Rolex Day-Date Ref. 18038 - 'Pinball' Dial
When the Day-Date was released in 1956, it was the only complicated Rolex for sale. Hard to believe, but after numerous References and attempts to capture the market with more complicated timepieces, it seemed like buyers were not particularly fond of Rolex’s previous attempts at complicated wristwatches. 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.
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 particular Day-Date, a Reference 18038, features one of the rarest dials ever fitted to an normal production, or 'on-menu' Day-Date. It is sunburst champagne in color but instead of your typical 'stick' indices, it features applied, solid yellow gold plots everywhere except the 6:00 and 9:00 positions, where there are rectangular indices. The resulting silhouette is more reminiscent of what you would find on something like the 'nipple dial' on the Submariner or GMT of the era!
The case itself is in fantastic, likely-unpolished overall condition, with a crisp fluted bezel, a President bracelet with a signed hidden clasp in matching condition, and a handy 'quickset' date function. Whats more, it still retains an engraving on its caseback.
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Shipping & Returns
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Returns (accepted within 3 days of initial delivery of your purchase) must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. For payments via Credit Card, a 5% restocking fee will be in place for any returns or cancellations in order to cover our processing fee. Of course, watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.
If you happen to trade a watch with us, which we welcome, trades are final, except of course if the watch is grossly misdescribed or misrepresented.
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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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