Rolex Day Date - still a classic today
In 1956, Rolex presented the first Day Date, another model that would quickly join the many Rolex classics: to this day, it and several other watches from the 1950s dominate the Geneva manufacturer's collection. The Rolex Day Date was a world first: the first wristwatch that displayed the full day of the week in addition to the date. This lettering was shown in a separate window below the twelve o'clock, which was modeled on the curve of the watch. This striking feature of being able to display both the current date and the corresponding day of the week ultimately gave the luxury watch its name: Day Date.
A watch with symbolic character
To make the date window easier to read, a section of sapphire glass with two and a half times magnification was also inserted above the date window. This innovation was playfully called the "Cyclops magnifying glass". Over time, it was gradually transferred to all other Rolex watch models that were equipped with a date window. This helpful feature has now become a typical identifying feature of the Rolex watch brand. The Rolex Day Date model not only became known for its innovative "Cyclops magnifying glass", but also above all for famous and influential personalities such as Pope John Paul II and Wall Street legend Warren Buffet, who wore this innovative watch on their wrists. Several American presidents also opted for the elegant luxury watch with a day display, including President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Thanks to these prominent wearers, the Rolex Day Date quickly received nicknames such as "President's Watch" or "Rolex President". However, this could also have been due to the bracelet with the special, round cut, which is only available for the Rolex Day Date and the Rolex Dayjust. This was also introduced in 1956 under the name “President”.
A date display as an unmistakable feature
Following the success of the first Rolex Day Date, the Swiss company decided to launch a new luxury watch under the name Day Date in 2008. The Rolex Day Date II was also launched with the new 3156 manufacture movement and increased the case diameter to 41 millimeters. Following the great success of the first Rolex Day Date, the famous date display is now available in more than 26 different languages and is still the highlight of the Day Date.
