Rolex Datejust 6305

Datejust → 6305

The 6305 is an early automatic Datejust. Auction records show steel and gold cases, several dial types, and watches catalogued with A.296 or 745 movements. Published dates for individual examples range from around 1950 to 1956.

Core facts

Detail	Catalogue examples
Reference forms	6305, 6305/1 and 6305/2 appear in auction catalogues
Model	Datejust
Dates in published sources	Monochrome gives 1953–57 for refs. 6304/6305; auction catalogues date individual 6305s around 1950–56
Case materials	Steel, yellow gold, pink gold and white gold
Case diameter	35–36 mm; one white-gold example is listed at 35.5 mm
Movements	Catalogues report A.296 and 745; jewel counts and assignments vary by watch
Dial examples	Silvered, cream, black lacquer and honeycomb; red DATEJUST or DEPTH text, roulette dates, diamond and dagger markers

Where it sits in the line

Monochrome places the 6305 after refs. 6104/6105 and before 6604/6605. Rolex dates the Cyclops lens to 1953, while Monochrome associates its early use with the 6304/6305 generation and notes that some watches had a plain crystal. Rolex dates the instantaneous date change to 1956; Monochrome assigns it to refs. 6604/6605.

Production dates

Monochrome dates the 6304/6305 generation to 1953–57. Christie’s dates a white-gold 6305 to around 1950; Sotheby’s dates a steel /2 to around 1952; Monaco Legend dates a steel watch to 1956. Bonhams records II.54 inside a steel caseback. Phillips’ 2023 catalogue transcribes another as 6305 1 / III-55 / 18.

Movement notes

Auction catalogues name both A.296 and 745. Phillips lists A.296 with 18 jewels in its pink-gold and yellow-gold examples; Christie’s gives 25 jewels for a white-gold watch. Phillips lists Cal. 745 with 18 jewels in two yellow-gold watches. Dorotheum gives A.296 with 18 jewels in a gold 6305/1. Sotheby’s describes an 18-jewel automatic movement in a steel /2 but does not name its caliber.

Dial variants

Phillips lot 247 has a black Jost, Genova dial with diamond and dagger markers. Its 2021 Hong Kong lot has red DATEJUST lettering and a roulette date; Sotheby’s steel /2 has a cream dial with a red date wheel. Antiquorum calls the dial on its pink-gold /1 partly reprinted. Black honeycomb dials appear on Antiquorum’s circa-1955 steel /1 and Phillips’ 2023 steel /1; Phillips’ example also has red DEPTH text. Monaco Legend’s 1956 steel watch has both red DATEJUST and DEPTH lettering.

Red DATEJUST lettering and roulette date, Phillips lot 1038, circa 1954
Black honeycomb dial and roulette date, Antiquorum lot 147, circa 1955
Dial texture and date window from the same Antiquorum watch
Red DATEJUST and DEPTH on Monaco Legend lot 237, dated 1956
Red depth text and dial surface from the same watch

Case and bezel

Monochrome calls the 6305 bezel fluted; Phillips describes the Jost-signed lot 247 as coin-edge. Sotheby’s calls its steel /2 bezel engine-turned.

Closed caseback and lugs from Phillips lot 1038
Crown and bezel profile from the same watch
Second side angle from the same lot
Cream dial and engine-turned bezel, Sotheby’s lot 314, circa 1952
Case profile of the same 6305/2
Closed caseback of the same Sotheby’s 6305/2
Closed caseback, lugs and end links, Monaco Legend lot 237
Crown and bezel on the steel 6305/1 catalogued by Antiquorum

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging

Phillips shows its pink-gold lot 1038 on a leather strap beside a presentation box. Its 1955 yellow-gold lot 198 is on a Jubilee bracelet with a clasp stamped 4.56. Bonhams lists a rivet Oyster bracelet with a 2.63 clasp on a steel watch dated around 1954. Christie’s describes the 2.64 bracelet as later than the 6305/1 head it accompanied. Antiquorum also photographed a steel 6305/1 on a riveted Oyster bracelet.

Steel bracelet and clasp on the 6305 in Monaco Legend lot 237 — Bracelet on the steel 6305 catalogued by Monaco Legend, lot 237.

Notable example

Hodinkee identifies Dwight D. Eisenhower’s engraved watch as a ref. 6305. Its caseback bears “DDE,” a five-star insignia and the date 12-19-1950. Hodinkee also notes that the watch appeared on the 21 July 1952 cover of Life. Eric Wind later called the dial a replacement because its “T Swiss T” markings indicate tritium, which puts the dial no earlier than the 1960s.

Auction record

Sale	Example and result
Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction TWO, November 2015, lot 247	Yellow-gold 6305 with black dial, diamond and dagger markers, Cal. 745 and Jost, Genova signature. Sold for CHF185,000 against an estimate of CHF40,000–60,000.
Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction FOUR, November 2016, lot 57	Yellow-gold 6305/1, Cal. A.296, 18 jewels. Sold for CHF13,125 against an estimate of CHF8,000–12,000.
Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XIII, 25 November 2021, lot 1038	Pink-gold 6305, circa 1954, Cal. A.296 with 18 jewels and roulette date. Sold for HK$252,000 against an estimate of HK$160,000–260,000.
Monaco Legend Auctions, Exclusive Timepieces, 17 October 2021, lot 237	Steel 6305, dated 1956, case 140751, Cal. A.296. Estimate €20,000–40,000; it did not sell.
RR Auction, Eisenhower's personal watch, 17 September 2014	The ref. 6305 reached a high bid of $475,000 but did not meet its reserve.

Gallery

Pink-gold 6305 photographed beside a presentation box, Phillips lot 1038
Dial detail from Phillips lot 1038
Caseback and lugs from Phillips lot 1038
Crown and bezel profile from Phillips lot 1038
Second side angle from Phillips lot 1038
Steel 6305/1 with black honeycomb dial, Antiquorum lot 147
Dial detail, Antiquorum lot 147
Crown and bezel, Antiquorum lot 147
Steel 6305 with red DATEJUST and DEPTH, Monaco Legend lot 237
Dial detail, Monaco Legend lot 237
Bracelet and clasp, Monaco Legend lot 237
Closed caseback and end links, Monaco Legend lot 237
Cream dial and engine-turned bezel, Sotheby’s lot 314
Case profile, Sotheby’s lot 314
Closed caseback, Sotheby’s lot 314

Sources