Rolex Day-Date 36 118239
Day-Date → 118239
The 118239 is the fluted-bezel, white-gold Day-Date 36 from the six-digit generation introduced around 2000. It uses calibre 3155 and was listed with both President and Oyster bracelets. Rolex price lists and auction catalogues document a range of dial types, including lapis lazuli and meteorite; the surviving records do not establish a complete factory dial menu.
Core facts
| Detail | Documented specification |
|---|---|
| Reference | 118239 |
| Model | Day-Date 36 |
| Catalogue period | Listed in 2011 and 2015; the exact final production year is not established by the sources cited here |
| Case | 36 mm, 18 ct white gold |
| Bezel | Fluted |
| Crystal | Sapphire, with Cyclops date magnifier |
| Crown and back | Screw-down Twinlock crown; screw-down case back |
| Movement | Calibre 3155, automatic, day and date double quickset |
| Bracelet | President or Oyster, both listed in Rolex’s 2015 Netherlands price list |
| Predecessor / successor | 18239 / 128239; the successor reference appears in Rolex’s 2019 Day-Date 36 launch material |
Where it sits in the line
The 118239 is the white-gold fluted-bezel member of the 118xxx Day-Date 36 generation. Its yellow-gold counterpart is the 118238; the Everose version is the 118235. The 2015 Netherlands price list identifies the 118239 as 18 ct white gold and lists it with bracelet references 73209 (Oyster) and 83209 (President). That listing establishes both options for that market and date; it does not show that every dial could be ordered with either bracelet.
Rolex’s 2019 Baselworld material documents the new 128239 Day-Date 36 with calibre 3255. Auction catalogues include 118239 examples guaranteed as late as 2015. These sources establish the generation change but do not give a precise last delivery date for the 118239.
Production outline
The six-digit Day-Date generation appears in 2000-era records, and auction catalogues document 118239 watches from 2000 onward. Rolex’s archived 2011 US and 2015 Netherlands price lists establish that the reference remained in the catalogue during those years. The 2019 launch material for the 128239 marks the successor generation, but it does not state when the last 118239 left the catalogue or was delivered.
Serial-number systems changed during this period. Serial placement and format vary across examples; use the individual watch and the guidance at Serial numbers rather than treating one serial format as a precise production date.
Movement notes
The reference uses calibre 3155, Rolex’s automatic day-and-date movement with independent quick-setting for both calendar indications. Auction catalogues identify it as a 31-jewel movement. The 3155 followed calibre 3055 in the Day-Date line; see calibre 3155 for the broader chronology.
Rolex introduced its revised Superlative Chronometer standard in 2015. That date describes the certification standard, not a new calibre number. A 2015 warranty on an individual watch can establish its delivery period, but the standard alone does not date every 118239 or prove a specific movement change within the reference.
Dial map
The May 2011 US Rolex price list gives a dated menu of extra-cost dial options for the 118239. It names the following configurations with a President bracelet. This is the list for one market and one date, not a complete record of every dial offered during the reference’s run. Auction records add examples beyond the named list.
| Dial option in the May 2011 US list | Details printed in the list |
|---|---|
| Diamond markers | Eight round and two baguette diamonds |
| Jubilee with diamond markers | Eight round and two baguette diamonds on a Jubilee dial |
| Diamond markers | Ten diamonds set on the dial |
| Baguette markers | Ten baguette diamonds set on the dial |
| Mother-of-pearl Roman | Roman or decorated Roman numerals |
| Mother-of-pearl with diamonds | Diamond-set mother-of-pearl dial |
| Mother-of-pearl with baguette diamonds | Ten baguette diamonds |
| Lapis lazuli | Arabic numerals with two diamonds |
| Meteorite | Arabic numerals with two diamonds; the list also names an eight-round/two-baguette setting on meteorite |
| Sodalite | Eight round and two baguette diamonds |
| Patterned Arabic | Diamond-set Arabic-pattern dial |
| Paved | Blue-enamel Arabic numerals; a separate “Pave Extra Large” option is also listed |
| Yellow mother-of-pearl Roman | A circa-2001 example is recorded in Phillips lot 8032 |
| Cherry red | A circa-2002 example is recorded by Sotheby’s, fitted to an Oyster bracelet |
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Meteorite dial -
Lapis lazuli -
Diamond-paved dial
Auction catalogues describe individual watches, not every year or bracelet combination. A stone or precious-metal dial on an auction watch establishes that a watch was catalogued with it; originality and delivery configuration still depend on the watch’s papers and service history.
Case, bezel, crystal and crown
The May 2011 US Rolex price list specifies a 36 mm 18 ct white-gold case, fluted bezel and synthetic sapphire crystal for the 118239. The auction lots cited here give the same case diameter and material. I have not found a period Rolex technical sheet in this source set that documents the crown or case-back specification specifically for this reference.
Serial engraving may appear between the lugs or on the rehaut, depending on the watch’s production period. The transition was not simultaneous across every reference. Inspect the individual case and consult Serial numbers; a serial format alone does not establish the exact year.
Bracelets, end links and clasps
The 2011 US and 2015 Netherlands price lists name Oyster bracelet 73209 and President bracelet 83209 for the 118239. The US list prints its extra-cost dial menu with President bracelets, so it does not show that every dial was available on Oyster. Sotheby’s catalogued a circa-2002 cherry-dial example on an Oyster bracelet; Phillips lots document President-bracelet examples. These records establish both fitments, not their relative frequency.
The Oyster-bracelet configuration is shown below. A bracelet or clasp date code dates that component, not the watch head. For bracelet construction and clasp details, see Bracelets.
Selected auction records
These lots show specific watches and published sale results. They do not set prices for the reference as a whole.
| Sale | Catalogued watch | Published result |
|---|---|---|
| Phillips, Geneva, 5 November 2022, lot 16 | Circa 2000; lapis-lazuli dial; President bracelet; guarantee dated 21 October 2000 | CHF 40,320 |
| Phillips, Hong Kong, 29 November 2016, lot 961 | Circa 2006; lapis-lazuli dial; President bracelet | HKD 150,000 |
| Phillips, Hong Kong, 2022, lot 945 | Circa 2001; lapis-lazuli dial; President bracelet | HKD 604,800 |
| Phillips, New York, 2022, lot 3 | Circa 2015; lapis-lazuli dial; guarantee dated 22 December 2015 | USD 44,450 |
| Phillips, Hong Kong, 2024, lot 886 | Circa 2003; meteorite dial with diamond markers; guarantee dated 27 January 2005 | HKD 482,600 |
Image gallery
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Meteorite dial, Phillips lot -
Lapis lazuli dial
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Paved dial
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Oyster-bracelet configuration
Sources
- Rolex, 2011 US price list, reproduced by thewatch.co.il.
- Rolex Netherlands price list, February 2015, archived by Rolexforum.nl.
- Rolex, Baselworld 2019 presentation.
- Rolex, 2013–2022 history, revised Superlative Chronometer standard.
- Phillips, Geneva Sessions, Fall 2022, lot 16.
- Phillips, Hong Kong Sessions, Spring 2023, lot 8032.
- Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction Three, lot 961.
- Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XIV, lot 945.
- Phillips, New York Watch Auction XI, lot 3.
- Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XXII, lot 886.
- Sotheby’s, Important Watches, Part I, 2025, 118239 on Oyster bracelet.
- Monochrome, history of the Day-Date.