Rolex Day-Date Ref. 1803 - Early 'Concentric' Dial
When the Day-Date was released in 1956, Rolex had made numerous attempts to capture the market with more complicated timepieces such as the Ref. 6036, the Ref. 8171, and the Ref. 6062, but it seemed like buyers were not particularly fond of complicated Rolexes. All of that changed when President Dwight D. Eisenhower was spotted wearing one Rolex in particular: a Day-Date. The model has since become known worldwide as ‘The President’ and as a symbol of success and prestige. Simply put, this one stuck.
The Day-Date was available for many years on a leather strap with a matching gold buckle, but also on a solid gold bracelet (called a 'President' bracelet), like the example that we have here.
This piece is a very early Reference 1803 dating to circa 1956. Constructed out of solid yellow gold, it has a few interesting, not commonly seen features that are only found on early examples: The champagne gold 'pie pan' dial has a gorgeous 'concentric' finishing and applied faceted indices and is complimented by a matching non-luminous 'alpha' handset. The yellow gold bezel has a more finely 'fluted' finishing. And last but not least, the correct yellow gold 'President' bracelet possesses a rare 'big logo' blade clasp.
Cool right?
From ten feet away, this probably just looks like your typical tone-on-tone Day-Date... But upon closer inspection, all of the little details amount to some that you can just tell is special — and you'd be right.
Condition Report & Details
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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.
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