When the first Rolex Datejust was introduced in 1945 – the year of the brand’s 40th anniversary – it entered history as the first automatic water-resistant certified chronometer with a date on the dial. The “Cyclops” was added in 1955 in order to magnify the date display two and a half times, making the indication more legible and clear, and this feature became one of the most recognisable hallmarks of Rolex in general.
In 2009, Rolex introduced the Rolex Datejust II. This line of watches offers the characteristics of the original and emblematic Rolex Datejust in a more simplified and modern design, while also including new innovations. One of the most significant differences between the Rolex Datejust and the Rolex Datejust II is, of course, the size – the new one is 41 mm, significantly larger and following the new trends for larger watch cases. The other difference is the movement – the Datejust II has the honour of carrying inside it the calibre 3136, created by the brand exclusively for this model – an in-house movement with Paraflex anti-shock protection, Parachrom hairspring, COSC-certified chronometer status, 48 hours of power reserve and operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour.
In 2017, the brand also presented the newest version of the model under reference 126300. One of the biggest changes is precisely the movement – the new calibre 3235, which has an increased power reserve of 70 hours, a seriously improved automatic winding system in which the rotor is now mounted on a bearing, and its efficiency has been increased by 15%. As for lubrication, the reversing wheels, being one of the problematic areas from the point of view of friction, have a Teflon coating. The new 3235 contains 14 built-in patents and more than 90% new components, and in addition, it is twice as accurate as the official COSC chronometer requirements.
It is no coincidence that the Datejust is the most popular and recognisable model of the brand after the cult Submariner – and the Datejust 41 allows this popularity to be presented in a contemporary interpretation. This particular watch comes in a wonderful and relatively hard-to-find combination – grey-silver dial with hour markers.
The detail of this watch, as indeed of all modern Rolex watches we have had the opportunity to examine, is truly impressive. Starting with the incredible dial – in the watch presented here, this is the so-called “Silver dial”, used by Rolex in only a few models, which changes its colour from dark grey to silver depending on the angle, while the luminous coating is the brand-specific Chromalight, which in this model is available only on the dials with markers – neither the Arabic nor the Roman numeral versions have this feature – and this is yet another plus of this combination. Moving on to the classic sapphire with “Cyclops” – in this case, the highest class of the brand’s sapphire has been used, which has allowed the overall height of the watch to be reduced compared with its predecessors. Of course, separate attention must be paid to the case and bezel – an incredible combination of brushed 904L steel of the highest class with faceted polished edges and details in certain places; as you know, Rolex pay special attention to the steel they use and, for this purpose, have their own foundries for the production of all their alloys. The bezel is the so-called “smooth” one, which gives it an incredible presence and an elegant appearance on your wrist.
And of course, the bracelet, strap, chain or whatever you prefer to call it – as one would expect from a Rolex, it is genuinely good... In this case, we are talking about an Oyster bracelet with a massive clasp made from a single piece of steel, not from bent sheet metal as with most brands. The only thing it lacks, but perhaps only in our opinion, is the GlideLock clasp of the Sub, although here we do have the so-called EasyLink, which allows micro-adjustment by an additional 5 mm. The lug width is 20 mm.
