Rolex Day-Date 18338
Day-Date → 18338
The 18338 is an 18K yellow-gold Day-Date with diamond-set lugs.
Core facts
| Detail | Record |
|---|---|
| Family | Day-Date |
| Case | 18k yellow gold; catalogued diameters range from 35.5 to 36 mm |
| Bezel and lugs | Diamond-set lugs; catalogues describe both fluted and milled bezels |
| Movement | Automatic caliber 3155; 31 jewels in auction records |
| Bracelet | Yellow-gold President bracelet |
Production outline
| Reported date | Watch or document |
|---|---|
| Circa 1991 | WatchTime Australia listing |
| 1992 / circa 1992 | Bucherer CPO listing and Cambi lot 84 |
| Circa 1994 | Phillips cases S494422 and S935324. S494422 has a Bucherer guarantee stamped August 1994. |
| Circa 1995 | Christie's cases W008743, W020209 and W030480. The W008743 guarantee is stamped August 1995. |
| 1997 | Phillips case W032751 |
| Circa 1999 | Phillips case W023987; certificate dated June 1999 |
| Circa 2000 | Sotheby's case A626057 |
Movement notes
Phillips and Christie's list caliber 3155 with 31 jewels. Cambi's 2023 listing gives caliber 3135. Rolex dates caliber 3155 to 1988 and describes independent correction of the day and date.
Dial map
| Dial | Published example |
|---|---|
| Bloodstone | Phillips case S935324. The image shows a green stone dial with copper-colored flecks. |
| Fossil hard stone | Phillips case S494422 and Christie's case W020209. Phillips uses “Jurassic” as a dial name. |
| Coral | Christie's case W008743 has a coral dial. |
| Grey-centred diamond-set dial with Arabic numerals | Christie's case W030480. The catalogue also describes diamond-set lugs and a milled bezel. |
| Champagne with diamond and emerald markers | Phillips case W032751. Phillips prints the dial name as “Snowfakes in Spring.” |
| Champagne diamond dial | WatchTime Australia's listing describes a champagne diamond dial. |
| Mother-of-pearl with sapphire markers | Phillips case W023987. |
| Blue | Bucherer lists a blue index dial on an 18338. |
| Lapis lazuli with diamond markers | Christie's 2026 condition report calls the dial “later added.” |
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes
Phillips and Sotheby's give a 36 mm diameter; Christie's lists W030480 at 35.5 mm. Phillips describes fluted bezels. Christie's describes milled bezels on W030480 and W020209. Its report on W008222 says the fitted bezel may be a replacement and the original was fluted.
Christie's lists a screw-down crown and caseback on W030480. Bucherer identifies a sapphire crystal on its CPO example. Phillips and Christie's both report an inside caseback stamp of 18200 on watches catalogued as 18338: S494422 and W020209.
Bracelet details
Phillips records 55B end links and a concealed clasp stamped 8385 on S494422. Christie's lists the same numbers for W020209. Both watches have yellow-gold President bracelets.
Auction results
| Sale | Catalogued example | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Christie's, Important Watches, lot 341, 2014 | Case W030480, grey-centred diamond-set dial | USD 21,250 |
| Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction: Nine, lot 934, 26 November 2019 | Case S494422, fossil dial | HK$175,000 |
| Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII, lot 177, 9 May 2026 | Case S935324, bloodstone dial | CHF 76,200 |
Gallery
-
Phillips lot 934, case S494422 -
Fossil dial and fluted bezel -
The watch, guarantee and box
Sources
- "Hong Kong Watch Auction: Nine, lot 934 — ref. 18338, case S494422 (2019)", Phillips, 2019-11-26
- "Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII, lot 177 — ref. 18338, case S935324", Phillips, 2026-05-09
- "Hong Kong Watch Auction: ONE, lot 96 — ref. 18338, case W023987", Phillips
- "Glamorous Day-Date, lot 34 — ref. 18338, case W032751", Phillips
- "Dubai Important Watches, lot 149 — ref. 18338, case W008743", Christie’s, 2019-03-22
- "Important Watches, lot 2738 — ref. 18338, case W020209", Christie’s
- "Passion for Time, lot 2216 — ref. 18338, serial W008222", Christie’s, 2023-11-21
- "Important Watches I, lot 2121 — ref. 18338, case A626057", Sotheby’s, 2025-04-24
- "Rolex Certified Pre-Owned listing — ref. 18338, dated 1992", Bucherer
- "Watches Online: The Geneva Edit — ref. 18338, serial W022882", Christie’s
- "Important Watches, lot 341 — ref. 18338, case W030480", Christie's, 2014-12-09
- "Hong Kong Watch Auction: Nine — sale date and lot 934 result", Phillips, 2019-11-26
- "Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII — official results, lot 177", Phillips, 2026-05-09
- "Day-Date history: caliber 3155", Rolex
- "Cambi Watches auction 878, lot 84 — ref. 18338, case N.353.xxx", Cambi Casa d’Aste, 2023-12-05
- "Technical Information: calibres 3135, 3155, 3175 and 3185", Montres Rolex SA, 2004-12
- Robert-Jan Broer, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello, 2019-11-08
- "Rolex President Day-Date 18338, circa 1991", WatchTime Australia