Rolex Datejust Ref. 1601/8 - Blue 'Mosaic' Dial 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 wear also the first series to become available with a myriad of dial colors and case and bracelet materials.

This particular piece, for starters, is a solid-gold Datejust, which are rare to begin with, full stop. Rolex did not make a lot of these so it didn’t compete with its more expensive sibling, the Day-Date, which were exclusively produced in solid gold.

Dating to circa 1973, this Ref. 1601/8 comes to us in excellent overall condition, with a thick and symmetrical case that has been spared of any previous polishing, and fitted with a crisp 'fluted' yellow gold bezel. The dial, however, is the real highlight of this piece. Blue in color, the captivating 'mosaic' finishing is nicely-preserved and shows only faint degradation in a few areas — hardly visible to the naked eye. The luminous plots are present in all positions and are matched by a yellow gold handset.

This then, with its 18k construction, stunning dial, and strong overall condition is truly a special piece and remains something of a bargain when compared to its much less rare Day-Date siblings.