Welcome to the latest Second Time Round blog article in which we look at the history and development of the Rolex Datejust. Notable for being the first wristwatch with a date function, the 'Datejust' was introduced to market in 1945, shortly after the Second World War. It comprised of a larger version of its Bubbleback and was a self-winding chronograph, using the perpetually powered classic 10-1/2" Hunter.
The original Rolex Datejust, named the Jubilee Datejust model 4467, was only available in 18k gold and this became the flagship model. It features a fine coin edged bezel, a gold edged date window, alternating red/ black date figures, a tiny bubbleback winder and a deeply domed back. This model was a 3 case part Ovettone model though it was soon replaced by a model with only 2 case parts.
However the biggest, most dramatic change to the Rolex Datejust came in 1954 with the introduction of the Cyclops lens. Allowing for far easier reading of the date, the Cyclops lens became part of the Rolex signature. Following this development was the creation, in 1957, of a new movement calibre 1065 which was much lighter and slimmer allowing for a flatter back and therefore rendering the old domed back obsolete. In the same year Rolex also released stainless steel versions of the Datejusts, where previously they had only been available in yellow gold (and pink gold in South America).
The next change was to change the dial. The old curved edge dial gave way to the new flat dial, which in turn was facilitated by the new Rapid Date Change or quickset feature. The new calibre (3085) movement not only enabled the wearer to change the date much quicker it also meant that there was not as much wear on the hand setting mechanism. Most usefully though it allowed the wearer to change the date from the 28th or 30th to 1st without changing the time.
When the manual " Oysterdate" was introduced in the 1950's it came in two sizes, one about the same size as an "Air King" and one a little bigger than a Bubbleback. By the Late 1960's the smaller one was dropped leaving nothing to fill the void between the current Datejust and the Lady's model. In 1970 this changed however with the introduction of the 2030 movement. This was a scaled down version of the 1030 movement and was immediately fitted to a series of watches universally known as the "Mid Size". These watches were perfect 80% replicas of the Oyster Perpetual and the Datejust were available in all the metal and dial variations shared by their big brother. They have proved to be one of Rolex's greatest successes as they were very popular in the Europe, South America and Asia. Because they were an in between size they also appealed to large women or small men to whom the standard sizes did not appeal.
At the end of the 1980's the Datejusts were fitted with the sapphire mineral crystal glass. The purpose of this was two fold. Firstly it was more aesthetically pleasing as it slimmed the look of the Datejust and it also rendered the glass virtually scratch proof, which was extremely practical.
The success of the Datejust is phenomenal. From a flagship model when it was first released to one of their entry level models now, it still retains the prowess and exclusiveness that have made it famous.
