From the desk · October 2, 2026
A 2009 two-tone Datejust 36 with a champagne diamond dial and factory yellow-gold diamond bezel — one of the most enduring dressed configurations in the reference.
The 116243 is Rolex's 36mm Datejust in Rolesor — the house term for the pairing of Oystersteel and 18k yellow gold. Introduced in the mid-2000s as the successor to the long-running 16233, the new-style 116243 brought a lightly revised case architecture while preserving the proportions that made the 36mm Datejust the defining dress-sport watch of the twentieth century. This example dates to 2009 and carries the caliber 3135 automatic movement — a self-winding manufacture movement with Rolex's Parachrom hairspring and a 48-hour power reserve that has anchored the Datejust line for decades.
The champagne dial is set with diamond hour markers, a factory configuration Rolex offered across the 116243 range and consistently one of the most requested variants in the two-tone category. The warm tone of the dial reads naturally against the yellow gold elements throughout the case and bracelet. The bezel is diamond-set in yellow gold, replacing the fluted option standard on many 116243 references. A fully diamond-set bezel pushes this piece firmly into dress territory; the factory setting ensures consistent stone quality and proper integration with the bezel seat. Dial and bezel work as a coherent unit, which is why this configuration has remained steadily sought-after in the secondary market.
The 36mm Oyster case is executed in Rolesor — top lugs, bezel, crown, and caseback in 18k yellow gold, mid-case and flanks in Oystersteel. At 36mm this sits at the traditional Datejust diameter and wears proportionately on most wrists. The bracelet is the Jubilee, the five-piece link design Rolex debuted alongside the original Datejust in 1945 and the most historically appropriate pairing for the reference. The two-tone Jubilee in steel and yellow gold is correctly matched to this case specification.
This is an honestly presented used example. Wear consistent with prior ownership is present — surface marks on the case, bracelet, and bezel are expected on a piece from 2009 with actual use behind it. The movement runs and the watch functions as it should. Any buyer of a pre-owned mechanical watch should factor a watchmaker inspection into their planning, and that applies here.
This example is offered without box or papers. That is a meaningful disclosure. Rolex documentation and original packaging add collector premium and simplify future resale; their absence typically places a used piece below an equivalent boxed-and-papered example in market pricing. For a buyer whose priority is wearing the watch rather than holding it as a pristine collection asset, the discount relative to a complete set can represent a practical entry into a reference that otherwise commands a firm floor.
The 116243 in two-tone Rolesor with a diamond dial and diamond bezel is one of the more durable configurations in the modern Datejust catalog — a reference that has held consistent secondary-market footing through multiple cycles precisely because the combination is classic rather than trend-driven.
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