Reference:218238: Difference between revisions

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Seventeen distinct dial codes are documented across the family, the most exhaustive specific-dial roster published for the 218 generation.

Seventeen distinct dial codes are documented across the family, the most exhaustive specific-dial roster published for the 218 generation, though it is not exhaustive: Bonhams has separately catalogued an 18k white gold 218239 with a rhodium charcoal-grey dial, a configuration outside the 17-code list.

There is no 218389 Tridor in the catalogue. Rolex discontinued the Tridor (tri-tone gold President) around 2000 with the 18239B closeout; no Tridor 218xxx appears in the auction record or in any published reference listing. The modern-reference numbering scheme (last digit indicating metal: 8 yellow, 9 white, 5 Everose, 6 platinum) doesn't support a 218389 slot either. There is also no 218339 white-gold-diamond reference. The diamond-bezel white-gold 218xxx is the 218349; dealer listings citing "218339" are typos for 218239 or 218349.

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==Auction record==

The standout 218 generation auction lot is the Day-Date II Royal Khanjar reference 218206, a platinum diamond-set example with Arabic day-and-date discs commissioned for the Sultan of Oman around 2012 and engraved on the caseback with the Royal Khanjar crest. Sotheby's catalogued the lot in their 2025 Origins sale and again in Important Watches Part I (GE2504). Bonhams has separately catalogued and sold a production-spec 218206 platinum c. 2010. Phillips coverage of the reference is thinner; Day-Date II auction interest concentrates on the special-order and commissioned platinum examples rather than gold production ~~lots, which trade primarily on the secondary market~~.

The 218238 itself has a direct auction result: Bonhams sold an 18k yellow gold example at its December 2017 Fine Watches and Wristwatches sale in London for GBP 18,750 including premium. Sunburst champagne dial with applied luminous baton markers, cal. 3156, President bracelet, complete with its original Rolex box, outer card, guarantee, and brochure — the watch was originally sold by Rolex on 23 September 2010. Sotheby's has separately listed an 18k yellow gold 218238 with a champagne diamond-set dial through its Buy Now marketplace at USD 41,500, box and papers included; that is a fixed-price listing rather than a competitive auction result, but it corroborates the factory diamond-dial configuration.

The white gold 218239 has surfaced at Bonhams with a dial not on the 17-code roster documented above: a rhodium charcoal-grey dial, sold through Bonhams' Luxury Online sale for HKD 281,600 including premium. The white gold factory-diamond 218349 has also crossed the block at Bonhams, an example with diamond-set bezel and hour markers estimated GBP 20,000–30,000 at a December 2024 London sale.

The standout 218 generation auction lot remains the Day-Date II Royal Khanjar reference 218206, a platinum diamond-set example with Arabic day-and-date discs commissioned for the Sultan of Oman around 2012 and engraved on the caseback with the Royal Khanjar crest. Sotheby's catalogued the lot in their 2025 Origins sale and again in Important Watches Part I (GE2504). Bonhams has separately catalogued and sold a production-spec 218206 platinum c. 2010. Phillips coverage of the reference is thinner; Day-Date II auction interest concentrates on the special-order and commissioned platinum examples and on Bonhams' regular sale cadence rather than on Sotheby's or Christie's competitive lots for the gold production references.

Market bands across 2025–2026 cluster by metal. The yellow gold 218238 trades from approximately USD 27,000 to 55,000 depending on dial and provenance, with an average asking price near USD 38,000. The Everose 218235 runs USD 37,000 to 46,000 and above, with chocolate dials commanding a premium over ivory and black. The platinum 218206 sits between USD 50,000 and 90,000, the ice blue dial pulling the top of the band. The factory diamond-bezel 218348 and 218349 routinely cross USD 80,000.

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* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/origins/day-date-ii-royal-khanjar-reference-218206-a Sotheby's Watches Department, "Sotheby's Origins 2025 — Day-Date II Royal Khanjar 218206 Sultan of Oman commission", Sotheby's, 2025]

* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/30667/lot/8/rolex-a-fine-platinum-automatic-calendar-bracelet-watch-day-date-ii-ref-218206-circa-2010/ Bonhams Watches Department, "Bonhams 218206 Platinum c.2010 production-spec", Bonhams]

* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/24235/lot/52/rolex-an-18k-gold-automatic-calendar-bracelet-watch-day-date-ii-ref-218238-sold-23rd-september-2010/ Bonhams — Day-Date II ref. 218238, 18K yellow gold, sunburst champagne dial, Fine Watches and Wristwatches, London, 2017]

* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/32054/lot/1013/rolex-or-day-date-ii-ref218239-a-heavy-white-gold-bracelet-watch-with-day-and-date-circa-2008/ Bonhams — Day-Date II ref. 218239, 18K white gold, rhodium charcoal-grey dial, Luxury Online: Faces of Time, 2026]

* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29155/lot/51/rolex-a-fine-18k-white-gold-diamond-set-automatic-calendar-bracelet-watch-day-date-ii-ref-218349-circa-2008/ Bonhams — Day-Date II ref. 218349, 18K white gold, factory diamond bezel, Fine Watches, London, 2024]

* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/_rolex-president-day-date-ii-reference-218238-a-41mm-bd08 Sotheby's Buy Now — Day-Date II ref. 218238, 18K yellow gold, champagne diamond-set dial]

* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/3156 Watchbase editorial, "Rolex Caliber 3156 — Watchbase Reference Entry", Watchbase]

* [https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=rolex_3156 Watch-Wiki contributors, "Rolex 3156 — Watch-Wiki", Watch-Wiki]

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 |published_time=2026-05-24T20:49:51Z
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-Seventeen distinct dial codes are documented across the family, the most exhaustive specific-dial roster published for the 218 generation.
+Seventeen distinct dial codes are documented across the family, the most exhaustive specific-dial roster published for the 218 generation, though it is not exhaustive: Bonhams has separately catalogued an 18k white gold 218239 with a rhodium charcoal-grey dial, a configuration outside the 17-code list.
 There is no 218389 Tridor in the catalogue. Rolex discontinued the Tridor (tri-tone gold President) around 2000 with the 18239B closeout; no Tridor 218xxx appears in the auction record or in any published reference listing. The modern-reference numbering scheme (last digit indicating metal: 8 yellow, 9 white, 5 Everose, 6 platinum) doesn't support a 218389 slot either. There is also no 218339 white-gold-diamond reference. The diamond-bezel white-gold 218xxx is the 218349; dealer listings citing "218339" are typos for 218239 or 218349.
@@ Line 184: / Line 184: @@
 ==Auction record==
-The standout 218 generation auction lot is the Day-Date II Royal Khanjar reference 218206, a platinum diamond-set example with Arabic day-and-date discs commissioned for the Sultan of Oman around 2012 and engraved on the caseback with the Royal Khanjar crest. Sotheby's catalogued the lot in their 2025 Origins sale and again in Important Watches Part I (GE2504). Bonhams has separately catalogued and sold a production-spec 218206 platinum c. 2010. Phillips coverage of the reference is thinner; Day-Date II auction interest concentrates on the special-order and commissioned platinum examples rather than gold production lots, which trade primarily on the secondary market.
+The 218238 itself has a direct auction result: Bonhams sold an 18k yellow gold example at its December 2017 Fine Watches and Wristwatches sale in London for GBP 18,750 including premium. Sunburst champagne dial with applied luminous baton markers, cal. 3156, President bracelet, complete with its original Rolex box, outer card, guarantee, and brochure — the watch was originally sold by Rolex on 23 September 2010. Sotheby's has separately listed an 18k yellow gold 218238 with a champagne diamond-set dial through its Buy Now marketplace at USD 41,500, box and papers included; that is a fixed-price listing rather than a competitive auction result, but it corroborates the factory diamond-dial configuration.
+The white gold 218239 has surfaced at Bonhams with a dial not on the 17-code roster documented above: a rhodium charcoal-grey dial, sold through Bonhams' Luxury Online sale for HKD 281,600 including premium. The white gold factory-diamond 218349 has also crossed the block at Bonhams, an example with diamond-set bezel and hour markers estimated GBP 20,000–30,000 at a December 2024 London sale.
+The standout 218 generation auction lot remains the Day-Date II Royal Khanjar reference 218206, a platinum diamond-set example with Arabic day-and-date discs commissioned for the Sultan of Oman around 2012 and engraved on the caseback with the Royal Khanjar crest. Sotheby's catalogued the lot in their 2025 Origins sale and again in Important Watches Part I (GE2504). Bonhams has separately catalogued and sold a production-spec 218206 platinum c. 2010. Phillips coverage of the reference is thinner; Day-Date II auction interest concentrates on the special-order and commissioned platinum examples and on Bonhams' regular sale cadence rather than on Sotheby's or Christie's competitive lots for the gold production references.
 Market bands across 2025–2026 cluster by metal. The yellow gold 218238 trades from approximately USD 27,000 to 55,000 depending on dial and provenance, with an average asking price near USD 38,000. The Everose 218235 runs USD 37,000 to 46,000 and above, with chocolate dials commanding a premium over ivory and black. The platinum 218206 sits between USD 50,000 and 90,000, the ice blue dial pulling the top of the band. The factory diamond-bezel 218348 and 218349 routinely cross USD 80,000.
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 * [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/origins/day-date-ii-royal-khanjar-reference-218206-a Sotheby's Watches Department, "Sotheby's Origins 2025 — Day-Date II Royal Khanjar 218206 Sultan of Oman commission", Sotheby's, 2025]
 * [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/30667/lot/8/rolex-a-fine-platinum-automatic-calendar-bracelet-watch-day-date-ii-ref-218206-circa-2010/ Bonhams Watches Department, "Bonhams 218206 Platinum c.2010 production-spec", Bonhams]
+* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/24235/lot/52/rolex-an-18k-gold-automatic-calendar-bracelet-watch-day-date-ii-ref-218238-sold-23rd-september-2010/ Bonhams — Day-Date II ref. 218238, 18K yellow gold, sunburst champagne dial, Fine Watches and Wristwatches, London, 2017]
+* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/32054/lot/1013/rolex-or-day-date-ii-ref218239-a-heavy-white-gold-bracelet-watch-with-day-and-date-circa-2008/ Bonhams — Day-Date II ref. 218239, 18K white gold, rhodium charcoal-grey dial, Luxury Online: Faces of Time, 2026]
+* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29155/lot/51/rolex-a-fine-18k-white-gold-diamond-set-automatic-calendar-bracelet-watch-day-date-ii-ref-218349-circa-2008/ Bonhams — Day-Date II ref. 218349, 18K white gold, factory diamond bezel, Fine Watches, London, 2024]
+* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/_rolex-president-day-date-ii-reference-218238-a-41mm-bd08 Sotheby's Buy Now — Day-Date II ref. 218238, 18K yellow gold, champagne diamond-set dial]
 * [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/3156 Watchbase editorial, "Rolex Caliber 3156 — Watchbase Reference Entry", Watchbase]
 * [https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=rolex_3156 Watch-Wiki contributors, "Rolex 3156 — Watch-Wiki", Watch-Wiki]