It’s a deeply entrenched tradition to sport the colours red and gold—hues considered to be auspicious—during the Chinese New Year festive period. In fact, Chinese families the world over faithfully practise this cultural belief during Lunar New Year so much so that it’s common to see every household decked out in shades of red and gold. To that end, we recommend the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40 in 18 ct Everose gold for your wrist as we usher in the Year of the Rat. Cultural traditions aside, the watch alone is impressive enough as an investment, packing enough highlights to excite horophiles.
IN THE PINK
Pink gold is widely used in the watch industry but brands that manufacture their own variants are far and in between. Since Rolex inaugurated its own foundry, it has been producing its own gold variants there. Case in point: 18 ct Everose gold—it is a proprietary, patented pink gold alloy cast in the foundry. Introduced in 2005, 18 ct Everose gold, which boasts a warm, rose-coloured hue, is used on all Rolex models in pink gold. Using 18 ct Everose gold on the Day-Date 40 softens the look of the majestic and stately timepiece, making it a suitable accessory on the wrist for day and night.
A master at mixing-and-matching colours, Rolex endows the Day-Date 40 with a sundust dial that perfectly complements the 18 ct Everose gold case, bezel and bracelet. Besides the elegance exuded by the gilded components, the watchmaker ups the ante by setting 10 baguette-cut diamonds on the dial—they not only add an extra touch of class to the watch but also serves a utilitarian function as hour markers.
FIT FOR THE PRESIDENT
It’s common knowledge that Rolex takes pride in all of its manufacturing processes. The design, development and production of Rolex bracelets and clasps is no exception. Their ergonomics are constantly put under the spotlight to enhance the wearing experience, while their robustness, reliability and aesthetic beauty are of paramount importance to the marque to ensure a high level of quality. For the Day-Date 40, it comes with the iconic President bracelet, which was first created in 1956 for the launch of the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date. What many Rolex enthusiasts like most about the highly refined metal bracelet, which comes with semi-circular, three-piece links, is how comfortable it sits on the wrist. Today, the President bracelet is still reserved for the Day-Date as well as selected versions of the Datejust for women in precious metals.
ENGINE POWER
Rolex equips the Day-Date 40 with the self-winding mechanical movement, calibre 3255, which is entirely developed and manufactured in-house. Boasting 14 patents, it demonstrates the watchmaker’s constant pursuit for performance excellence. The movement incorporates the Chronergy escapement, which shows efficiency in energy regulation and a high resistance to magnetic interference, as well as the blue Parachrom hairspring—it is 10 times more precise than traditional hairspring in the event of knocks and shocks—in the beating oscillator. Besides these enhancements, calibre 3255 also boasts an improved barrel architecture, all of which contribute to a longer power reserve of three days. Simply put, the watch can run from Friday to Monday without losing accuracy even if not worn or wound.
NOTHING BUT THE BEST
When it was launched in 1956, the Day-Date was a major innovation. It was the first calendar wristwatch to indicate, in addition to the date, the day of the week spelt out in full in a window on the dial. Also, it has regularly been sported on the wrists of the powerful and influential over time. That is why it earned the nickname of the “presidents’ watch”, coined by the watch buffs seeing its close relationship with eminent figureheads in society. Interestingly, the day display at 12 o’clock can be customised in a wide array of languages. Also, the Day-Date is only available in 18 ct gold or 950 platinum, underlining its status of the watch par excellence for the distinguished.
SPECIFICATIONS
MODEL CASE SPECIFICATIONS
Oyster, 40 mm, Everose gold
OYSTER ARCHITECTURE
Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown
MATERIAL
18 ct Everose gold
BEZEL
Fluted
WINDING CROWN
Screw-down, Twinlock double waterproofness system
CRYSTAL
Scratch-resistant sapphire, Cyclops lens over the date
WATER-RESISTANCE
Waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet
CALIBRE
3255, Manufacture Rolex
FUNCTIONS
Centre hour, minute and seconds hands Instantaneous day and date in apertures, unrestricted rapid-setting. Stop-seconds for precise time setting
BRACELET
President, semi-circular three-piece links
BRACELET MATERIAL
18 ct Everose gold
CLASP
Concealed folding Crownclasp
