Rolex Datejust 1602

Datejust → 1602

Yellow-gold Rolex Datejust catalogued as ref. 1602, with a textured case and matching bracelet — A circa-1961 ref. 1602 catalogued by Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257.

Auction catalogues use ref. 1602 for early Datejusts in 18K gold with a crosshatched case and bezel; several examples have matching bracelets. Three lots specify yellow gold. The records date individual watches from circa 1960 to circa 1966. Christie's and Monaco Legend show or report 1601 inside the caseback; Antiquorum and Dr. Crott report both 1601 and 1602. The factory's reference convention and production endpoints remain unresolved.

Core facts

Detail	Evidence
Reference	1602; Crott catalogs a gold example with the suffix /8
Family	Datejust, four-digit generation
Dated examples	Auction catalogues date watches circa 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1966; factory production endpoints remain unknown
Movement	Auction catalogues list Cal. 1560 on circa-1960–62 examples and Cal. 1570 on a circa-1966 example. These are catalogue labels; the date-equipped movement family is Cal. 1565/1575
Date setting	Slow-set date, advanced by turning the hands through midnight; the quickset arrived with the later Cal. 3035 generation in 1977
Case	Catalogues describe 18K gold, with three explicitly specifying yellow gold; measured diameters are 35.5 or 36 mm
Finish	Crosshatch, called Florentine or Morellis by the catalogues
Dials	Silvered, champagne and sunburst gold dials appear in the cited lots; each is a specimen record
Bracelet	Matching textured 18K gold examples are documented. Crott identifies one bracelet as ref. 6765/8 and its clasp as dated 1/62

Where it sits in the line

The 1602 belongs to the four-digit Datejust generation. Fratello assigns an engine-turned bezel to 1602. A reader comment on that page assigns the engine-turned bezel to 1603, and Antiquorum's 2010 catalogue describes a 1964 ref. 1603 with that bezel. The five gold 1602 lots reviewed here have crosshatched casework, called Florentine or Morellis by the catalogues. A January 2022 Rolex Forums thread also calls the 1602 finish Florentine. The reference convention behind the conflicting bezel descriptions remains unsettled.

Christie's and Monaco Legend show or report 1601 inside the caseback; Antiquorum and Crott report both 1601 and 1602. Their catalogues title the watches as ref. 1602. The convention behind the caseback markings remains unresolved.

Production outline

The dated examples run from Antiquorum's circa-1960 watch through its circa-1966 Hong Kong lot. Monaco Legend dates another to 1961; Christie's and Crott give circa 1962. The factory run's beginning and end remain unknown.

Monaco Legend's lot essay gives 1959–1977. That span remains the auction house's estimate; its endpoints lack serial-linked or factory support in the material reviewed.

Movement notes

Christie's, Monaco Legend and Crott list Cal. 1560 in examples dated circa 1960–62. Monaco Legend's movement photograph shows a bridge marked 1560. Antiquorum lists Cal. 1570 in its circa-1966 example. Rolex used shared bridge engravings across related 15xx movements; reference literature identifies date-equipped movements in this family as 1565 and 1575. Fratello dates the family change from 1565 to 1575 to 1965. That family timeline leaves the 1602-specific changeover undated.

The four-digit Datejust uses a slow-set date, advanced by turning the hands through midnight. Cal. 3035 brought quickset in 1977. See the Movements guide for the 15xx family and its bridge markings.

Automatic Rolex movement photographed in the ref. 1602 Monaco Legend Auctions lot — Movement photographed with Monaco Legend Auctions' lot 257. The catalogue identifies it as Cal. 1560.

Dial map

The cited lots show silvered, champagne and gold sunburst dials. Their frequency across production remains unknown.

Appearance	Source example	Record
Silvered, baton markers and lume plots	Monaco Legend, circa 1961	The dial carries a Serpico y Laino signature beneath DATEJUST; the catalogue leaves the date and place of its application unstated
Silver dial	Antiquorum, circa 1960	Catalogued on the watch with movement D18006 and caseback marked 1601/1602
Champagne	Christie's, circa 1962	Christie's calls the crosshatched casework “Morelis” and reports an inside caseback stamped 1601
Gold sunburst	Antiquorum, circa 1966	The catalogue describes applied radial indexes and luminous dots
Gilt sunburst	Crott, circa 1962	A separate catalogued example; its caseback is reported as marked “1601 AND 1602”

Silvered dial with baton markers and a Serpico y Laino signature — Dial of the Monaco Legend Auctions example. The retailer signature is visible below DATEJUST.

Monaco Legend documents the Serpico y Laino signature on one watch. The lot record describes that specimen; dial originality and production frequency across the reference remain unknown.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

The five auction records describe 18K gold cases, with three specifying yellow gold, and measurements of 35.5 or 36 mm. Their cases, lugs and bezels carry a crosshatch surface called Florentine or Morellis in the catalogues. Those labels describe the visible finish; the factory's term and process remain undocumented.

The Crott and Antiquorum 2021 lots report casebacks marked 1601 and 1602. Christie's reports 1601 inside a caseback on a watch titled ref. 1602. The catalogues leave the mismatch unexplained; whether Rolex reused casebacks or shared a case component remains unresolved.

Crott describes a screw-down Twinlock crown on its circa-1962 watch; the crown range across 1602 remains unknown. Datejust family histories place acrylic crystals in the four-digit generation and sapphire in the five-digit successor. The reviewed auction descriptions leave the crystal material of individual 1602 examples unstated.

Textured case, bezel, lugs and crown, Monaco Legend Auctions lot 257
Inside caseback stamped 1601, Monaco Legend Auctions lot 257

Bracelets, clasps, and packaging notes

Monaco Legend describes a yellow-gold tile bracelet with a geometric pattern across its center rows. Antiquorum's circa-1966 watch has a textured Florentine-finish bracelet; Crott identifies its circa-1962 bracelet as ref. 6765/8 and reports a clasp date of 1/62. These records show matching gold bracelets on individual watches; original delivery with each 1602 head remains unestablished.

The clasp date belongs to the bracelet. The reviewed lot records leave reference-specific box and paper history unreported.

Textured yellow-gold bracelet on Monaco Legend Auctions lot 257
Clasp photographed with the same lot

Special branches

Monaco Legend records a Serpico y Laino dial signature on its 1961 watch. The retailer operated in Venezuela; the lot leaves this watch's first-sale and delivery history unreported.

The cited 1602 records cluster around crosshatched gold examples described as Florentine or Morellis. The factory designation for that finish and the reference marking inside the caseback remain unsettled.

Auction records

Auction record	Catalogue details
Antiquorum Monaco, lot 220	Circa 1960; 18K yellow gold; Cal. 1560; silver dial; caseback marked 1601/1602; 36 mm
Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257	1961; 18K yellow gold; Cal. 1560; silvered dial signed Serpico y Laino; Morellis finish; gold tile bracelet; 36 mm; inner caseback photo stamped 1601
Christie's Watches Online, lot 92	Circa 1962; 18K gold; Cal. 1560; champagne dial; caseback reported stamped 1601; 35.5 mm
Dr. Crott, 112th Auction, lot 48	Circa 1962; ref. 1602/8; 18K gold; Cal. 1560; bracelet 6765/8; clasp dated 1/62; caseback marked 1601 and 1602; 36 mm
Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 150	Circa 1966; 18K yellow gold; Cal. 1570 as catalogued; sunburst dial; matching Florentine bracelet; 36 mm

Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257, circa 1961
Signed silvered dial, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257
Crosshatched case and bezel, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257
Caseback detail, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257
Movement, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257
Matching bracelet, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 257

Sources