Rolex Day-Date 18079
Day-Date → 18079
The 18079 is the white-gold bark-finish Day-Date in the five-digit caliber-3055 generation. Rolex used the French term écorce for this worked surface. The bezel and the President bracelet's centre links carry the texture; the case flanks remain polished. Auction catalogues place the documented examples between circa 1978 and circa 1982, with the broader 3055 generation generally dated 1977–1988. These records do not establish the 18079's exact production limits.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 18079 |
| family | Day-Date |
| production | Individual auction examples dated circa 1978–1982; broader five-digit caliber-3055 generation generally dated 1977–1988 |
| movement | caliber 3055; 27 jewels and 28,800 vph on documented examples; date quickset, day advances with the hands |
| case | 18k white gold, 36 mm on the cited auction examples |
| crystal | sapphire with Cyclops, as described in the family records |
| bezel | white-gold bark (écorce) finish |
| bracelet | white-gold President with bark-finished centre links on documented examples |
| documented dials | silver sunburst, burgundy lacquered Stella with diamonds, and black diamond-set |
| siblings | 18078 (yellow-gold bark), 18039 (white-gold fluted), 18049 (white-gold diamond bezel) |
| successor | 18248, the yellow-gold bark reference in the caliber-3155 generation |
Where it sits in the line
The 18079 is the white-gold member of the five-digit bark pair. Phillips' catalogue essay identifies the final 9 as the 18k white-gold designation, making 18078 the yellow-gold counterpart. The fluted white-gold 18039 and diamond-bezel white-gold 18049 share the same broad generation and caliber family.
The bark treatment follows the four-digit 1807. The 18079's documented identity rests on the combination of white gold, bark bezel, and bark President centre links. Other dial treatments are documented on individual watches, but the reviewed catalogues do not establish a complete factory dial list.
Production outline
The 18079 sits in the five-digit Day-Date generation associated with caliber 3055 and sapphire crystals. Phillips dates one example to 1978, Sotheby's dates another circa 1979, and Antiquorum dates a full-set example circa 1982. Those are lot-level dates. No source reviewed here gives a factory production total or a definitive first and last year for the reference.
The circa-1982 Antiquorum watch has case number 7,294,504 and a certificate of origin dated December 1988. The certificate records a later delivery or sale date than the catalogue's case date; it should not be used to date the case's manufacture.
Movement notes
The documented watches use caliber 3055. Antiquorum specifies 27 jewels, and the five-digit Day-Date movement record gives 28,800 vph with a date-only quickset. The day changes as the hands pass midnight. Caliber 3155 brought independent day correction to the later generation. The movement page records the wider lineage and its source limits.
Dial map
The reviewed auction records show three configurations:
| catalogue date | dial | record |
|---|---|---|
| circa 1978 | Burgundy lacquered Stella dial with round diamond markers and baguettes at six and nine | Phillips, 2015, lot 56 |
| circa 1979 | Black diamond-set dial | Sotheby's, 2025, lot 119 |
| circa 1982 | Silver sunburst dial | Antiquorum, 2022, lot 324 |
The burgundy Stella example has round diamond markers and baguettes at six and nine. The Antiquorum example is a plain silver sunburst dial with a full set. These are documented examples rather than a complete menu of factory options.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
Phillips and Antiquorum describe 36 mm white-gold cases. The bezel carries the bark finish while the case flanks remain polished. Antiquorum describes the circa-1982 watch as water-resistant with a screwed caseback and gives a 36 mm diameter. The cited lot records do not establish a separate 18079-specific crown variant, so the crown is not treated here as a distinguishing feature.
The bark is a surface treatment cut into the gold. On a worn or refinished watch, the remaining texture and the transition to the polished flanks need to be assessed on that individual case. A catalogue description alone does not prove that every visible surface is original.
Bracelet, clasp, and packaging
Phillips describes a white-gold President bracelet with bark-finish centre links and a concealed deployant clasp. Antiquorum describes the same bark-centre-link arrangement and records an approximate weight of 146.2 grams for its complete example. The clasp and bracelet date the bracelet assembly; they do not date the watch head.
The Antiquorum lot included fitted box reference 71.00.04, an instruction booklet, and a certificate of origin dated December 1988. Those accessories document what accompanied that lot. They do not prove that every 18079 was sold with the same packaging or that the paperwork dates the case.
Special branch: burgundy Stella
Phillips' 1978 example combines the white-gold bark case and bracelet with a burgundy lacquered Stella dial. It sold for CHF 56,250 in 2015. The catalogue calls the configuration rare, but that description is an auction-house assessment; the sale does not establish how many 18079 watches Rolex made.
Auction record
The following entries are individual sale records. The currencies, estimates, and configurations differ, so they are not a market range.
| date | house and lot | configuration | result |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2015 | Phillips Geneva, Glamorous Day-Date, lot 56 | Burgundy Stella dial with diamond markers, 1978, case 5,257,008 | CHF 56,250 |
| Jul 2022 | Antiquorum Monaco, lot 324 | Silver sunburst dial, circa 1982, case 7,294,504, box and papers | EUR 28,600 |
| Nov 2025 | Sotheby's Geneva, Important Watches Part I, lot 119 | Black diamond-set dial, circa 1979, case 6,043,469 | Estimate CHF 12,000–18,000; result not shown on the accessible listing |
Related references
- Day-Date 18078, yellow-gold bark
- Day-Date 18039, white-gold fluted bezel
- Day-Date 18049, white-gold diamond bezel
- Day-Date 1807, earlier bark-finish Day-Date
- Day-Date 18038, caliber-3055 Day-Date
- Day-Date 18248, later yellow-gold bark reference with caliber 3155
See also the Day-Date family index, movement reference, bracelet and clasp guide, and serial-number guide.
Gallery
-
1978 white-gold 18079 with burgundy Stella dial and bark-finish bezel and bracelet -
Circa-1982 white-gold 18079 with silver sunburst dial, bark bracelet, and fitted accessories -
Circa-1979 white-gold 18079 with black diamond-set dial -
Antiquorum's circa-1982 18079 with fitted box, certificate, and booklet
Sources
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
- Phillips, "Rolex Ref. 18079 Day-Date, 18k white gold bark with burgundy Stella diamond dial — Phillips Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 56", Phillips, 2015
- Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 18079/18000 Day-Date, 18k white gold bark with silver sunburst dial — Antiquorum Monaco, lot 324", Antiquorum, 2022-07-19
- 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
- Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 18039/18038 Day-Date, 18k white gold with charcoal-grey baton dial — Antiquorum Geneva, lot 292", Antiquorum, 2015-03-15
- Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 18049 Day-Date, 18k white gold with diamond bezel and salmon diamond dial — Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 98", Antiquorum, 2023-06-13
- Rolex Day-Date — Giorgia Mondani and Guido Mondani, Guido Mondani Editore
- Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex — Pucci Papaleo, Pucci Papaleo Editore, 2015
- Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's
- Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches
- Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter
- BeckerTime editorial, "Review: the Rolex Day-Date Ref. 18078", BeckerTime
- Bob's Watches editorial, "Quickset Vintage Day-Date Models", Bob's Watches
- WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21