Need help with Day Date

[jtshaw474]

I am in need of some knowledge and wisdom from those who know more than I. My current project is to find a 36 mm WG DD double quickset so (1988 or newer) or I would take an 84 because it is my birth year. I have seen a lot of WG DD for sale from $13,000 on up. The only issue is that I am not finding a lot of blue face dials. I actually prefer the blue lume dial Rolex made up to last year (only to discontinue it in the 2019 line up). My question is this, if I find a DD that is a good deal but has a black or white dial, can I get the dial switched to blue? I contacted a local AD and they said that they most likely would not be able to switch out the dial. I understand they are under strict rules in placed by Rolex. So is swapping out the dials something commonly done? Or should I really focus my search on finding a blue dial? Also, anyone know a good watchmaker in the Midwest/Western P.A. area that can do this work?

[Pongster]

I think if same reference and part still available, they should be able to do a swap.

[Kliminator]

I believe if the reference came in that configuration - they can make the swap. They will not allow you to swap for a diamond dial.

My understanding is that a full service + ~$600 for the dial is needed and you will not be able to keep the original dial

[miamiclay]

All the above is true if you only want the watch touched by Rolex. Because you are hunting for an older 18239 or similar, you could buy a watch and a blue dial and have it replaced by a watchmaker in 10 minutes. But, you’d have to find not just a genuine blue dial, but one made for a white gold watch - Otherwise the dial will have yellow gold furniture. The dial won’t be cheap.

[Tangier11]

Originally Posted by miamiclay

All the above is true if you only want the watch touched by Rolex. Because you are hunting for an older 18239 or similar, you could buy a watch and a blue dial and have it replaced by a watchmaker in 10 minutes. But, you’d have to find not just a genuine blue dial, but one made for a white gold watch - Otherwise the dial will have yellow gold furniture. The dial won’t be cheap.

X2, find a basic factor dial is not as easy as you would think, and WG DD would make it that much harder. But with that said, it can be done

[miamiclay]

By the way, while the WG/blue combination DD is indeed a looker, keep in mind that there were different blue dials offered over the >20-year run of the 5-digit DDs. A matte blue may be easiest to find, though none will be common in WG. If you decide to go this route, you might even want to source the dial first - I.e., make certain you can find a dial you like first, because you can always source a WG watch for it.

Here’s my WG DD with lapis dial, for your pleasure in the meantime ...
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