Brand:
Rolex
Model:
Datejust
Year:
1979
Reference:
16018
Warranty:
12 months
Overall Condition:
Very Good
Wear level Case:
Barely visible
Wear level Caseback:
Barely visible
Wear level Dial:
None
Wear level Crystal:
None
Wear level Bezel:
Barely visible
Wear level Bracelet Clasp:
Barely visible
Movement Type:
Automatic
Caliber:
3035
Case Material:
Yellow Gold
Case Diameter:
36 mm
Bezel Material:
Yellow Gold
Crystal:
Sapphire crystal
Dial Color:
Black
Bracelet Material:
Yellow Gold
Bracelet Color:
Gold
Clasp Type:
Fold clasp
Clasp Material:
Yellow Gold
Functions:
Date, Central seconds, Screw-Down Crown, Quick Set, Vintage
When Rolex introduced the Datejust in 1945, it was the first self-winding chronometer wristwatch to show the date in a window, and the Jubilee bracelet was made for it. The reference 16018 came in 1977 and updated the watch in two ways that matter in daily use: calibre 3035 allowed the date to be set quickly, and the crystal was now sapphire, which is far harder to scratch than the acrylic of earlier references. This example dates from the first years of that reference.
The combination of black and gold is the most traditional one the Datejust offers, and it is a good one to see in a yellow gold case. The dial is a deep gloss black, printed in gold and fitted with applied baton indices, and the hands, the fluted bezel and the solid links of the Jubilee all repeat the same warm metal. Nothing on it is modern or fashionable, which is the reason it has aged so well, and it is the kind of Rolex that looks as correct today as it did in 1979.