Rolex Day-Date Ref. 1803 - Oxblood Stella Dial

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.

However, this is no ordinary ‘President’

The present watch has an elusive dial that is part of a family known as “Stella Dials.” Although the history isn’t conclusive, it is believed that the dials were named after the famous artist Frank Stella to honor his vibrant paintings or possibly named after the Latin word for star which is also “Stella.” These dials are as rare as they are beautiful. They were produced for a very limited time, in part due to the complexity of these dials. They were handmade by artisans who painstakingly applied many layers of lacquer, which give these dials their iconic depth. The process was so complex, that many dials cracked during manufacturing leading to their rarity. The present example features a Deep Red or “Oxblood” colored Stella dial, which is in truly exceptional condition with no signs of dial wear, chips or marks. The deep red plays elegantly with the yellow gold case, and is a more subdued option when compared to some of the other Stella variants like turquoise or orange. Dial aside, the present watch is in outstanding condition, featuring an exceptionally well-preserved case and matching concealed clasp presidential bracelet.

*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.