The blue colour is very intense and really pops of your wrist when used as a dial. It comes in the same configuration possibility’s as the Onyx but tends to be slightly more valuable. Although Onyx reflects the light way different than just black lacquer, it is easiest distinguishable by the framed aperture.Īnother popular and, compared to some dials in this list, less rare execution is made out of Lapis Lazuli. As goes for al vintage Rolexes, pay attention to details as the hardstone variant of this Submariner is easily mistaken for a regular black dial 16618. Rolex later added the possibility of onyx with diamond-set 6 and 9 or all diamond indices.Īn often-forgotten Onyx Rolex is the 16618. Especially the dials without any markers, on the Day-Date and Datejust, are very popular. Yet Rolex used solely the deep black parts. This mineral is a variety of chalcedony that is in fact layered and can display bands in a range of colours. Let’s start with the least rare but arguably the most beloved stone: Onyx. They later switched to “Swiss” only and late examples plus service dials say “Swiss made”. Stone dials are usually (not always) also fitted with a closed handset, but Rolex simply used the same cliché for regular dials to stamp the stone, just like the ‘No lume’ dials are also stamped with a T. Yet, the earliest examples do feature a signature at the 6 o’clock position with ‘T swiss T’, where the “T” stands for Tritium. Some only have a 6 and a 9, encrusted with a diamond, or a full diamond set index. I said “possibly”, since there are many examples of stone-dials that feature no markers at all. The apertures are drilled in the stone, just like the holes to set the coronet and possibly holes for the markers. For example: in case of a white font the frames, coronet and case should be executed either in white gold or platinum.įrames are also interesting as they display how thick of a slice the stone is. Even in the current line-up we can still find stone-dial Daytona’s and a couple of Day-Date options, but we will have a look at our favourite 10 stones used as a dial in the history of Rolex.ĭepending on the stone and model the dial was made for, there are different varieties regarding the lay-out and execution.Įxcept stone-dial Daytona’s, since they don’t feature any calendric function, the date and/ or day aperture is framed with the same material as the case and coronet, it also corresponds with the font. In the 90’s, 2 other model lines could be possibly fitted with a unique stone dial: the Submariner 16618 and precious metal Daytona’s. With the introduction of the quickset date function in 1978, Rolex continued the use of stone-dials for their 5-digit reference Day-Date and Datejust’s. It was unusual for dealers to stock stone-dialed Day-Date’s or Datejust’s but upon request they could order them at additional costs, displayed by this old and rare “Dial code Chart”. The use of hardstones for dial making, by Rolex, started during the 70’s. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there and we are here to settle this once and for all. With my background and education, I feel like the chosen one to present you multiple examples and give you some in-depth knowledge. Yet, everything Rolex does deserves a study. Rolex Isn’t the only brand that used stone-dials, one might think about Piaget, Cartier, Patek just to name a few. But I, myself, am most interested in Rolex watches where the whole dial is made out of a “ Semi-precious” stone! We all know the sapphire that’s used for many Cartier’s in their crown and surely you have seen a couple diamond set pieces, for example in the bezel, markers or even the bracelets, let alone full pave ones. I studied gemology as my fascination for unique and natural products peaked in my teens.Īpparently, I’m not alone in this many watch brands have used gemstones.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |