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Audit reference 18039: correct dates, tighten prose, and document sourced variants
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 18039}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 18039}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date 18039 — White Gold President, Cal 3055, 1977–1988 | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex Day-Date 18039 — White-Gold Day-Date, Caliber 3055 | Rolexopedia
|description=The Rolex 18039 is the white-gold fluted 5-digit Day-Date President — caliber 3055, sapphire crystal, circa 1977-1988. White-gold sibling of the 18038, with Stella, wood and dégradé dials and the two-tone Tridor 18039B.
|description=The 36 mm white-gold Rolex Day-Date 18039 uses caliber 3055. Auction records document its dial variants and the differently dated Tridor 18039B.
|keywords=Rolex 18039, Day-Date 18039, white gold President, Tridor, 18039B, caliber 3055, 5-digit Day-Date, Stella dial Day-Date
|keywords=Rolex 18039, Day-Date 18039, white gold, caliber 3055, Tridor, 18039B
|image=Ref 18039 hero.webp
|image=Ref 18039 hero.webp
|image_alt=White gold Rolex Day-Date 18039 with fluted bezel and diamond-index dial
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 18039 in 18k white gold with fluted bezel and diamond-index dial
|type=Article
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-08-10T00:40:55Z
|published_time=2026-09-25T00:00:00Z
|modified_time=2026-08-10T00:41:23Z
|modified_time=2026-09-25T00:00:00Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|titlemode=replace
|titlemode=replace
}}
}}
<small>[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] › '''18039'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''18039'''</small>


<div class="rp-lead">
<div class="rp-lead">[[File:Ref 18039 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18039 in 18k white gold with fluted bezel and diamond-index dial|Day-Date 18039 in 18k white gold, with a fluted bezel and diamond-index dial.]]</div>
[[File:Ref 18039 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18039 in 18k white gold: fluted bezel, diamond-index dial, white-gold President bracelet.|Rolex Day-Date 18039 in 18k white gold: fluted bezel, diamond-index dial, white-gold President bracelet.]]
</div>
 
The 18039 is the white-gold 18038. Same 36mm President case, same caliber 3055, same sapphire crystal and fluted bezel, and in the 5-digit Day-Date numbering the closing digit is what separates them: 8 for yellow gold, 9 for white. Rolex built it from 1977 to 1988 and sold far fewer than the yellow-gold version, partly because a white-gold Day-Date reads as steel from any distance. That restraint is most of its appeal now. The examples collectors chase pair the quiet case with something loud on the dial — red Stella lacquer, a green dégradé, a wood veneer — or come from the two-tone Tridor branch Rolex numbered 18039B.


The 18039 is a 36 mm white-gold Day-Date with a fluted bezel and caliber 3055. It appeared alongside the yellow-gold 18038. Antiquorum dates its introduction to 1977; caliber 3155 replaced the 3055 in 1988. The related 18039B pairs a white-gold case with a yellow-gold bezel and a three-colour Tridor bracelet.


==Core facts==
==Core facts==
Line 36: Line 33:
|-
|-
| production
| production
| circa 1977 to 1988
| generally dated 1977–1988; examples are catalogued from circa 1977 through 1986
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
| caliber 3055, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, single quickset (date); hacking seconds
| caliber 3055, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph; quickset date, day advances with the hands
|-
|-
| case
| case
| 36mm 18k white gold President, roughly 13mm thick
| 36 mm, 18k white gold
|-
| bezel
| Fluted white gold
|-
|-
| crystal
| crystal
| sapphire with Cyclops
| Sapphire with Cyclops date magnifier
|-
| bezel
| fluted white gold (yellow gold on the 18039B Tridor)
|-
|-
| bracelet
| bracelet
| President 8385 in white gold, concealed Crownclasp; three-colour Tridor on the 18039B
| White-gold President with concealed deployant clasp on documented examples
|-
|-
| dial
| related variant
| silver and charcoal baton, copper, wood, green dégradé, red Stella, diamond-index, onyx
| 18039B, catalogued with white-gold case, yellow-gold bezel, and Tridor bracelet
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| siblings
| 18038 (yellow-gold fluted), 18028 (smooth), 18048 / 18049 (diamond), 18078 / 18079 (bark)
|-
| predecessor
| 1803
|-
| successor
| 18239 (caliber 3155, double quickset)
|}
|}


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


The first 5-digit Day-Date generation splits twice: once by bezel finish, once by metal. Finish gives the smooth [[Reference:18028|18028]], the fluted [[Reference:18038|18038]], the factory-diamond [[Reference:18048|18048]] and the bark [[Reference:18078|18078]]. Metal gives the closing digit. Phillips put the rule in a catalogue essay for a white-gold bark example: the last digit of the reference, in that case a 9, indicates 18k white gold. So the 18039 is the fluted 18038 in white gold, the [[Reference:18049|18049]] the diamond-bezel version, the [[Reference:18079|18079]] the bark, with platinum taking a 6.
The 18039 is the white-gold counterpart to yellow-gold reference [[Reference:18038|18038]]. Other five-digit Day-Dates used smooth or diamond-set bezels, or a bark finish: [[Reference:18028|18028]], [[Reference:18048|18048]], and [[Reference:18078|18078]] in yellow gold, and [[Reference:18049|18049]] and [[Reference:18079|18079]] in white gold. Reference [[Reference:1803|1803]] came before it; [[Reference:18238|18238]] followed with caliber 3155. The 18039B is the Tridor variant.
 
Everything behind the metal is 18038. Antiquorum catalogued a 1981 example as the successor to the [[Reference:1803|1803]], with the same single quickset that defines the generation, and the [[Reference:18038|18038]] entry carries the shared account of the case, the movement and the bracelet. What white gold changes is the audience. A yellow-gold President announces itself; the 18039 does not, and buyers who wanted a Day-Date without the announcement bought this one.


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


The 18039 arrives with the rest of the 180XX group in 1977, when sapphire crystals and the caliber 3055 replaced the acrylic-and-1556 4-digit references, and runs until 1988 and the arrival of the caliber 3155. Sotheby's dates the generation's introduction to 1977 in its catalogue notes; Antiquorum gives the same year for the 18039 specifically.
Antiquorum’s 2015 catalogue dates the 18039’s introduction to 1977 and describes it as the 1803’s successor. Auction records date individual examples from circa 1977, circa 1978, 1981, and 1983, with Tridor examples identified as 1985 and 1986. They do not establish exact production boundaries.
 
Documented case numbers track the run cleanly. Antiquorum has catalogued white-gold examples at 5,257,859 and 5,302,014 around 1977 to 1978, 5,507,421 in a set whose punched warranty records a German retail sale in November 1980, 6,724,084 around 1981, 6,739,240 in 1981, 7,522,088 in 1983, 8,651,110 in 1985 and 9,586,820 in 1986. No Rolex production figure has surfaced for the reference, and the scarcity collectors talk about rests on how seldom it appears rather than on factory data.


One sub-reference sits inside the run. Antiquorum catalogues the two-tone Tridor watches as 18039B and states they were produced for only three years, from 1985 to 1988, though the same house has dated Tridor examples to circa 1984, so the opening of that window is soft.
Antiquorum’s dates for the 18039B conflict. A 2013 note gives 1985–1988; later listings date two examples circa 1984. The 2022 catalogue then says its circa-1984 watch was manufactured in 1987. The records do not establish a reliable production window.


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


The 18039 runs the caliber 3055, the first quickset Day-Date movement: 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, rhodium-plated with oeil-de-perdrix decoration, a free-sprung Microstella balance, hacking seconds and chronometer certification. The quickset works on the date only. The day still has to be walked round by running the hands through midnight, and it stays that way until the caliber 3155 and its double quickset arrive in 1988. Nothing about the movement changes for white gold. The [[Reference:Movements]] page holds the caliber lineage and the [[Reference:18038|18038]] entry covers the 3055 in detail.
Caliber 3055 has 27 jewels and runs at 28,800 beats per hour. Its quickset changes the date; the day advances with the hands. Caliber 3155 added independent day correction in 1988. See the [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]] for the caliber details.


==Dial map==
==Dial map==
Auction records show 18039 examples with charcoal-grey baton, copper-coloured, green dégradé with diamond indexes, wood with a German day disc, and red Stella lacquer with diamond indexes. Antiquorum labels one red Stella example “Oman-market”; the catalogue does not establish its original destination.


<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 18039 stella.webp|A 1983 white-gold 18039 with a red Stella lacquer dial and diamond indexes — the reference at its loudest, and its strongest auction result.
File:Ref 18039 stella.webp|Red Stella lacquer dial with diamond indexes, catalogued on a 1983 example
File:Ref 18039 wood dial.webp|A circa-1978 wood-dial 18039 with a German day disc, sold with its original box, booklets and punched warranty.
File:Ref 18039 wood dial.webp|Wood dial and German day disc on a circa-1978 example
</gallery>
</gallery>


White gold gave Rolex a neutral ground, and the dials it carried run from severe to loud.
Catalogued 18039B examples add champagne Roman, midnight-blue diamond-index, Silver Jubilee diamond-index, black onyx, and gem-set dials.
 
The everyday configurations are silvered and charcoal-grey with applied white-gold baton indexes, which is what Antiquorum catalogued on the 1981 example that anchors the reference's standard specification. Diamond-index dials on light grounds are common enough to count as a second standard. Colour turns up from the start of the run: a copper-toned dial on a circa-1977 example, and a green dégradé with diamond indexes on a circa-1978 example that took HKD 300,000 in Hong Kong in 2021 against an estimate a fraction of that.
 
Two branches carry the reference's reputation. Wood dials appear early, and Antiquorum sold a circa-1978 wood-dial 18039 complete with box, booklets and a punched warranty from a German retailer, its day disc printed in German. Red Stella lacquer is the other, and it appears twice in the auction record: a circa-1977 example with diamond indexes catalogued as an Oman-market dial, and a 1983 example with a diamond-set red Stella that is the strongest documented result for the reference.
 
The Tridor watches carry their own dial roster, covered below. The dial taxonomy that spans the whole President line sits on the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry.


==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==


The case is the 36mm three-body white-gold Oyster shared across the 5-digit Day-Date, catalogued at roughly 13mm thick, with polished and brushed surfaces, curved lugs, a screw-down caseback, a Twinlock screw-down crown and a sapphire crystal with Cyclops. The bezel is fluted, cut from solid white gold on the standard reference.
Auction descriptions give a 36 mm 18k white-gold Oyster case, fluted bezel, sapphire crystal with Cyclops, and screw-down caseback and crown. Published thickness and weight figures refer to individual watches.


White gold is the diagnostic that matters and the one that gets missed. A polished white-gold Day-Date is easy to mistake for steel or for a Rolesor Datejust at a glance, so hallmarks, the case number between the lugs and the weight do the work. A complete white-gold 18039 on its President bracelet has been weighed at 137 grams, well above what a steel watch of the same size would read.
The Tridor 18039B is described with a white-gold case and yellow-gold bezel. One 2015 catalogue records a sapphire crystal with Cyclops and gives that watch’s thickness as 13 mm; the 2013 Tridor lot gives 12.5 mm. Those measurements belong to their respective lots.


==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==
==Bracelet and clasp==


The standard fitment is the white-gold President 8385 with the concealed Crownclasp and the solid links of the 5-digit era. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet rather than the watch head, and decades of service can put a later bracelet on an earlier case; the cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].
Auction catalogues show 18039 examples on white-gold President bracelets with concealed deployant clasps. Tridor examples have President bracelets with white-, yellow-, and pink-gold centre links. One 2013 18039B lot is fitted with a gold-plated buckle; its catalogue does not explain the watch’s earlier bracelet history.


The Tridor bracelet is the exception and the reason the 18039B exists. Antiquorum describes Tridor as Rolex's trademark for bonding three colours of gold in stripes for bracelet use, and on these watches it means a President whose centre links fuse white, yellow and pink gold, worn with a white-gold case and a yellow-gold bezel. A Tridor 18039B that has lost its Tridor bracelet has lost the point of the reference; one such watch, sold in Geneva in 2013 on a plain gold-plated buckle, brought a small fraction of what the complete examples bring.
A clasp or bracelet date applies to that component, not automatically to the watch head. The [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet guide]] covers bracelet construction and dating.


==Special branches==
==Special branch: Tridor 18039B==


===The Tridor 18039B===
Antiquorum uses 18039B for the variant and calls 18000 its “base reference” in a 2013 lot. The catalogue describes a white-gold case, yellow-gold bezel, and President bracelet with white-, yellow-, and pink-gold centre links.


[[File:Ref 18039 tridor.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 18039B Tridor with black onyx dial and three-colour bracelet|An 18039B "Tridor" with a black onyx dial: white-gold case, yellow-gold bezel, and a President bracelet whose centre links fuse white, yellow and pink gold.]]
The onyx-dial lot records a Gobbi Milan sale in December 1986 and includes a box and guarantee. Another catalogue describes sapphire, ruby, and emerald indexes.


The B suffix marks the Tridor. Antiquorum catalogues these as 18039B alongside the base reference 18000, describes the combination as a white-gold case with a yellow-gold bezel on a three-colour Tridor President bracelet, and dates the run to 1985 through 1988. The dials lean decorative: a matte champagne with applied radial yellow-gold Roman numerals, a Silver Jubilee ground set with eight round and two baguette diamonds, a midnight-blue with ten round diamond indexes, and a black onyx with an Italian day disc sold new by Gobbi in Milan in December 1986. Antiquorum has also offered a Tridor with baguette-cut sapphire, ruby and emerald hour markers, in a three-watch lot that paired two 18039B examples with the caliber-3155 18239B that replaced them.
[[File:Ref 18039 tridor.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Day-Date Tridor 18039B with black onyx dial, white-gold case, yellow-gold bezel and three-colour bracelet|18039B with a black onyx dial and three-colour Tridor President bracelet.]]
 
===Language discs and export markets===
 
The day disc is where the 18039's export trail shows. Documented examples carry German and Italian day wheels alongside the English standard, and the red Stella example catalogued as an Oman dial places the reference in the Gulf special-order tradition that runs through the [[Reference:1804|1804]] and the [[Reference:18048|18048]]. A language disc reflects the market the watch was sold into, not a separate reference.


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


The 18039 trades in two bands. Standard dials sit in the low-to-mid five figures: CHF 20,000 in Geneva in 2015 for a charcoal-grey baton dial, CHF 10,625 for a copper dial in 2019, HKD 118,750 for a diamond-index example in Hong Kong in 2024. That is at or slightly below a comparable yellow-gold 18038. The exotic dials sit far above it. The 1983 red Stella took EUR 55,104 in Monaco in 2025, the green dégradé HKD 300,000 in 2021, and the wood dial EUR 31,250 with its original set. Tridor examples run their own market, from CHF 5,500 for one stripped of its bracelet to HKD 175,000 for a midnight-blue diamond dial on a complete Tridor President.
These auction results identify individual watches and reported prices. The 2013 18039B lot was catalogued on a gold-plated buckle; the other Tridor examples listed here have Tridor President bracelets.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! date
! sale date
! house
! house and lot
! configuration
! configuration
! result
! result
Line 139: Line 112:
| Dec 2025
| Dec 2025
| Antiquorum Monaco, lot 147
| Antiquorum Monaco, lot 147
| red Stella diamond dial, 1983, case 7,522,088
| Red Stella diamond-index dial, 1983, case 7,522,088
| EUR 55,104
| EUR 55,104
|-
|-
| Dec 2021
| Dec 2021
| Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 271
| Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 271
| green dégradé diamond dial, c.1978
| Green dégradé diamond-index dial, circa 1978, case 5,257,859
| HKD 300,000
| HKD 300,000
|-
|-
| Jun 2015
| Jun 2015
| Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 663
| Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 663
| 18039B Tridor, midnight-blue diamond dial, 1986
| 18039B, midnight-blue dial with 10 diamond indexes, 1986
| HKD 175,000
| HKD 175,000
|-
|-
| Oct 2024
| Oct 2024
| Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 197
| Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 197
| diamond-index dial, c.1981, case 6,724,084
| Diamond-index dial, circa 1981, case 6,724,084
| HKD 118,750
| HKD 118,750
|-
|-
| Nov 2018
| Nov 2018
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 197
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 197
| red Stella diamond dial, c.1977, Oman market
| Red Stella diamond-index dial, circa 1977, case 5,425,270; catalogued as Oman-market
| CHF 35,000
| CHF 35,000
|-
|-
| Jun 2021
| Jun 2021
| Antiquorum Forte dei Marmi, lot 158
| Antiquorum Forte dei Marmi, lot 158
| wood dial, German day disc, c.1978, full set
| Wood dial, German day disc, circa 1978, case 5,507,421
| EUR 31,250
| EUR 31,250
|-
|-
| May 2015
| May 2015
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 482
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 482
| 18039B Tridor, black onyx dial, Gobbi Milan 1986
| 18039B, black onyx dial, sold by Gobbi in 1986
| CHF 25,000
| CHF 25,000
|-
|-
| Mar 2015
| Mar 2015
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 292
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 292
| charcoal-grey baton dial, 1981, case 6,739,240
| Charcoal-grey baton dial, 1981, case 6,739,240
| CHF 20,000
| CHF 20,000
|-
|-
| Dec 2015
| Dec 2015
| Antiquorum New York, lot 101
| Antiquorum New York, lot 101
| 18039B Tridor, Silver Jubilee diamond dial, 1986
| 18039B, Silver Jubilee diamond-index dial, 1986
| USD 13,750
| USD 13,750
|-
| Nov 2020
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 131
| 18039B, circa-1984 catalogue date, case 8,799,117
| CHF 12,500
|-
|-
| Nov 2019
| Nov 2019
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 171
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 171
| copper-coloured dial, c.1977
| Copper-coloured dial, circa 1977, case 5,302,014
| CHF 10,625
| CHF 10,625
|-
|-
| May 2013
| May 2013
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 253
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 253
| 18039B Tridor, champagne Roman dial, on a gold-plated buckle
| 18039B, champagne Roman dial, gold-plated buckle
| CHF 5,500
| CHF 5,500
|}
|}


== Related references ==
==Related references==


* [[Reference:18038|Day-Date 18038]] — Cal 3055 President (1977–1988)
* [[Reference:18038|Day-Date 18038]], yellow gold, fluted bezel
* [[Reference:18028|Day-Date 18028]] — 1977–1988
* [[Reference:18028|Day-Date 18028]], yellow gold, smooth bezel
* [[Reference:18048|Day-Date 18048]] — 1977–1988
* [[Reference:18048|Day-Date 18048]], yellow gold, diamond-set bezel
* [[Reference:18049|Day-Date 18049]] — White-gold diamond bezel (1977–1988)
* [[Reference:18049|Day-Date 18049]], white gold, diamond-set bezel
* [[Reference:18078|Day-Date 18078]] — 1977–1988
* [[Reference:18078|Day-Date 18078]], yellow gold, bark finish
* [[Reference:18079|Day-Date 18079]] — White-gold bark (1977–1988)
* [[Reference:18079|Day-Date 18079]], white gold, bark finish
* [[Reference:1803|Day-Date 1803]] — Fluted President (1960–1977)
* [[Reference:1803|Day-Date 1803]], preceding four-digit generation
* [[Reference:18238|Day-Date 18238]] — 1988–2000
* [[Reference:18238|Day-Date 18238]], caliber-3155 generation


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 guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial-number guide]].
 
==Gallery==
 
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 18039 stella.webp|Red Stella dial with diamond indexes
File:Ref 18039 wood dial.webp|Wood dial and German day disc
File:Ref 18039 tridor.webp|Tridor 18039B with black onyx dial
</gallery>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==


* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18039-day-date-stella-dial-white-gold-lot-383-147 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 18039 Day-Date, 18k white gold with red Stella diamond dial — Antiquorum Monaco, lot 147", Antiquorum, 2025-12-12]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18039-day-date-stella-dial-white-gold-lot-383-147 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 18039 Day-Date, 18k white gold with red Stella diamond dial — Antiquorum Monaco, lot 147", Antiquorum, 2025-12-12]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18039-day-date-lot-345-271 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 18039 Day-Date, 18k white gold with green dégradé diamond dial — Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 271", Antiquorum, 2021-12-05]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18039-day-date-lot-345-271 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 18039 Day-Date, 18k white gold with green dégradé diamond dial — Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 271", Antiquorum, 2021-12-05]
Line 221: Line 206:
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18039-b-18000-lot-296-101 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 18039B/18000 Day-Date "Tridor" with Silver Jubilee diamond dial — Antiquorum New York, lot 101", Antiquorum, 2015-12-15]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18039-b-18000-lot-296-101 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 18039B/18000 Day-Date "Tridor" with Silver Jubilee diamond dial — Antiquorum New York, lot 101", Antiquorum, 2015-12-15]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18039b-18039b-18239b-day-date-tridor-lot-323-340 Antiquorum, "Rolex set of three Day-Date "Tridor", refs 18039B and 18239B with gem-set indexes — Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 340", Antiquorum, 2019-10-27]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18039b-18039b-18239b-day-date-tridor-lot-323-340 Antiquorum, "Rolex set of three Day-Date "Tridor", refs 18039B and 18239B with gem-set indexes — Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 340", Antiquorum, 2019-10-27]
* [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]
* [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://www.mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history ''Rolex Day-Date'' — Giorgia Mondani and Guido Mondani, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo, Pucci Papaleo Editore, 2015]
* [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://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18039b-day-date-lot-333-131 Antiquorum, "Rolex Day-Date Tridor 18039B, circa 1984 — Antiquorum Geneva lot 131", Antiquorum, 2020-11-08]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-18039b-day-date-lot-352-146 Antiquorum, "Rolex Day-Date Tridor 18039B — Antiquorum Forte dei Marmi lot 146", Antiquorum, 2022-06-24]


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

Revision as of 04:37, 26 September 2026

Day-Date → 18039

Rolex Day-Date 18039 in 18k white gold with fluted bezel and diamond-index dial
Day-Date 18039 in 18k white gold, with a fluted bezel and diamond-index dial.

The 18039 is a 36 mm white-gold Day-Date with a fluted bezel and caliber 3055. It appeared alongside the yellow-gold 18038. Antiquorum dates its introduction to 1977; caliber 3155 replaced the 3055 in 1988. The related 18039B pairs a white-gold case with a yellow-gold bezel and a three-colour Tridor bracelet.

Core facts

detail value
reference 18039
family Day-Date
production generally dated 1977–1988; examples are catalogued from circa 1977 through 1986
movement caliber 3055, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph; quickset date, day advances with the hands
case 36 mm, 18k white gold
bezel Fluted white gold
crystal Sapphire with Cyclops date magnifier
bracelet White-gold President with concealed deployant clasp on documented examples
related variant 18039B, catalogued with white-gold case, yellow-gold bezel, and Tridor bracelet

Where it sits in the line

The 18039 is the white-gold counterpart to yellow-gold reference 18038. Other five-digit Day-Dates used smooth or diamond-set bezels, or a bark finish: 18028, 18048, and 18078 in yellow gold, and 18049 and 18079 in white gold. Reference 1803 came before it; 18238 followed with caliber 3155. The 18039B is the Tridor variant.

Production outline

Antiquorum’s 2015 catalogue dates the 18039’s introduction to 1977 and describes it as the 1803’s successor. Auction records date individual examples from circa 1977, circa 1978, 1981, and 1983, with Tridor examples identified as 1985 and 1986. They do not establish exact production boundaries.

Antiquorum’s dates for the 18039B conflict. A 2013 note gives 1985–1988; later listings date two examples circa 1984. The 2022 catalogue then says its circa-1984 watch was manufactured in 1987. The records do not establish a reliable production window.

Movement notes

Caliber 3055 has 27 jewels and runs at 28,800 beats per hour. Its quickset changes the date; the day advances with the hands. Caliber 3155 added independent day correction in 1988. See the movement reference for the caliber details.

Dial map

Auction records show 18039 examples with charcoal-grey baton, copper-coloured, green dégradé with diamond indexes, wood with a German day disc, and red Stella lacquer with diamond indexes. Antiquorum labels one red Stella example “Oman-market”; the catalogue does not establish its original destination.

  • Red Stella lacquer dial with diamond indexes, catalogued on a 1983 example
    Red Stella lacquer dial with diamond indexes, catalogued on a 1983 example
  • Wood dial and German day disc on a circa-1978 example
    Wood dial and German day disc on a circa-1978 example

Catalogued 18039B examples add champagne Roman, midnight-blue diamond-index, Silver Jubilee diamond-index, black onyx, and gem-set dials.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

Auction descriptions give a 36 mm 18k white-gold Oyster case, fluted bezel, sapphire crystal with Cyclops, and screw-down caseback and crown. Published thickness and weight figures refer to individual watches.

The Tridor 18039B is described with a white-gold case and yellow-gold bezel. One 2015 catalogue records a sapphire crystal with Cyclops and gives that watch’s thickness as 13 mm; the 2013 Tridor lot gives 12.5 mm. Those measurements belong to their respective lots.

Bracelet and clasp

Auction catalogues show 18039 examples on white-gold President bracelets with concealed deployant clasps. Tridor examples have President bracelets with white-, yellow-, and pink-gold centre links. One 2013 18039B lot is fitted with a gold-plated buckle; its catalogue does not explain the watch’s earlier bracelet history.

A clasp or bracelet date applies to that component, not automatically to the watch head. The bracelet guide covers bracelet construction and dating.

Special branch: Tridor 18039B

Antiquorum uses 18039B for the variant and calls 18000 its “base reference” in a 2013 lot. The catalogue describes a white-gold case, yellow-gold bezel, and President bracelet with white-, yellow-, and pink-gold centre links.

The onyx-dial lot records a Gobbi Milan sale in December 1986 and includes a box and guarantee. Another catalogue describes sapphire, ruby, and emerald indexes.

Day-Date Tridor 18039B with black onyx dial, white-gold case, yellow-gold bezel and three-colour bracelet
18039B with a black onyx dial and three-colour Tridor President bracelet.

Auction record

These auction results identify individual watches and reported prices. The 2013 18039B lot was catalogued on a gold-plated buckle; the other Tridor examples listed here have Tridor President bracelets.

sale date house and lot configuration result
Dec 2025 Antiquorum Monaco, lot 147 Red Stella diamond-index dial, 1983, case 7,522,088 EUR 55,104
Dec 2021 Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 271 Green dégradé diamond-index dial, circa 1978, case 5,257,859 HKD 300,000
Jun 2015 Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 663 18039B, midnight-blue dial with 10 diamond indexes, 1986 HKD 175,000
Oct 2024 Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 197 Diamond-index dial, circa 1981, case 6,724,084 HKD 118,750
Nov 2018 Antiquorum Geneva, lot 197 Red Stella diamond-index dial, circa 1977, case 5,425,270; catalogued as Oman-market CHF 35,000
Jun 2021 Antiquorum Forte dei Marmi, lot 158 Wood dial, German day disc, circa 1978, case 5,507,421 EUR 31,250
May 2015 Antiquorum Geneva, lot 482 18039B, black onyx dial, sold by Gobbi in 1986 CHF 25,000
Mar 2015 Antiquorum Geneva, lot 292 Charcoal-grey baton dial, 1981, case 6,739,240 CHF 20,000
Dec 2015 Antiquorum New York, lot 101 18039B, Silver Jubilee diamond-index dial, 1986 USD 13,750
Nov 2020 Antiquorum Geneva, lot 131 18039B, circa-1984 catalogue date, case 8,799,117 CHF 12,500
Nov 2019 Antiquorum Geneva, lot 171 Copper-coloured dial, circa 1977, case 5,302,014 CHF 10,625
May 2013 Antiquorum Geneva, lot 253 18039B, champagne Roman dial, gold-plated buckle CHF 5,500

Related references

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

Gallery

  • Red Stella dial with diamond indexes
    Red Stella dial with diamond indexes
  • Wood dial and German day disc
    Wood dial and German day disc
  • Tridor 18039B with black onyx dial
    Tridor 18039B with black onyx dial

Sources

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