Rolex Datejust ref. 6305, 'Red Datejust' with 'Roulette' Date

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

Hard to believe - but the Datejust has been around since 1945. It is far older than its bigger and attention-hogging Submariner brethren. The Datejust was Rolex’s idea of the perfect everyday watch. The robustness of the Oyster case, combined with the elegance of an Oyster Perpetual. The ‘4 digit’ series of Datejust are particularly attractive for their pie-pan dials which offer a layer of three-dimensionality to the dials that went away with the advent of quickset date and 5-digit Datejusts. While the 16xx series of Datejusts are plentiful, coming across the earlier references is actually uncommon, as Rolex simply was not making as many watches in the 40s and 50s as they later would. So its a special day when we are able to find not only an early Datejust, but one in the condition like the piece that we have here.... This is a Reference 6305, and despite being from the mid-1950s, this piece has many of the characteristic, and yes, iconic, features that the Datejusts of today still have, but with some subtle differences that are unique to Rolexes from this era: The bezel is more finely 'fluted' (often called a 'coin-edge' bezel). The date window is framed in gold to match the indices. The indices themselves are of the 'dart' style. The hands are of the 'alpha'-style. And last but not least, the case itself has a few minor differences, namely the caseback carrying over some of the 'bubble-back' shape of even older Rolex models. This particular example dates to circa 1955 and happens to be in fantastic overall condition. The case remains thick and symmetrical and likely-unpolished. It shows normal wear and 'sleeve polish' throughout with only a few small blemishes and scuffs on the case profiles. The correct bezel is in matching condition, with crisp ' fluted' finishing and only light signs of wear. The dial inside is remarkably well preserved. Cream in color, it shows only faint wear throughout visible under inspection with a loupe, with rich, evenly patinated luminous plots and luminous-filled 'dart' indices at the 6 & 9 o'clock positions. The luminous elements within the 'alpha' handset matches the dial perfectly. Furthermore, this example has what we refer to as a 'Red Datejust,' which as you may guess, draws its name from the color of the text on the top half of the dial — though you can easily miss it if you're not looking for it. That pop of red is also complimented by the 'roulette' date disk, visible through the beautifully framed date window. Even the crown on this example is correct for the period, with the 'Brevet' cross and Rolex Coronet signatures. But theres more! This piece comes fitted to a fresh leather strap and with an elusive period-correct 'Big Logo' buckle. We cannot overstate how special and hard to come by these are, and we are honored to be able to offer this piece on the site.