Day-Date family · 47 references Rolex

Day-Date 18038

Name: Rolex Day-Date 18038
Brand: Rolex
Availability: InStock

36mm Popular Model

Low $11,564

Median $17,999

High $19,982

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The Rolex Day-Date 18038 brings yellow-gold warmth and the familiar President bracelet together with a useful dividing line in Day-Date history: sapphire crystal and a quick-setting date. It keeps the compact, distinctly formal presence of the earlier watches, but makes the calendar less of a chore to set.

Introduced in 1978, this generation uses caliber 3055, whose single-quickset mechanism adjusts the date independently; the day still advances by turning the hands. If you want both calendar displays to set independently, the later 18238 is the reference to consider. The 18038 is worth lingering over for its dial variety, from restrained champagne to more decorative treatments. On a prospective example, establish whether the dial is period-correct or a later Rolex service replacement, particularly where luminous material and dial markings differ. Those details can change the character of the watch considerably.

MovementAutomatic

Caliber3055

Case MaterialYellow Gold

Case Size36mm

Water Resistance100m

What owners love

The 36mm case and President bracelet make the yellow gold surprisingly easy to wear day to day. It has plenty of presence without the case taking over your wrist.
The sapphire crystal is a practical advantage over the acrylic-crystal Day-Dates that came before it: it resists the little scratches that otherwise become part of everyday wear. You still get the older case proportions and relatively restrained profile.

Common Criticisms

The 3055 has a quickset date, but not a quickset day—you still have to advance the hands to change the weekday. Owners appreciate the improvement over earlier movements, but setting both calendar displays is less convenient than on later double-quickset Day-Dates.

Day-Date 18038

What owners love

Common Criticisms

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