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Rolex Day-Date Ref. 1803 - Concentric Dial Alpha Hands

Sale price$0.00 USD

Straight Facts

When the Day-Date was released in 1956, it was the only complicated Rolex for sale. Hard to believe, but people didn’t want Rolex’s previous attempts at complicated wristwatches. All of that changed when President Dwight D. Eisenhower was spotted wearing the Rolex, and the watch became known as ‘The President’. An internationally known symbol of success and prestige, the Rolex Day-Date was available for many years on a strap or matching solid gold bracelet.

This present example is fitted with that iconic yellow gold presidential bracelet, and is one of the very first 1803 models, which you can tell from its incredibly elegant but short-lived ‘Alpha’ Handset. As such, the dial is fitted with the earlier style fonts, which are smaller and more elegant. The real story here, is the dial. This is a very rare concentric brushed dial. While almost all dials are sunburst (with gradient radiating from the center) this concentric dial is brushed in circles going around the dial that move outward from the center posts. It’s a very subtle, but incredibly stunning dial detail! The overall condition is excellent, and mated to that iconic president bracelet with light patination and oxidized to the gold making this all the more unique of a piece. For about half the cost of a brand new 36mm Day-Date, you can say you have something in common with President Eisenhower. How’s that for bragging rights?

*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.

Yellow Gold 1962 Automatic Dress

"As collectors themselves, Oliver and Clarke are on a mission to make buying vintage watches as painless as possible."

"The company focuses on good prices for its pieces, elite customer service and full transparency."

"The appointment-only space is inviting, with comfortable seating areas and exposed brick walls."

From Rolex & Patek Philippe, to Cartier & Audemars Piguet. As collectors first, we love the small details that separate the Submariner from Daytona and Calatrava from Royal Oak. This is why you'll find our curated assortment spans decades of generations of models and brands. We believe that watches don't just tell time, they tell history - and life is too short to wear a boring watch.

Oliver & Clarke