Rolex Datejust Ref. 1600 - Unpolished

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 4-Digit Datejusts were also the first series to become available with a myriad of dial colors and case and bracelet materials.

This particular piece, a Reference 1600 from circa 1971, comes to us with an honest case showing signs of wear with a few blemishes and sleeve polish throughout. The sunburst silver dial features applied 'baton' indices with fully-intact Tritium plots — all of which show a light patination — with a darker handset. The dial itself is in very good condition, retaining a bright 'sunburst' effect with some light but visible wear on the edge of the dial between the 1 & 2 o'clock markers as well as at the 6 o'clock position.

The neat thing about this piece, in our opinion, is its restrained, subtle wearing experience thanks to the smooth polished steel bezel and the Oyster bracelet. While Ref. 1601 and 1603s aren't exactly 'loud,' theres something Explorer I-like about this example while still being, of course, a Datejust.