A milestone in watchmaking history, the Oyster Perpetual Datejust was the first automatic, waterproof, chronometer wristwatch to display the date within a window at 3 o'clock on the dial. The numbers on the date display remind us that a day is made up of 24 hours, and that it is up to us to make that day a date to remember.
“IT IS THE PEAK OF SCIENCE APPLIED TO WATCHMAKING. IN FACT, THE TIMEPIECE CONCENTRATES ALL THE DISCOVERIES MADE TO DATE.”
HANS WILSDORF, 1945
THE EMBODIMENT OF ROLEX KNOWHOW
The archetype of the classic Rolex watch, the Datejust, launched in 1945, represents the concentration of all the main goals achieved by the Brand up to that point. The timepiece confirms the philosophy of pursuit of excellence promoted by Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf, who is convinced that the progress of watchmaking must be at the service of the progress of humanity. In a period of great change, the relationship with time is also transformed. Modern life is paced more by the passing of the days than by the alternation of the seasons. The Datejust offers greater comfort in terms of readability and daily time management.
THE CYCLOPES MAGNIFYING GLASS: OPTIMIZED READABILITY
Designed to improve the readability of the date display, the Cyclops magnifying glass is both an aesthetic and technical signature of the Brand. This Rolex invention was patented in the early 1950s and first presented in 1953 on the Datejust. Just like a magnifying glass, it offers better date reading comfort. Initially made of plexiglas, since the 1970s it has been made of sapphire glass, just like watch glass.
THE JUBILEE BRACELET: COMFORT AND ELEGANCE
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Rolex designed the Jubilee bracelet in 1945, specifically for the Datejust. Flexible and comfortable, this five-row metallic bracelet is an integral part of the Datejust's identity and highlights the timeless elegance of this model. The Datejust is also available with an Oyster bracelet, or, in the precious metal versions, with a President bracelet.
AN ICON OF WATCHMAKING CONSTANTLY REINTERPRETED
The Datejust has never stopped reinventing itself. With the variety of its variations it expresses the excellence of the Rolex Manufacture in the creation of dials. The wide selection of bezels – smooth, domed, knurled or with diamonds – has allowed the Datejust to cross the various eras in style and, at the same time, adapt perfectly to the personality of the wearer.
CELEBRATE THE MOMENTS THAT MAKE DATE
The Datejust naturally becomes the watch of memorable dates. Day after day, its dial marks a meeting point between one's individual path and the passage of time. On the wrists of prominent figures such as Winston Churchill, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Martin Luther King, the Datejust spans the ages without ever losing its touch of modernity.
Among the Rolex Testimonials associated with the Datejust, we remember the Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, the Polish tennis player Iga Świątek, the Swiss skier Lara GutBehrami and the Canadian singer Michael Bublé.
