Rolex Day-Date 18129

Day-Date → 18129

The 18129 is a 36 mm Day-Date. Christie’s examples have white-gold cases; its 2014 lot has a yellow-gold diamond-set bezel.

Core facts

Detail	Documented specification
Reference	18129
Family	Day-Date
Date evidence	Mondani reports a 1978 listing; Christie’s and Phillips date examples to circa 1984–1987
Case	36 mm; white gold, with yellow-gold diamond-set bezel in the 2014 catalogue
Crystal	Sapphire Cyclops crystal 25-295C (Time Connection parts list)
Movement	Calibre 3055, automatic, 27 jewels
Bracelet	Tridor President

The “Bic” suffix

An R-L-X discussion interprets “Bic” as the white- and yellow-gold watch head. Christie’s 2014 lot describes a white-gold case and yellow-gold bezel.

Production outline

Catalogue date	Case number	Source
circa 1984	8'439'966	Christie’s Geneva, 2014
circa 1985	8831800; 8831785	Christie’s Hong Kong, 2006; Christie’s Geneva, 2022
circa 1986	9'327'406	Christie’s Dubai, 2015
circa 1987	9,153,888	Phillips Hong Kong, 2026

Movement notes

Christie’s and Phillips list calibre 3055 with 27 jewels. Rolex’s technical sheet gives separate crown positions for date correction and time-setting; the latter stops seconds.

Dial map

The 2006 Christie’s watch has a gilt Jubilee dial with square-cut diamond numerals. Its 2014 example has a brushed champagne dial with square and baton diamond numerals; in 2015, Christie’s catalogued a silver brushed dial with diamond indexes and luminous accents. The 2022 watch has a pavé dial with two rubies. Phillips’s 2026 example has a champagne dial with diamond indexes.

Gilt Jubilee dial, Christie’s 2006
Champagne dial, Phillips 2026

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

The 2014 Christie’s lot specifies a 36 mm white-gold case and yellow-gold diamond-set bezel. Its 2006 and 2015 descriptions call the tonneau case “water-resistant-type”; the 2015 lot also specifies a screw-down crown and screw back.

Christie’s 2022 and Phillips 2026 report an inside caseback stamp reading “18000.”

Inside caseback, Phillips 2026
Crown side, Phillips 2026

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging

Rolex’s May 2011 U.S. list pairs “18129 Bic” with Tridor bracelet 8285/9 and describes pink-, yellow-, and white-gold centre links. Christie’s reports clasp stamp 8285 on its 2022 example; Phillips records end links stamped 55 and clasp marks 548, L6, and 8285 on a circa-1987 watch.

Christie’s describes the diamond-set President bracelet on its 2006 example as a later addition. Phillips’s catalogue dates the watch circa 1987; the lot included a guarantee dated 21 August 1988.

Three-colour President bracelet on Rolex 18129, Phillips 2026 — Three-colour President bracelet, Phillips 2026.

Selected auction records

Sale	Catalogued watch	Reported result (index)
Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2006, lot 2291	circa 1985; gilt Jubilee dial; later diamond-set President bracelet	HKD 96,000
Christie’s Geneva, 10 November 2014, lot 488	circa 1984; champagne dial; three-colour President bracelet	CHF 25,000
Christie’s Dubai, 21 October 2015, lot 140	circa 1986; silver dial; three-colour President bracelet; 1997 chronometer attestation	USD 15,000
Christie’s Geneva, 9 May 2022, lot 36	circa 1985; pavé diamond dial with two rubies; bracelet clasp stamped 8285	—
Phillips Hong Kong, 21 November 2026, lot 933	circa 1987; champagne diamond-index dial; three-colour bracelet	Pending sale

Gallery

Pavé dial and three-colour bracelet, Christie’s 2022
Gilt Jubilee dial, Christie’s 2006
Champagne dial, Phillips 2026
Inside caseback, Phillips 2026
Crown side, Phillips 2026
Three-colour President bracelet, Phillips 2026
Watch, booklet, and TRIDOR hangtag, Christie’s 2014
Watch and papers, Phillips 2026

Sources