Rolex Day-Date ref. 18238, Black 'Sunburst' Dial

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

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. Dating to circa 1996, this Reference 18238 offers a number of attractive features and is offered in exceptional overall condition. The case, matching 'President' bracelet, and characteristic 'fluted' yellow gold bezel all remain unpolished and show just light signs of wear throughout with no apparent damage. The 'President' bracelet exhibits no stretch and even retains some tightness in its clasp hinge. Flip the piece over and you'll find a fully-intact caseback sticker. Inside, the black dial is surprisingly dynamic, featuring a sunburst finishing that becomes apparent when exposed to natural light, and otherwise mimics a gloss black dial in lower light. It is in fantastic condition with seemingly none of the usual degradation or wear around the applied indices commonly found on colored dials. Being from the very end of the Tritium era, this piece still features Tritium plots rather than Luminova or SuperLuminova that subsequent variants would use, and thankfully, the plots remain fully-intact and are gently patinated. The handset also matches beautifully. Additionally, being a neo-vintage Day-Date, this piece featured the almost magical 'double quickset' movement function for setting the day and date. A real treat if you have ever owned a 4-digit Day-Date! Last but not least, while it would be enough to enjoy this piece on its own, this piece is accompanied by its outer box, inner brown leather box, COSC hangtag, booklets, and guarantee papers dating to 1999. The combination of the uncommon black dial, the overall condition, and the set with matching Japanese papers and caseback sticker accompanying the piece amount to a very compelling package for someone looking for a strong, unique piece in their collection.