A watch that certainly needs no introduction, so let’s dive straight into what makes this one special.  The most obvious from the moment I saw a glimpse of the first lug is how full, sharp, and original this case is.  This is exactly the kind of case condition I like, full, unpolished, sharp, very clean, but not NOS, this can be worn!  Looking further, the color of this dial is nothing short of sublime.  It’s this rich, warm, not-matte but not bursting soleil finish either, shade of brown that ranges from a root beer to lightly roasted coffee beans, to an almost dark taupe appearance depending on the light and angle.  It is so even, so rich, so soft but still has that depth that sucks you in.  All in all, just a stellar Day-Date that I cannot stop staring at and would make any new owner very… very happy.

Case:  Excellent, unpolished 18K gold case with 18038 reference, circa 1979, 5989xx serial numbers, and hallmarks all very crisp, sharp and well defined.  There are some light surface scratches pictured throughout, and some faint scratches just below the crown at 4 o’clock that could easily be polished out of the polished surface at the buyer’s discretion.  Remnants of the original caseback sticker remain, and the fluted bezel is equally sharp, crisp, and well defined.

Dial:  The deep warm-brown dial is stunningly beautiful and extremely clean and consistent throughout.  Most of the colored dials from this era of Day-Day and Datejust, particularly the blue dials, exhibit tropicalization surrounding the tritium lume plots.  In this instance, it’s so consistent throughout the dial, I find it charming, particularly since the remainder of the dial and lume on the dial and hands is extremely even, consistent, and free of defects.

This watch is presented with a Spanish day wheel and features open 6’s and 9’s.

Movement:  The Rolex caliber 3055 movement is a “single quick” set with hacking seconds, winding, setting, and running smoothly at approximately +1.5 s/d averaged across 6 positions. 

Bracelet:  The watch is presented on the very rare and desirable D’Agosto bracelet made in Argentina for Rolex at the time, and complements the Spanish date wheel.  The coronet is extremely sharp and clasp mechanism very tight and secure.  The bracelet exhibits minimal stretch with 20 links, fitting up to a 6.5” wrist.