Rolex Day-Date Ref. 1803 - Non-Luminous Sunburst Champagne Dial w/ Box Papers Unpolished
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.
The Reference 1803 that we have here dates to circa 1972 and comes to us in absolutely outstanding overall condition. The case, characteristic 'fluted' yellow gold bezel, and 'President' bracelet all all remain unpolished and shows uniform wear throughout. The dial within — 'champagne' in color — features a sunburst finishing and is not only a non-luminous unit, but also features an 'Arabic' minute track outside of the applied indices. Of course, this piece has a matching non-luminous yellow gold handset. The correct 'President' bracelet is fitted with an adjustable blade-style clasp.
Additionally, accompanying this piece is its brown leather box and punched papers.
This is an exemplary example of an icon, with a surprisingly uncommon dial variant that we don't often see.
Condition Report & Details
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