Rolex Datejust Ref. 1601 - Matte Black Dial

STRAIGHT FACTS

Hard to believe - but the Datejust has been around since 1945. It is far older than its bigger and attention-hogging Submariner brethren. The Datejust was Rolex’s idea of the perfect everyday watch. The robustness of the Oyster case, combined with the elegance of an Oyster Perpetual. The ‘4 digit’ series of Datejust are particularly attractive for their pie-pan dials which offer a layer of three-dimensionality to the dials that went away with the advent of quickset date and 5-digit Datejusts. These early Datejusts were available as the 1601 - with a fluted white gold bezel, or the 1603 - with an engine-turned steel bezel.

The present example being of the 1601 with a classic white gold fluted bezel. Except, that bezel does not look White Gold - that is because it has oxidized and aged to an incredible almost yellow gold color! This type of unique aging is one of the things we love most about vintage watches and why every vintage piece is it's own unique watch. The 4-Digit series is also the first Datejust's to become available in a myriad of colors and styles. While the Datejust was available with a wide array of dials, we most commonly see silver and champagne dials.

While there is no wrong choice for a Datejust, we prefer the rarer dial variants ourselves, like Mosaic Dials, or Blue Sunbursts. This present example is a matte black dial - which is no small feat to find in this condition. Its color combined with perfect lume plots and and almost no signs of dial wear, the rarity factor is dramatically increased. Fitted to its period-correct Rolex jubilee bracelet, this is an incredible everyday wearing vintage watch for the person who wants something a far more special than a standard fare Silver Dial Datejust.

*Some marks or spots on the dial are reflections or dust on the crystal and are due to high intensity strobe lighting used while photographing. They are not actually on the watch or visible in natural lighting