrylic-crystal generation. Monochrome dates its introduction to 1959; Sotheby's uses around 1960. Related references have smooth, engraved or gem-set bezels. Their individual production dates need not match the whole generation.

Early examples use caliber 1555, with 1556 appearing in the mid-1960s. The change was not a clean cutoff: Antiquorum catalogues a circa-1967 1811 with 1555. Neither movement has a direct calendar quickset.

Reference	Approximate period or dated example	Movement	Bezel or case finish	Notes
1803	Around 1960–1977/78	1555; later 1556	Fluted	Lacquer, stone, printed Roman-numeral and other dial variants
1804	1960s–1970s	1555 / 1556	Gem-set	Gold and platinum examples; Phillips documents a platinum watch with Eastern-Arabic numerals
1806	Documented c.1961	1555 / 1556	Florentine	Engraved texture on bezel and lugs; matching textured bracelets are documented
1807	1960s–1970s	1555 / 1556	Bark	Textured bezel, often paired with textured bracelet centre links
1811	Documented c.1967	1555 / 1556	Hammered or Morellis	Decorated bezel; catalogues use differing finish names
1831	Documented 1977	1566 in Phillips lot 51	Platinum, diamond-set	Angular case and integrated bracelet; Phillips example numbered No.5

Phillips describes the 1831's proposed commission for the Shah of Iran's household as apparent. Its catalogue also presents the eight-watch production figure as a belief. Neither claim is a confirmed factory total or delivery record.

5-digit era (1977–1988)

The 180xx generation introduced sapphire crystals and caliber 3055. Its quickset corrects the date; changing the weekday still requires moving the hands through midnight. The periods below describe the generation, with individual sale and production dates sometimes overlapping its successors.

Reference	Approximate period	Material	Bezel	Notes
18038	c.1977–1988	18k yellow gold	Fluted	Caliber 3055; lacquer, stone, wood and other dial variants
18028	Late 1970s–1980s	18k yellow gold	Smooth	Plain polished bezel
18048	Late 1970s–1980s	18k yellow gold	Gem-set	Diamond bezel; Phillips documents a green lacquered dial with red Omani emblem
18078	Late 1970s–1980s	18k yellow gold	Bark	Textured bezel and bracelet centre links
18039	Late 1970s–1980s	18k white gold	Fluted	White-gold version
18049	Late 1970s–1980s	18k white gold	Gem-set	White-gold diamond-bezel version
18079	Documented 1978	18k white gold	Bark	Phillips records bark on the bezel and bracelet centres
18026	Documented c.1979	Platinum	Smooth	Sotheby’s records caliber 3055 and a platinum President bracelet

Late 5-digit era (1988–2000)

Rolex introduced caliber 3155 in 1988. It adds independent correction of the weekday as well as the date, commonly called double quickset. These references retain the 36mm case.

Reference	Approximate period	Movement	Material	Bezel
18238	c.1988–2000	3155	18k yellow gold	Fluted
18239	c.1988–2000	3155	18k white gold	Fluted
18248 / 18249	Late 1980s–1990s	3155	Yellow / white gold	Bark finish
18348 / 18349	Late 1980s–1990s	3155	Yellow / white gold	Diamond-set
18208 / 18209	Late 1980s–1990s	3155	Yellow / white gold	Smooth

Bracelet finish and dial material vary within these references. Antiquorum's coral-dial 18208, for example, was sold in September 1996. Its smooth bezel is part of the reference description; the coral dial identifies one configuration.

6-digit era (2000–2019)

The 118xxx generation retained caliber 3155 and the 36mm diameter, with revised lugs and a heavier, solid-link bracelet. Engraved rehauts appeared during the run. Caliber 3255 replaced the 3155 in the 36mm line in 2019.

Pink gold needs a separate date check. Rolex introduced its Everose alloy in 2005, but Christie's records a pink-gold 118205 with a March 2001 guarantee. Sotheby's also catalogues a rose-gold 118235 as circa 2000. Its title calls the watch Everose, which conflicts with Rolex's alloy chronology.

Reference	Period or dated evidence	Material	Configuration
118238	c.2000–2019	18k yellow gold	Fluted bezel; President bracelet
118239	2000s–2010s	18k white gold	Fluted bezel; President bracelet
118208	2000s–2010s	18k yellow gold	Smooth or domed bezel; Oyster-bracelet examples documented
118138	Introduced 2013	18k yellow gold	Fluted bezel; leather strap with gold folding clasp
118235	Sotheby’s dates an example c.2000; later Everose models	18k pink gold / Everose	Fluted bezel; President bracelet
118205	Documented sale in 2001; later Everose models	18k pink gold / Everose	Smooth bezel; Oyster bracelet
118206	2000s–2010s	950 platinum	Smooth or domed bezel; President bracelet
118135 / 118139	Introduced 2013	Everose / white gold	Leather-strap versions alongside the yellow-gold 118138

The leather-strap models appeared at Baselworld 2013. The launch colours included green and cognac for yellow gold, with blue, cherry and chocolate among the other gold versions. The exact end of each configuration is separate from the 2019 movement-generation change.

Day-Date II (2008–2015)

The Day-Date II used a 41mm case and caliber 3156, with a Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers. It ran alongside the 36mm models. The 40mm successor arrived in 2015 with caliber 3255.

Reference	Approximate period	Material	Configuration
218238	2008–2015	18k yellow gold	41mm; caliber 3156; fluted bezel
218239	2008–2015	18k white gold	41mm; caliber 3156; fluted bezel
218235	2008–2015	18k Everose gold	41mm; caliber 3156; fluted bezel
218206	2008–2015	950 platinum	41mm; caliber 3156; smooth bezel

Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–early 2000s)

The Oysterquartz Day-Date uses battery-powered caliber 5055 in an angular case with an integrated bracelet. Rolex's factory technical manual specifies a quickset for the date only. The weekday advances through the hands, as on caliber 3055.

Reference	Period or dated evidence	Material	Configuration
19018	From 1977; listed in 2001	18k yellow gold	Fluted bezel; integrated President bracelet
19019	Listed in 2001	18k white gold	Fluted bezel; integrated President bracelet
19028	Documented c.1985; listed in 2001	18k yellow gold	Pyramid-faceted bezel and matching integrated bracelet

Gary Frazier's Oysterquartz archive places gold models in the catalogue through 2003. It describes a 2001 manufacture stop as probable, based on the last quartz chronometer certificates. Catalogue presence does not establish the date of manufacture or final retail sale.

Movement progression

Caliber	Calendar setting	References or generation	Notes
1055	No direct quickset	6510 / 6511 and 66xx	Early catalogue caliber labels sometimes conflict
1555	No direct quickset	Early 1800-series watches	Continues in some watches catalogued in the later 1960s
1556	No direct quickset	Mid- and late 1800 series	Higher beat rate than 1555; later examples have stop-seconds
1566	No direct quickset	1831	Identified by Phillips in the numbered platinum example
3055	Date only	180xx generation	Weekday corrected by moving the hands
3155	Day and date independently	182xx / 183xx and 118xxx	Introduced in 1988
3156	Day and date independently	Day-Date II	Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock protection
5055	Date only	Oysterquartz Day-Date	Factory manual, printed pages 5–6
3255	Day and date independently	Day-Date 40 from 2015; Day-Date 36 from 2019	Approximately 70-hour power reserve

The movement guide gives the detailed caliber notes. A successor's introduction does not establish the last production date of every earlier reference.

Special branches

Stella is the collector name for the brightly coloured lacquered dials found on vintage Day-Dates. Stone dials form a separate group: the material and configuration need to be identified for each watch. Printed Roman numerals are often called Buckley dials; Wide Boy refers to broad hour markers and hands. Original dial fitment needs evidence beyond a collector nickname.

Omani commissioned dials bear the national emblem, commonly called Khanjar by collectors. Phillips documents a red emblem on a green lacquered 18048 dial in its 2015 sale. The emblem alone does not establish a particular recipient or delivery through a named retailer.

Tiffany & Co. signatures and other retailer marks require their own evidence. Original delivery, a period-correct replacement and a later service part are different claims. A clasp code dates the clasp; boxes and papers need to be assessed against the watch's sale period.

Auction record

Sotheby's offered Gamal Abdel Nasser's yellow-gold 1803 from his family in New York in December 2024. The lot has Arabic calendar displays and a caseback inscription naming Anwar El Sadat and dated 26 September 1963. The catalogue records family provenance and a letter from Nasser's grandson.

Sale	Watch	Reported result	Source
6 December 2024, Sotheby’s New York, lot 19	Nasser-family 1803, case 880055	USD 840,000; estimate USD 30,000–60,000	Lot record; result reported in Sotheby’s collector guide

Notable misattributions

Phillips identifies Marlon Brando's watch from Apocalypse Now as a GMT-Master 1675, with its bezel removed and his name engraved on the caseback.

Rolex identifies Dwight D. Eisenhower's yellow-gold watch as a Datejust. Lyndon B. Johnson is the American president associated with the Day-Date in Rolex's own chronology.

Related families

• Submariner: dive watches with an elapsed-time bezel.
• GMT-Master: watches with an additional 24-hour hand.
• Bubbleback: early self-winding Oyster watches.

Shared references

• Serial numbers by year: serial systems and dating limits.
• Movement reference: caliber identification and technical details.
• Bracelet and clasp guide: bracelet types, end links and clasp codes.

Sources

Primary and specialist

• Rolex, Day-Date chronology
• Rolex, Day-Date brochure, President bracelet and Everose gold
• Rolex, 2024 Day-Date announcement, caliber 3255 chronology
• Rolex, Technical Information for calibers 5035 and 5055, printed pages 5–6
• Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date lot 40, reference 6511
• Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date lot 41, pink-gold 6511
• Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date lot 50, German-dial 6611
• Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date lot 43, platinum 6612
• Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date lot 24, platinum 1804
• Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date lot 51, platinum 1831 No.5
• Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date lot 11, Omani-emblem 18048
• Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date lot 56, bark-finish 18079
• Antiquorum, Monaco 2022 lot 162, Florentine-finish 1806
• Antiquorum, Hong Kong 2022 lot 211, hammered 1811
• Sotheby’s, 2022 platinum 18026, circa 1979
• Sotheby’s, Fine Watches 2025 lot 105, reference 18348
• Antiquorum, Geneva 2020 lot 546, coral-dial 18208
• Sotheby’s, New York 2024 lot 131, garnet-dial 118208
• Sotheby’s, rose-gold 118235 catalogued circa 2000
• Christie’s, sale 19859 lot 1, pink-gold 118205 with 2001 guarantee
• Bonhams, London 2014 lot 158, pyramid-bezel 19028
• Sotheby’s, New York 2024 lot 19, Nasser-family 1803
• Phillips, Brando GMT-Master announcement, 2019
• Rolex, Datejust chronology and Eisenhower’s watch

Editorial and market

• Sotheby’s, Day-Date collector guide
• Monochrome, Day-Date history
• Robert-Jan Broer, Fratello, Day-Date 2013 Collection
• Gary Frazier, Oysterquartz.net FAQ
• Oysterquartz.net, 2001 price-list transcription