Rolex Day-Date 18348

Day-Date › 18348

The 18348 is the diamond-bezel Day-Date of the caliber-3155 era. It is the double-quickset successor to the caliber-3055 diamond 18048 and belongs to the same generation as the fluted 18238 and bark 18248. The case is 36mm yellow gold, with a factory diamond-set bezel and caliber 3155, which sets both the day and the date from the crown. Catalogues and auction records show several dial and bracelet configurations; the reference number alone does not establish the originality of every gem-set component.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	18348
family	Day-Date
production	1988 to about 2000
movement	caliber 3155, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, double quickset (day and date), ~48h, COSC
case	36mm 18k yellow gold President
crystal	sapphire
bezel	factory diamond-set
bracelet	President 8385 with hidden Crownclasp, solid links; pavé centre-link upgrade documented
lume	tritium ("T SWISS MADE T") early, Luminova then Super-LumiNova near 2000
dial	champagne and silver diamond-index, string-diamond, mother-of-pearl, Roman, pavé, serti, stone
crown	Twinlock screw-down
siblings	18238 (fluted), 18248 (bark), 18349 (white gold / Tridor), 18346 (platinum)
higher gem references	18388 / 18389 (diamond-set lugs and case, pavé dials)
predecessor	18048 (caliber-3055 diamond)
successor	118348 (6-digit, caliber 3155)

Where it sits in the line

The 18348 is the diamond-bezel member of the caliber-3155 Day-Date generation. The related 18238 uses the same 36mm case family and caliber but has a fluted bezel; the 18248 has a bark finish. The 18388 and 18389 add diamond-set case and lug work in documented catalogue and auction examples. The white-gold 18349 and platinum 18346 are related gem-set references; descriptions such as “Tridor” usually refer to a particular two- or three-colour configuration and should be checked against the watch and its papers. Case, movement and bezel details still need to be read from the individual watch.

Production outline

The 18348 belongs to the 3155 generation introduced in 1988. Reference guides generally place the five-digit 183xx run before the six-digit 118348 generation around 2000, but serial and service records are needed to date an individual watch. Early dials may carry a "T SWISS MADE T" tritium signature; later examples are described with non-tritium luminous material. The exact changeover and the fitment of a particular dial or bracelet should be treated as watch-specific. Auction catalogues document more than one dial and bracelet configuration, so a single example does not define the whole run.

Movement notes

The 18348 uses caliber 3155: 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, an approximately 48-hour power reserve and independent correction of the day and date from the crown. This is the change from the caliber 3055 used in the 18048, which has a date-only quickset. The 3155 also appears in the 18238, 18248 and later 118348 families. A service movement or replaced component should be recorded separately from the reference’s original specification. See Reference:Movements for the wider lineage.

Dial map

The bezel identifies the reference, while the dial varies by configuration. Auction and dealer records show champagne and silvered diamond-index dials, string-diamond layouts, mother-of-pearl, Roman numerals, pavé, and serti examples with coloured stones. Stone dials, including ferrite examples, are also reported in this period. These labels describe observed watches; they do not prove that every dial was available for every production year. The broader dial terminology is discussed on the 1803 entry.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The case is the 36mm yellow-gold Oyster form used across this Day-Date generation, with sapphire crystal, Cyclops, Twinlock crown and screw-down caseback. The reference is associated with a factory diamond-set bezel, generally described as a single row of round stones, although auction descriptions do not always give a count. Aftermarket bezels and dials exist, so originality has to be assessed from the setting, case marks, movement, provenance and any Rolex documentation. A diamond-set case or lug configuration may instead indicate a related 18388 or 18389; the individual watch and its papers control the attribution.

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

The 18348 wears the President bracelet, reference 8385, with the concealed Crownclasp and the solid links of the 5-digit era. The gem-loaded examples add a pavé centre-link President, with diamonds set down the length of the bracelet. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet, which may be older or newer than the head, and the cross-family detail sits on Reference:Bracelets.

Special branches

Serti and special dials

Rolex 18348 champagne serti dial shown with box, hangtag and papers — A champagne serti 18348 with its box, hangtag and Rolex papers (Antiquorum, Geneva).

Auction descriptions use “serti” for configurations such as coloured stone markers on a champagne ground with a diamond chapter ring. Other documented examples use coral or other hardstone grounds, mother-of-pearl or pavé. The description belongs to the dial in hand; it does not establish a standard fitment for every 18348.

The gem-loaded examples

Gem-loaded Rolex 18348 with pavé bracelet — A gem-loaded configuration: diamond bezel, black diamond dial, and a pavé centre-link President bracelet.

Some documented examples combine the diamond bezel with a diamond dial and a pavé centre-link President bracelet. That combination approaches the gem-set 18388 and 18389 in appearance, but the reference remains a 18348 when the case and papers support that attribution. Auction results vary with the exact stones, condition, provenance and completeness.

Auction record

Auction records show a wide range of configurations. Antiquorum sold a black diamond-index example with a pavé centre-link bracelet in New York in 2016 for USD 33,125. Antiquorum also catalogued a champagne diamond-Roman / emerald-marker serti dial in Geneva, while Sotheby’s catalogued a blue sunburst diamond-index example dated to about 1989. These lots are useful evidence for configurations and provenance; they do not establish a reference-wide price range or a hierarchy against the fluted 18238. The result for any example depends on the stones, condition, provenance and completeness.

date	house	configuration	result
2016	Antiquorum New York, lot 210	black diamond-index dial, diamond bezel, pavé centre-link bracelet	USD 33,125
2024	Antiquorum Geneva, lot 122	champagne diamond-Roman / emerald-marker serti dial	result not published
2025	Sotheby's Fine Watches, lot 105	blue sunburst dial, diamond-set indices, c.1989	result not published

Related references

Day-Date 18208 (1988–2000)
Day-Date 18238 (1988–2000)
Day-Date 18248 (1988–2000)
Day-Date 19018 (Oysterquartz President, 1977–2001)
Day-Date 18028 (1977–1988)
Day-Date 18038 (caliber 3055 President, 1977–1988)

Yellow-gold 18348 with diamond bezel and serti dial
Champagne serti example with box and papers
Pavé bracelet and gem-set dial configuration

Sources