From the desk
How the reference, the bracelet, and the dial decide what a Datejust is worth.
<p>In 1945, Rolex marked its 40th year with a watch that put the date in a small window at three o'clock. The Jubilee bracelet arrived with it. For a while that window was the entire pitch, and it sold.</p><p>What changed came slowly. The Cyclops lens landed in the early 1950s to magnify the date, and the movement underneath went from the 1560 to the 3035, the 3135, and now the 3235 with its longer power reserve. Case sizes spread from 36mm to 41mm, with 26, 28, and 31mm cut for smaller wrists.</p><p>One turning point matters for a buyer: the shift from acrylic to sapphire crystal and from folded to solid-link bracelets. A 1601 with an engine-turned bezel and a plexi crystal wears soft and warm; a 126234 reads sharp and modern. Neither is wrong, but they price and age differently, and you should know which one is on the table before you talk money.</p><p>Here is where the checking happens. On older references, look for a redialed face — fonts that sit wrong, lume plots that look too fresh, a service dial standing in for the original. Press the Jubilee bracelet and feel for stretch; a saggy bracelet is a real cost to replace. Confirm the Cyclops is factory and not a glued aftermarket lens. Check the case for over-polishing, where the lugs go thin and the edges round off.</p><p>Today the Datejust sits as the one Rolex that crosses from a suit to a Saturday without comment. Prices run wide because the catalog is wide: two-tone, Oystersteel, 18 ct gold, fluted or smooth bezel, ten dial colors. Buy the condition first and the configuration second.</p><p>At midnight the date wheel snaps over on the newer movements in one clean jump. On the older ones it drifts across for an hour either side. That drift is how you spot the generation before you ever open the caseback.</p>
