THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 6305-2
YEAR: 1954
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 36mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC

The Ref. 6305 was the model that started Datejust's success, with more sales than any other line in Rolex’s history. Initially launched in 1945, the Datejust was a dressy watch that only came in solid gold or two-tone construction, not quite the daily wearer we see today and sold in small numbers partially due to its high cost.

Rolex decided they needed to branch out and make the Datejust more attainable. Enter the 6305; a 36mm stainless steel watch with a rounded case back, a Cyclops lens to increase legibility, radium-filled spearhead markers, and an engine-turned bezel. The present example has some interesting features; with the 'Datejust' writing in red and a 'Roulette' date wheel. The rare 'Overttone' case was large for its time, and wears beautifully on the wrist.

The standout feature however, has to be the 'tropical' dial. It would have been a pearly white when new and has aged to a lovely warm yellow - making this piece truly stunning and an increasingly rare example. The alpha hands still retain their original radium lume plot as do the dial markers. The bracelet is a slightly later US Jubilee stamped 1/74 with '50' end links. 

The watch has recently been serviced and is running exceptionally well at +2 s/d, 250 amps with a beat error of 0.2. 

These have to be the ultimate steel Datejust in terms of importance and the tropical dial is a stand out feature that will spark up a conversation with any watch enthusiast.