While Day-Date is the king of Rolex’s daily watch, Datejust is the real classic.
Rolex’s Oyster first rose to the occasion after WWI, while bubble back pushed its fame to an unprecedented height. The big bubble back with date had played an instrumental role in establishing Rolex as a true top brand in worldwide markets.
The word "big"here is definitely not in the modern sense, as its diameter measures 35 to 36 only. The movement inside is self-winding, 18 or 19 jewels and 10.5 or even 9.5 lignes in size. Due to the movement’s small size, the date aperture is closer to the central axis than we usually see. Coupled with an extra-fine fluted bezel (similar to GO’s discontinued Klassics), the piece rendered an exceptional flair. As a key product to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Rolex, it was first introduced in 1945, and started to carry the name Datejust in about a decade later.
For 15 years, Bubble Back with date had lagged behind its 31mm counterpart with the same material in the 2nd hand market. This reflects that for vintage Rolex, the trend of collectorship plays a more important role that history, function and rareness in determining the value of a piece. That is why these "big" Bubble Backs stared to gain value in recent years when big watch has dominated the scene. A fine 18K gold example in strap could be worth as much as USD 10,000.
I mention gold example only since, as the top-of-the-line model, Bubble Back date was available in gold only. More importantly, personally I only like Rolex in gold. Some people may have the illusion that for several models, steel version has a higher value. Paul Newsman is a good example. Its gold version had once trailed its steel counterpart, yet it has already recovered the lost ground for quite some time.
Datejust made in mid to late 1950s had upgraded to a 25 jewels movement, typically Cal 1065, 1066 and 1160. Since then Datejust’s appearance has not changed much. Worth mentioning is that it has started to be called Superlative Chronometer instead of Officially Certificated Chronometer at the same time. Common chronometers have their movement, but not the whole watch, sent to COSC for testing. For Rolex’s Superlative Chronometer, the whole watch is tested again under the same conditions at Rolex after passing the test at COSC. I found out during a factory visit that all Rolex watches, including Cellini and sport watches like Air King and Submariner without date are Officially Certified Chronometer, against the thought of some people that they are not. Rolex does not mention that on the dial comparing to Superlative Chronometer, COSC certification is rather basic according to the brand’s standard.
My first Datejust is a 1601 in stainless steel with white gold bezel. I could never forget a night in around 1975, when I gave up a lovely hi-fi set for the watch. When I examined the piece over and over again for the whole night with magnifier, I thought I was the most blessed guy in the world. During that time, Datejust using Cal 1560 or 1570, regardless of their case material, were all called 1601. 1601 and 1903 have become the favorite of mainland watch fans. It is hard to find 1601 in Hong Kong now.
I acquired a Ref 16014, the successor of 1601. Within a week after its launch. I forgot the exact time, yet according to official records, the 27 jewels Cal 3035 movement beating inside was introduced in 1977. 16014 has the apparent difference with its flat dial against the so-called" turtle-back" dial of 1601. I opt for the new dial for its imposing straight forwardness as shown by the yellow gold 16018. The piece has a flair not seen on its big brother 1601 in the same material.
Cal 3035 also improved on date adjustment. It replaced the cumbersome procedure, when users had to turn the hands to and fro repeatedly with direct adjustment at the half-pulled position of the crown.
Cal 3035 was replaced by Cal 3135 in 1988. The major upgrade rested on the balance wheel, while the improvement from 27 jewels to 31 was more tangible to general consumers. The yellow gold version also changed from 16018 to 16238 to mark the movement upgrade.
16018 and 16238 have the same appearance. Therefore only actual users would be able to tell the difference. While the ands of 16018 move in the opposite direction to the crown during adjustment, a gear was added in 16238 so that they could move in the same direction, which is a more sensible arrangement. It also provides a trick for differentiating the movements without opening the case.
Rolex gave Datejust a major facelift in 2000. The new pieces have a more robust outlook thanks to the increased height, more polishing on case, and rounded lugs instead of the signature acute lugs for the bracelet model are dropped. While maintaining the 36mm diameter and Cal 3135 movement, the new version’s majesty and grandeur is definitely unmatched by its predecessor. The new models also have a 6-digit reference number instead of 5. For example, yellow gold with bracelet and strap are now 116238 and 116138 respectively.
Another new feature introduced in 2004 reflects Rolex’s emphasis on Datejust. Rolex’s name and crown, as well as the individual number of the piece, are carved on the watch’s flange. This well-received alternation is seen on Turn-O-Graph as well as the latest version of Datejust, new Datejust in gold with various dial designs have stared to hit Hong Kong market recently. Good news to Rolex aficionados like me, as I have already grabbed one with white dial.
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