Homage to a Wristwatch: Rolex Datejust

If you could only wear one watch for the rest of your life, which would it be? Of course there are more striking watches out there, or technically more advanced. However, it is difficult to find a watch that combines aesthetics and suitability for everyday use with versatility like a Datejust. Rolex itself describes this model as the epitome of the classic wristwatch. For many decades, the design of the Datejust has embodied the trend-setting style of the Swiss Manufacture with its five-pointed crown. A watch for life, precise to a few seconds, yet timeless and lasting for generations. Not many models are as attractive as the Datejust.

Each Rolex dial is created in-house and gives the watch a face, an identity. The date is displayed at three o’clock under a window, and is changed automatically. The cyclops lens is a Rolex invention on the watch glass where even the spirits are still divided on, it enlarges the date and makes it easier to read. The 116234 is equipped with a fluted white gold bezel, indices made of gold, and the case is made of two-tone Rolesor which is a combination of 904L stainless steel and 18 carat gold. With a case diameter of 36 mm and a Jubilee strap, the reference 116234 is, in our humble opinion, the most beautiful version of this superlative watch to date.

The Datejust was born in 1945 and was the first chronometer wristwatch with automatic winding and date display. Based on the Oyster Perpetual series - Rolex's first water and dustproof watch from 1926 - this innovation rightly bears the name "Oyster". To claim that a wristwatch is waterproof is one thing, to prove it true is another. It was the Oyster Perpetual with which the English swimmer Mercedes Gleitze crossed the English Channel one year after the development of this watch, with the watch surviving this unscathed. Whether with a case diameter of 36 mm or the larger 41 mm, the Datejust offers nothing but a sophisticated presence on the wrist.

The counterpart to the external charm of the watch is the robust Calibre 3135. The high accuracy of this wristwatch is second to none; even over long periods of time, it hardly loses any precision. Self-winding in both directions, the automatic movement works on the basis of a perpetual rotor amidst 31 rubies, responsible for the longevity of the movement. In terms of power reserve, the Datejust is not unbeaten in the world of luxury watches, but with about 48 hours, it is still consistent. On the other hand, the caliber has extreme insensitivity, even high temperature fluctuations can do little harm to this movement. Innovation and attention to detail go hand in hand in this masterpiece, but it's true charm only unfolds at the wrist.

A watch that sets standards and finds the right balance at the same time: Fascinating without being too much, stylish without losing its simplicity.