
Alexandre de Lamberterie
Specialist
€20,000 - €30,000
Our Watches specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistSpecialist
Senior Cataloguer
Sale Coordinator & Cataloguer
Rolex has produced an interesting range of hard stone dials throughout the decades - malachite, tiger's eye, onyx and lapis lazuli spring to mind immediately. But even though the looks of these different stones can give a completely different feel to the design of a watch, there is one thing they all have in common. Hard stone dials are always a challenge to produce but do not change over time.
Carved from a large stone which needs to be of excellent quality, the slice needs to be cut exceedingly thin in order to produce a usable dial. Especially with types of stone that are on the more porous side in structure, this can be a challenge and many are rejected.
The complicated production process is clearly worth the effort. The nature of the material means each dial is truly unique and characterful.
For nearly 70 years now the Day-Date has been an icon of luxury and sophistication for 20th and 21st century watch connoisseurs. A mainstay of Rolex production since 1956, the Day-Date has enjoyed a long history of collaboration and customisation with some modifications being more elaborate than others.