Rolex Day-Date - which one to buy?

[RobertW777]

Originally Posted by geoach

18038 for me a bit thicker case and bigger case around early 80s, 79....also less gold removed inside the case.....setting the day takes a few seconds more no big deal

Originally Posted by ronricks

Same for me. Prefer the 1978 to 1983ish fat case 18038’s as they ‘wear’ larger than 36mm and the single quick is easy to set. 18238 does have the upgraded 3155 movement which improved upon a few weak points in the 3055 movement but as long as you service a 3055 at proper intervals it will work flawlessly.

I understand. Yes the 18038 is fatter case but the watch is quite a bit less gold weight than 118238 by about 40-45 grams. 18038 is 133g as for 118238 is around 178-180g. In my opinion the total weight due to the bracelet is a big advantage over a fatter case. Most wear/tear on these watches is on the bracelet not the case that take the beating. Numerous complaints on the hollow bracelets stretching and denting.

From what im reading the 118238 had the case/lugs redesigned. I think if you put 118238 next to 18038 the 6 digit will look bigger. Also the newer model 128238 case/lugs profile was again revised and watch was "slimmed" down.

Seems the majority of the people prefer double quickset. In the future if I decide to sell the watch it will be much harder to find a buyer with the 18038 because of the single quickset . Parts will be down the road much more difficult to get on the 18038 as the watch is already 40+ years old.

Its interesting comments to see preferences for certain references! We all have differences in point of view.

[ronricks]

Originally Posted by RobertW777

I understand. Yes the 18038 is fatter case but the watch is quite a bit less gold weight than 118238 by about 40-45 grams. 18038 is 133g as for 118238 is around 178-180g. In my opinion the total weight due to the bracelet is a big advantage over a fatter case. Most wear/tear on these watches is on the bracelet not the case that take the beating. Numerous complaints on the hollow bracelets stretching and denting.

From what im reading the 118238 had the case/lugs redesigned. I think if you put 118238 next to 18038 the 6 digit will look bigger. Also the newer model 128238 case/lugs profile was again revised and watch was "slimmed" down.

Seems the majority of the people prefer double quickset. In the future if I decide to sell the watch it will be much harder to find a buyer with the 18038 because of the single quickset . Parts will be down the road much more difficult to get on the 18038 as the watch is already 40+ years old.

Its interesting comments to see preferences for certain references! We all have differences in point of view.

You are overthinking this. Single quickest isn’t hard to sell at all. The non quickest 4 digits are a tough sell. I prefer the non polished lugs of the 5 digits. My 18038 weighs 140 grams which is plenty. Nobody is going to ask you how much your watch weighs. Buy what you like. It’s that simple.

[RobertW777]

Originally Posted by ronricks

You are overthinking this. Single quickest isn’t hard to sell at all. The non quickest 4 digits are a tough sell. I prefer the non polished lugs of the 5 digits. My 18038 weighs 140 grams which is plenty. Nobody is going to ask you how much your watch weighs. Buy what you like. It’s that simple.

I understand plus and minus each model has. The polished lugs in my opinion are beautiful!

I wonder how many Day dates are produced each year? Also curious if Rolex changed the gold over the years.

[sweetboy0715]

day date 40 green or ambre dials. Best of the best

[RobertW777]

Originally Posted by sweetboy0715

day date 40 green or ambre dials. Best of the best

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCnxnczuWl4

In my opinion maybe if you have massive/wide wrists 40mm would fit somewhat ok but 36mm was always the standard size for men until recently. Most likely for the average wrist size its sitting not flush. Go to the 8:40 mark and look how awful the watch sits. Compared to 36mm which wraps nicely.

Look what happened with day date 2 41mm they stopped producing it. They dont announce a reason but if the watch was popular i feel they would keep making it.

I dont see any advantages in bigger size than 36mm. The proportions don't look right. 36 looks much more elegant. 36mm Day date was introduced in 1956 and still today that size is made. Maybe the bigger watches are a just a trend at this moment as you can see already no more 41mm size. Time will show.

Terrible value its not worth it for the day date 40. Costs $15k more for 20 more grams of gold.

[geoach]

Originally Posted by RobertW777

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCnxnczuWl4

In my opinion maybe if you have massive/wide wrists 40mm would fit somewhat ok but 36mm was always the standard size for men until recently. Most likely for the average wrist size its sitting not flush. Go to the 8:40 mark and look how awful the watch sits. Compared to 36mm which wraps nicely.

Look what happened with day date 2 41mm they stopped producing it. They dont announce a reason but if the watch was popular i feel they would keep making it.

I dont see any advantages in bigger size than 36mm. The proportions don't look right. 36 looks much more elegant. 36mm Day date was introduced in 1956 and still today that size is made. Maybe the bigger watches are a just a trend at this moment as you can see already no more 41mm size. Time will show.

Terrible value its not worth it for the day date 40. Costs $15k more for 20 more grams of gold.

[EvelynWaugh]

love 36mm Day-Dates. Elegant with proportions that help accentuate the president bracelet. Highly recommend it for folks with wrists up to 7in

[miamiclay]

So Robert, it’s been a week of discussion, you’ve read the other threads on the topic …

Which reference are you leaning toward?
Is there a particular dial you want?

(If you choose a 18238 candidate, you can post a pre-purchase inspection thread in the vintage forum, there are some knowledgeable members who are generous with their time and expertise.)

[RobertW777]

Originally Posted by miamiclay

So Robert, it’s been a week of discussion, you’ve read the other threads on the topic …

Which reference are you leaning toward?
Is there a particular dial you want?

(If you choose a 18238 candidate, you can post a pre-purchase inspection thread in the vintage forum, there are some knowledgeable members who are generous with their time and expertise.)

Thank you for the advice. Yes my preference would be the 118238 reference. They took the 18238 and made it even better. Solid bracelet, better clasp, more gold, broader lugs the watch wears bigger, etc.

In terms of the pricing yeah the 118238 costs more but you're getting 40-45 grams more gold. It deserves a higher price tag. My personal preference is the white dial.

[EvelynWaugh]

Originally Posted by RobertW777

Thank you for the advice. Yes my preference would be the 118238 reference. They took the 18238 and made it even better. Solid bracelet, better clasp, more gold, broader lugs the watch wears bigger, etc.

In terms of the pricing yeah the 118238 costs more but you're getting 40-45 grams more gold. It deserves a higher price tag. My personal preference is the white dial.

These are the exact reasons why I went with the 118238. It's still modern and the broader lugs give great wrist presence for a 36.

And +1 for the white dial. Rolex glossy white is clean and simple. I think it contrasts really well against yellow gold in particular.

[RobertW777]

Originally Posted by EvelynWaugh

These are the exact reasons why I went with the 118238. It's still modern and the broader lugs give great wrist presence for a 36.

And +1 for the white dial. Rolex glossy white is clean and simple. I think it contrasts really well against yellow gold in particular.

Beautiful watch! Trying to decide between white Roman or white batons.
I really like the minute and hour hand with no lume on the Roman it's all gold. Sticks the dial looks more open. Hard to decide.

[EvelynWaugh]

ty! I went with sticks because Rolex discontinued the lumed indices for the DD36. Sticks do make the dial appear more open as your said. YG is also pretty flashy so having lumed batons add a bit of sport and casualness worn with jeans and other informal attires.

I also think that matching the dial color to the day window was a huge added bonus. It helps to open up the dial just little more to make it appear as big as it can be for a 36mm watch.