When did the vignette aka degrading dial DateJusts stop?

[swt]

Howdy. Long time forum reader, recent member, first time poster.

I've been wanting a blue and vignette or degrading dial DateJust for as long as I can recall. Does anyone happen to know in what year Rolex stopped making this style of dial?

[Richard Carver]

Sometime during the reign of the 5 digit ref, late 70s into the 80s.

[swt]

Originally Posted by Richard Carver

Sometime during the reign of the 5 digit ref, late 70s into the 80s.

Syncs up with the models floating around. Much appreciated, thank you.

[Haywood_Milton]

I disagree; the degraded blue dial was available until much later.

It was demonstrably available with the larger, octagonal settings which were not introduced until around 1996!

I believe this dial was available through until the early years of 116233 Datejusts, a google search for which produces supporting images. I think I even had one — this will have been circa 2005.

I retain the comprehensive Rolex U.K. price lists from the time and will check to see if it was a standard option or a special order —- but we must also remember that Rolex have regularly supplied different permutations of watches to different territories at the same time.

Edited to add: Yes, I have just checked the October 2006 UK master price list and degraded dials feature across the range as standard, listed options: blue especially (and in all three sizes), but also red. I've now checed March 2008's list.....they were still showing then...October 2008, still listed...December 2008...in fact it is not until the February 2009 price list that they no longer appear, though even at that time there will have been a few examples still in main agents' stocks.

Edited further to add: Further to satisfy my memory, I find from my website archive that I did indeed have a few late ones, the most recent being a 116233 with degraded blue / diamond dot dial, supplied by Watches of Switzerland in December 2008.

Everyone loves a picture, so here is one of my others, that had boxes and papers dated October 2007 :



"5 digit...70s and 80s" - pah!

Haywood

[swt]

Originally Posted by Haywood_Milton

Edited to add: Yes, I have just checked the October 2006 UK master price list and degraded dials feature across the range as standard, listed options: blue especially (and in all three sizes), but also red. I've now checed March 2008's list.....they were still showing then...October 2008, still listed...December 2008...in fact it is not until the February 2009 price list that they no longer appear, though even at that time there will have been a few examples still in main agents' stocks.

Edited further to add: Further to satisfy my memory, I find from my website archive that I did indeed have a few late ones, the most recent being a 116233 with degraded blue / diamond dot dial, supplied by Watches of Switzerland in December 2008.

Golf clap, sir.

It appears the later years of manufacture are rarer in the wild... perhaps those who have them prefer to keep them.