Rolex Datejust Ref. 1607 — 18-carat yellow gold bark finish, ca. 1965

Price upon request

Identity

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust Ref. 1607, ca. 1965. Self-winding mechanical movement. Oyster case in 18-carat yellow gold, 36 mm diameter, signed screw-down crown, bark-finished yellow gold bezel. Champagne sunburst dial, applied gold baton indexes, gold baton hands, date window at three with cyclops. Plexiglas crystal. Jubilee bracelet in 18-carat yellow gold with bark finish, signed original deployant clasp.

Horological context

The Datejust was introduced by Rolex in 1945, on the maison's fortieth anniversary. The first wristwatch to integrate an instant date-change mechanism at midnight, accompanied by the now-iconic cyclops magnifier above the date window at three o'clock, it inaugurated the Oyster Perpetual Datejust concept: Oyster water resistance, Perpetual self-winding, chronometer certification. Ref. 4467 opens the lineage, followed by Ref. 6605, 1601, 1603 and 1607 — produced through 1977 and powered by calibres 1066 then 1565 and 1575 — distinguished by their bezels (fluted, engine-turned, or bark-finished) and the richness of their dials. They were succeeded by Ref. 16xxx in 1977 with calibre 3035 introducing the quickset date and sapphire crystal, then Ref. 162xx from 1988 with calibre 3135. The five-piece Jubilee bracelet was introduced in 1945 specifically for the Datejust, becoming inseparable from the model alongside the Oyster bracelet; its bark-finished variant, specific to Ref. 1607, appeared circa 1962.

Character

Champagne sunburst dial with applied gold baton indexes and gold baton hands. Bark-finished bezel matching the bark-finished Jubilee bracelet.

Serviced watch. Very good condition. Delivered with the brand box and the Contre-Temps 24-month warranty certificate.