History of the Rolex Datejust
The Rolex Datejust is one of the brand’s most notable and well-known models on the market. Originally released in 1945 on the 40 th anniversary of Rolex, the Datejust was the first pressure-proof, self-winding wristwatch to display the date automatically.
Some new features on the Datejust were the coin-edged bezel, which evolved into the well-known “Rolex Fluted Bezel,” and the pie-pan dial. A pie-pan dial is a dial that has a slight slope downwards starting near the outside of the dial, much like the crust of a pie. Over time Rolex added new options allowing collectors to purchase Datejusts without a fluted bezel or pie-pan dial. To accommodate the date wheel, the watch was slightly thicker than it’s predecessor, the Bubbleback, which was discontinued in the 1960s.
Pie Pan Dial
Fluted Bezel
In the 1950s Rolex added the Cyclops feature to the Datejust crystal, which magnifies the date on the dial. This feature appears often in other Rolex watches later in the century. In 1955 the Turn-o-Graph, or Thunderbird, model was introduced as an award for US Air Force Pilots returning from combat missions. The Turn-o-Graph is a rotating fluted bezel with numbers, allowing the owner to mark a time and use the watch as a stopwatch.
In the 1970s Rolex made a few significant changes to the Datejust. The first was the new 3135 movement inside the watch which allowed quick-set capabilities and made the profile of the watch slightly thinner. A quick-set function allows the wearer to change the date by pulling the crown half-way out and changing the date number without having to rotate the hour hand 24 hours to change one day. Rolex also updated the crystal used on the Datejust, introducing a more scratch resistant sapphire crystal instead of the original plastic crystal.
The Datejust is quite prevalent in pop culture, appearing in films on the wrists of stars like Michael Caine (Get Carter, 1971), Paul Newman (The Color of Money, 1986), Christian Bale (American Psycho, 2000) and Bill Murray (Lost in Translation, 2003) among others. This watch is one of Rolex’s most recognizable models, a true classic that has held the test of time and proven it’s place in the top luxury timepieces. Shop our Datejusts
History of the Rolex
Rolex is arguably the most recognized and popular watch brands in the world. The company was established as Wilsdorf & Davis in London, England in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis. Their initial business was importing Swiss movements and placing them in high quality cases to be sold in jewelry stores around England. As a result of wartime taxes levied on luxury imports in 1919, the company was moved to Geneva, Switzerland and became the Rolex Watch Company.
After his wife’s death in 1944, Hans Wildorf established the Has Wildorf Foundation to which he left all of his shares in the company, ensuring much of the companies income would go to charity.
How it Works
The Datejust is an automatic or self-winding watch, which means the mainspring is wound by the motion of the wearer’s arm. As the wearer moves about the day, the energy from their movement swings a weight or rotor, which turns on a pivot. The circular movement of the pivot winds the watch just as a manual or wind watch.
Pop Culture
Get Carter - Michael Caine wears gold on brown strap
Color of Money - Paul Newman wears one
In the Line of Fire - worn by Clint Eastwood
Lost in Translation - Bill Murray
Rocky II - Rocky is looking at them at the jewelry store
American Psyco - Jason Bateman wears a two-tone
Weatherman - Nicholas Cage wears a gold date just
REFERENCE NUMBERS
Oyster Perpetual Datejust
1600, 1601, 1602, 1603, 1604, 1605, 1607, 1610, 1611, 1620, 1622, 1623, 1624, 1626, 1630, 5030, 5031, 6104, 6105, 6155, 6251, 6516, 6517, 6602, 6604, 6605, 6624, 6627, 6800, 6815, 6823, 6824, 6825, 6826, 6827, 6828, 6829, 6830, 6831, 6832, 6833, 6835, 6839, 6900, 6901, 6902, 6903, 6905, 6906, 6907, 6908, 6909, 6910, 6911, 6912, 6913, 6914, 6915, 6916, 6917, 6918, 6919, 6923, 6925, 6926, 6927, 6928, 7815, 7823, 7824, 7825, 7826, 7827, 7828, 7906, 7907, 7908, 7912, 7913, 7915, 7916, 7917, 7918, 7919, 7923, 7924, 7925, 7926, 7927, 7928, 8030, 8031, 8032, 8035, 8065, 8066, 8067, 16000, 16003, 16008, 16009, 16013, 16014, 16018, 16019, 16030, 16058, 16078, 16200, 16203, 16220, 16233, 16234, 16238, 16248, 16250, 16258, 16263, 16264, 68158, 68159, 68240, 68243, 68248, 68258, 68273, 68274, 68278, 68279, 68288, 68289, 69008, 69008A, 69018, 69018A, 69038R, 69038S, 69068, 69068A, 69069, 69069A, 69078, 69078A, 69079, 69079A, 69088, 69088A, 69089, 69089A, 69098, 69108, 69108A, 69118A, 69128, 69128A, 69136, 69138, 69138A, 69139, 69139A, 69148, 69148A, 69158, 69159, 69163, 69163A, 69166, 69168, 69168A, 69169, 69169A, 69173, 69173A, 69174, 69174A, 69178, 69178A, 69179, 69179A, 69188, 69198E, 69198R, 69198S, 69258, 69268, 69278, 69279, 69279A, 69288, 79068, 79078, 79079, 79088, 79089, 79126, 79136, 79138, 79158, 79159, 79163, 79166, 79168, 79173, 79174, 79178, 79179, 79238, 79288, 80298, 80299, 80309, 80318, 80319, 80328, 80329, 80359, 116138, 116139, 116203, 116208, 116233, 116238, 179136, 179138, 179158, 179159, 179165, 179166, 179168, 179173, 179175, 179178, 179179, 179239, 179298, 179368, 179459
Oyster Perpetual Mid-Sized Datejust
6824, 6827, 68240, 68243, 68248, 68273, 68274, 68278, 77080, 77014, 77438, 77518, 78240, 78243, 78246, 78248, 78266, 78273, 78274, 78278, 78279, 78286, 78288, 81158, 81208, 81209, 81308, 81338, 81339, 178158, 178159, 178238, 178239, 178245, 178246, 178248, 178269, 178275, 178278, 178279, 178286, 178288
Oysterquartz Datejust
17000, 17000B, 17013, 17014
Turn-O-Graph Datejust (“Thunderbird”)
1625, 6202, 6309, 6609, 16253
