{"id":26956,"date":"2019-01-26T06:00:51","date_gmt":"2019-01-26T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bobswatches.com\/rolex-blog\/?p=26956"},"modified":"2019-10-14T18:40:26","modified_gmt":"2019-10-15T01:40:26","slug":"three-generations-rolex-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bobswatches.com\/rolex-blog\/resources\/three-generations-rolex-president.html","title":{"rendered":"Three Generations of the Rolex President"},"content":{"rendered":"

Officially called the Day-Date, but better known as the Rolex President, this is the ultimate grail watch for many collectors. Exclusively offered in precious metals and sporting an instantly recognizable dial with a pair of calendar windows, the Day-Date has been Rolex\u2019s flagship watch since its debut in 1956. Today, we\u2019re comparing the last three generations of the 36mm version of the\u00a0Rolex Day-Date President<\/a>\u00a0to highlight how the model has evolved over the last four decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Rolex
A vintage Rolex Day-Date President ref. 1803 – notice the “pie pan” dial and acrylic crystal?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Day-Date 180xx: Single Quickset Rolex President <\/b><\/h2>\n
\"Rolex
The 180xx series was the first Rolex Day-Date President to be fitted with a sapphire crystal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rolex introduced the five-digit Day-Date 180xx family of watches in 1977 to replace the preceding four-digit Day-Date 180x models. While this generation of President watches retained the fundamental design of the model – the 36mm Oyster case, the day and date windows at 12 o’clock and 3 o’clock (respectively), and the President style bracelet – the crystal was now constructed from scratch-resistant sapphire (rather than acrylic), and the “pie pan” dial was replaced by one with a flat surface. Additionally, hidden beneath the caseback was a brand-new movement that would improve the day-to-day practicality of the watch. <\/span><\/p>\n

Powering the Day-Date 180xx watches is Rolex’s Caliber 3055 movement, which not only brought about a higher frequency of 28,800 beats per hour, but also introduced the quickset date feature. A “quickset” date means that users can adjust the numerical date value entirely independently from the center hands, thereby eliminating the need to continuously rotate the hour and minute hands to set the number that is displayed inside the date window.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key Day-Date 180xx Reference Numbers<\/strong><\/h3>\n