THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 1803
YEAR: 1966
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 36mm
CASE MATERIAL: 18K WHITE GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC

One of the questions we get asked the most is: What are some of the "value propositions" in vintage watches? While the definition of value is somewhat subjective, an obvious answer has to be vintage Day-Dates—by any metric. The Day-Date has long been Rolex’s flagship model, representing the brand’s most luxurious offerings. Despite being several times the price of sports models back in the day, vintage Day-Dates (for reasons unbeknownst to us) can still be had for less than their steel sports counterparts.

While we love the iconic yellow gold, champagne dial models, what we have here is something a bit more special. This Ref. 1803 dates back to 1966 and features a rare 18K white gold case, along with a rare "doorstop," no-lume dial. At 6 and 9 o’clock, Rolex used wedge-shaped hour markers that resemble doorstops, while the vast majority of dials featured lume plots at the end of the markers and on the hands, Rolex produced batches of “no-lume” dials—specifically for countries where tritium was banned.

The sleek case has been polished in the past, but very sympathetically. The dial is in superb condition, there is some degradation around the upper edge where the dial meets the rehaut, this isn't at all noticeable when wearing. We've freshly serviced the movement, and it’s running perfectly at +2 s/d, 285 amplitude, with just 0.2 ms beat error.

It comes on new peccary strap from our friends at The Strap Tailor. The original 18k buckle is present and remains very sharp. This watch looks absolutely gorgeous on the wrist.