Few watches make a statement like a solid gold Rolex. This anachronistic blend of technical design and functionality with a precious metal casing material is a polarizing one, and depending on how its worn (and indeed, by whom), can send very different signals - and we'll just leave it at that. So-called “five digit” Day-Dates (reference variants with five digits) are a quintessential staple of the Neo-Vintage era. These models showed up in the late 70s and offer the added functionality of a higher-beat movement for accuracy and a Quickset date mechanism. They retain the classic 36mm case proportion of their predecessors and were produced in seemingly endless variations of dial, bezel, and bracelet configurations. This particular example, a Reference 18388 most certainly stands out! Dating to circa 1995, it features a solid 18k yellow gold Oyster case with factory diamond-set lugs, a magnified sapphire crystal, a factory diamond-set bezel, a signed crown, a striking and beautiful a factory pave diamond dial with a ruby 'string' minute track, and a matching President bracelet with a signed hidden deployant clasp. A lot to process? That's the idea. While not for everyone, and perhaps even excessive - this wild, stunning and rare configuration was created to be excessive - to be more. We think it has achieved that with bells on.
