Classic Rolex Day-Date 36mm in solid 18K yellow gold featuring a fluted bezel, champagne tapestry dial with day and date display, and a full 18K yellow gold Presidential bracelet fitting an 8.5 inch wrist. Reference 18038 in excellent collector configuration.
Product Specifications:
- Item Type: Mens Luxury Dress Watch
- Brand: Rolex
- Collection: Day-Date
- Reference: 18038
- Serial: 98*****
- Case Size: 36mm
- Metal: 18K Yellow Gold (case, bezel, and Presidential bracelet)
- Bracelet Length: Fits 8.5 inch wrist
- Bracelet Style: Presidential — solid 18K yellow gold
- Year: 1987
- Dial: Champagne Tapestry
- Weight: 140 grams
- Day Display: Yes — full word day at 12 o'clock
- Date Display: Yes — date window at 3 o'clock
- Movement: Automatic — Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified
- Style: Vintage President / Luxury Dress
Indices: Applied gold baton / bar indices at all hour positions with Rolex crown logo at 12 o'clock
Bezel Type: Fluted — 18K yellow gold engine-turned
Bezel Color: 18K Yellow Gold
Band Material: Rolex Presidential Bracelet — solid 18K yellow gold three-piece link
Band Color: Yellow Gold
Features: Automatic movement, Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified, full-word day display at 12 o'clock, date window at 3 o'clock, champagne tapestry dial, fluted 18K gold bezel, solid gold Presidential bracelet, Rolex crown logo
Style: Day-Date Presidential / Gold Dress Watch
Design & Construction:
The Rolex Day-Date reference 18038 is among the most iconic and recognized luxury watch configurations ever produced — the original "President's Watch" in its definitive 36mm all-gold execution. The champagne tapestry dial is one of the most sought-after Day-Date dial variants, featuring a subtly textured woven pattern across the entire dial surface that creates a rich, dimensional quality in natural light while maintaining the clean, legible layout of applied gold baton indices and slender gold hands. The fluted bezel — with its precisely machined radial grooves in 18K yellow gold — is the hallmark configuration for the Day-Date, amplifying the warmth of the gold and creating a signature visual identity immediately recognizable to collectors and connoisseurs worldwide. The solid 18K yellow gold Presidential bracelet, Rolex's most prestigious integrated bracelet design, flows seamlessly from the lugs in a three-piece semi-circular link construction that is exclusively available on the Day-Date and Day-Date II.
About the Rolex Day-Date:
The Rolex Day-Date, introduced in 1956, was the world's first wristwatch to display the day of the week spelled out in full on the dial, and it has been produced exclusively in precious metals — 18K gold or platinum — since its very first reference. Known informally as the "President's Watch" following its association with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Day-Date has graced the wrists of world leaders, heads of state, Nobel laureates, and cultural icons for nearly seven decades, making it the single most status-laden wristwatch in the history of the industry. Reference 18038 represents the second generation of the 36mm Day-Date, produced from the late 1970s through the 1990s with the caliber 3055 or 3155 movement and considered by many collectors to be the quintessential vintage Day-Date reference in terms of proportion, finishing, and dial variety. The champagne tapestry dial on this example is among the most classically beautiful and collectible configurations available in the 18038 reference, pairing the warmth of yellow gold with a dial that rewards close inspection with its intricate surface texture. Acquiring a Day-Date 18038 in President bracelet configuration represents not merely a watch purchase but an entry into one of the most historically significant and culturally resonant timepiece lineages ever created.