Rolex Datejust Ref. 16000 - 'Buckley' Dial

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 Datejusts was the first series to become available with a myriad of dial colors and case and bracelet materials — something that has stuck with the Datejust name ever since. What the 4-digits watches do lack, is a quickset date — something that was resolved with the introduction of the 5-digit pieces in the late 1970s.

The piece that we have here, a Reference 16000 from circa 1979 comes to us in strong overall condition. The case seems to have been only very lightly previously polished and retains thick and symmetrical lugs at all four corners and shows normal signs of wear from age. The smooth steel bezel unique to this reference is seemingly unpolished and shows light wear. Inside, the white 'Buckley' dial remains largely clean and retains crisp black text and 'Roman' indices, which are complimented by a black-painted handset. The Tritium plots exhibit a light and even patina throughout, with partial loss at a few position.

Of course, this piece also features a handy quickset date function and comes fitted to an Oyster bracelet which, we think, suits the Ref. 16000 with that Explorer-style bezel perfectly.