A legendary timepiece with an iconic history, the Rolex Day-Date has long been touted as the "Watch of Prestige", and for excellent reason. Released in 1956, it quickly became synonymous as the timepiece of choice for athletes, visionaries, and world leaders, earning it the nickname 'the President' – a nickname that has stuck to the modern-day as the watch still remains Rolex's flagship offering.
Itself released in 1977, the Rolex Day-Date ref. 18038 brought several upgrades to the collection that enabled it to remain ahead of the competition. Two of these major upgrades were the introduction of a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal (replacing plastic acrylic) and the "single quick" date set function that allowed the watch to rapidly cycle through the date without having to cycle back and forth like with the previous references. This advancement was the result of Rolex using their new movement, the Rolex cal. 3055, which also ushered in the current era of high frequency and highly robust movements that we still see today.
Constructed of 18kt yellow gold, this ref. 18038 features the iconic three-piece link "Presidential" bracelet and its classic 36mm case with a fluted yellow gold bezel. While those aspects are to be expected, its stunning blue Lapis Lazuli dial is far from ordinary and sets this timepiece aside as one of the most stunning variants of the ref. 18038 you can get.
Famed for their deep blue tone and golden shimmer, Lapis Lazuli dials have become one of the most sought-after dial variants that Rolex has ever produced. Deriving golden sparkles thanks to the pyrite contained within this naturally occurring stone, Lapis Lazuli just so happens to be the perfect dial to set the ref. 18038 aside as one of the best-looking Day-Dates on the market today.
When it comes to a piece like this, words cannot describe the depth and beauty of the dial, so I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.
