Business in Tokyo

According to its history, the watch was ordered in this specification by a businessman in Tokyo, a notably restrained choice for what was already one of the most exclusive watches in the Rolex catalogue at the time.

When it appeared in 1945, the Datejust set the template for what a Rolex dress watch could be: a date at three o’clock, a fluted bezel, and proportions that have barely needed adjusting since. In 18k yellow gold, as the ref. 1601/8, it was the most formal expression of that idea, and it was almost always paired with dials designed to match its warmth: champagne, gold.

This example takes a different route. It features a matte black no-lume dial, paired with matching no-lume hands, a configuration that is rarely seen on the gold Datejust. Without lume plots, the dial reads as clean and graphic, letting the contrast between the deep black surface and the gold applied indices do all the work.

Without the cyclops magnifier, the dial becomes even cleaner and more geometric, with nothing standing between the eye and that deep matte black surface.

The watch dates to 1972, and the case remains in excellent condition, with the hallmarks on the caseback still deeply struck, a reliable sign of a case that has been well preserved over the decades. It is fitted with a leather strap and a gold-plated Rolex buckle.