Rolex Day-date Features Replica Watches

Day-Date features:

1) The capitalized week window at 12 o’clock

2) Precious metal case (gold, white gold, eternal rose gold, platinum)

3) Three-grid arched (head of state) link

4) Five dial scales of metal bar, bar diamond, square diamond, Arabic numerals, and ancient Roman numerals

5) 3135, 3156, 3235, 3255 movements

From the day window to the material, strap, bezel, and even the buckle, DD has stood on the shoulders of Rolex since its establishment in 1956.

DD and week window

In a traditional watch, the day + calendar window may be designed like this:

Both the week and the calendar are displayed in a small window.

It could also be this design:

Small window week + rolling date

It could also be this design:

Day of the week in a small window, pointer date

And Rolex is this design:

Entire writing week window + 3 o’clock enlarged window date

In the previous few traditional replica watches, no matter how the calendar changes (small window, scrolling, pointer), the small window design (first three letters) and position (3 o’clock, 12 o’clock) of the day of the week are relatively fixed. This results in that we only see the “Mon” in “Monday.” And the owner of the DD watch in the 21st century is fortunate to witness a complete Monday under the deep night:

Noon window with a full day of the week

From the birth time of the calendar function to the quartz crisis in the 1970s, there are roughly four “transitional forms” of the calendar of mechanical watches:

1) Slow crawl: From 21:00 to 22:00 on the watch time, the calendar claw drives the calendar disc to rotate slowly to reveal the next date.

2) Slow jump: From 21:00 to 22:00 on the watch time, dial the calendar to drive the calendar disk to turn halfway, and the next second jumps by. (second jump)

3) Quick jump: From 21:00 to 22:00 of the watch time, the calendar claw slowly pushes the calendar disc and starts to store power after it can’t be made (it turns out less than 1/4 grid during the period) and quickly makes the calendar disc after the thrust is greater than the resistance Spin half way out, then skip the next half. (second jump)

4) Instantaneous jump: do not touch the calendar disc before jumping the calendar; jump the calendar instantly when the time is up. (millisecond level, fast motion invisible to the naked eye)

The fourth type of instantaneous jump may only be left by Rolex, such as 3135 and 3235 movements.

(The DD 1956 did not have an instant jump, but Rolex added an instant jump after mastering the instant jump technology.)

In the competition of copying and copying each other, those who dare to eat crabs often bear huge market risks. Fortunately, American President Lyndon Baines Johnson caught sight of DD after it was produced. It happened that Rolex’s strap was the “President” strap. The two were combined, and DD became the “President’s Watch” in 1960, namely the Presidential Table. DD sold well nationwide in the following decades and became a real celebrity in the watch.

The President’s watch

This involves a fascinating question: Why in that environment was DD able to attract such substantial commercial traffic in the early stage by the week window alone? The author believes that this is a certainty.

One of the aesthetics of the traditional design is to achieve the beauty of integration through the combination of various elements; in combination with the realization needs of businesses, influential brands tend to choose conservative but market-proven designs to meet the market’s current needs. , Stable demand: in that era, it was a formal belt watch. Excavate, create and innovate needs, not just fill, satisfy, and stick to conservative needs.

However, under the homogeneous market supply, there are often niche markets lurking; the precipitation and planting of niche markets with stable batches may cause a series of chain reactions and eventually lead to a partial reshuffle of the business structure.

Just like “Baidu” in “BAT” has become “ByteDance” ByteDance; Ali became PDD in fourth- and fifth-tier cities; Tencent acquired game companies to fight against Mihayou, competed, surpassed, was overtaken, and competed again. Fortunately, the DD, which is as expensive as the presidential watch, is not only the week.

DD and precious metals

DD does not have a pure steel case. Unlike logbooks or other entry-level models of Rolex, when DD launched the first watch, it determined the principle of using precious metals for the case; the precious metals here mainly refer to gold, white 18K gold, eternal rose gold, and platinum (white 18K gold Often mistaken for platinum). Let’s start with the “karat gold ratio” of traditional gold.

K that is Karat (German literal translation, English is Carat), derived from a carob tree along the Mediterranean Sea; because its bean kernels are the same size, the ancients used it as a unit of measurement for a long time; in 1914, the international “Karat” as a regulation standard.

According to this set of standards, the gold content of each gold product can be divided into 1K to 24K. 1K is about 4.16%, 8K is about 33.328%, and the purity used internationally for jewelry processing is at least 8K, which is 33.328%. Like the everyday K gold jewelry in Italy, it is mainly concentrated between 14K (about 58.324%) and 18K (about 74.998%). If you go to a gold store to choose a wedding ring before May 4, 2016, you may see To “24K gold” on the parameter. The gold content ratio of “24K gold” is about 99.998%, often regarded as the theoretical 100% “pure gold” among the people.

In stores, this kind of 24K gold can be called “pure gold” (gold content reaches 99% and above), “thousand pure gold” (gold content comes 99.9% and above), or even “ten thousand pure gold” (gold content reaches 99.99%). % and above).

However, before the Spring Festival in 2015, the National Standardization Management Committee announced the No. 1 revision of GB11887-2012 “Regulations on the Purity and Nomenclature of Jewelry Precious Metals”; Ten thousand pure gold and 24K gold” there is only “pure gold.”

In other words, the original “24K gold” can only be called: pure gold (gold content reaches 99% and above). With this in mind, let’s talk about “platinum.” From the table of elements, we know that the chemical symbol of platinum is “Pt” (Platinum), while gold is “Au” (Aurum); in terms of scarcity, the output of platinum is 1/30 of that of gold.

It is less produced (mainly in South Africa, Russia), more difficult to process (less malleable than gold), and more expensive. On the Rolex Day Date, the diamond-encrusted 40mm platinum DD can be regarded as the ceiling of the DD:

Other specifications being equal, platinum DDs tend to be the most expensive. In this DD, we can see that the case material is “950 platinum”. This “950” refers to the platinum purity of “95% and above”. The standard ratio in my country is Pt900 (platinum purity is 90% and above); usually, Pt900 to Pt950 jewelry can be called high Pure platinum products. “Platinum” currently only refers to platinum products above Pt850 in my country. Platinum is not gold.

More than ten years ago, we entered the jewelry store through a tour guide, and a large part of the “platinum products” we bought was 18K gold, matched with some metals to make silver-white alloy products. So this kind of product should be called “18K gold”, or “white 18K gold”. Instead of “18K white gold”. (According to the latest national standards, not industry standards)

The case material should be “white 18K gold” or “18K gold”. Yes, it does look silvery white to the naked eye, but it is not platinum; only platinum products with a Pt850 or higher can be called platinum. Combining 18K gold (about 75% purity) with titanium, silver, nickel, rhodium, copper, and other metals can make white 18K gold. In the same way, by mixing 75% gold + 22.25% copper + 2.75% silver, we can get a beautiful rose gold color.

By adjusting the ratio of these three metals, we can create different rose gold dials.

Speaking of which, we learned that:

1) Platinum rarity > gold

2) Platinum DDs are often the most expensive, with the exact specifications

3) Platinum with a purity of more than 85% can be called platinum (national standard, according to international platinum = platinum)

Here are two additional points:

1) Platinum is rare but does not necessarily preserve its value (when the economy is developing rapidly, platinum may be 1~2 times the price of gold, and when the economy is tepid, it may be flat or even 1/2 the price of gold). Please refer to [Shanghai Gold Exchange] and [Shanghai Futures Exchange] daily prices for gold prices.

2) Precious metals include gold, silver, platinum group metals (ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, platinum), and eight other metal elements. The above four case materials are only taken from some parts.

Afterward, we played black games with the children; no need to say that we were “platinum rank”; the game is ranked according to gold-platinum-diamond rank; similar to reality, the higher the level, the higher the value as a social currency (Disregarding the actual value of the diamond). If you do not consider long-term holding, choosing gold DD (more value-preserving) is recommended.

DD and heads of state link

Rolex has six straps, namely:

1. Consumable watch chain (watch friends jokingly call it “plate chain” ):

Commonly found in the Consumable Perpetual series, Airmaster series, Explorer type, and some logbooks, Yacht-Master models.

From the release of the consumable watch chain in 1926 to the present, there have been three versions: (The two pictures before and after this paragraph are from Hodinkee & Watch House Yan Danping)

From top to bottom: 1st generation, 2nd generation, 3rd generation

1) The first generation of “screw watch chain,” with screws interspersed on the side of the watch section

2) The second-generation “folding watch chain,” the metal sheet of the watch section is folded from the inside out

3) The “sealed bracelet” of the third generation, sealed on the side

Among them, the third-generation consumable watch chain we use is hollow on the five-digit model, such as Rolex 16610.

Modern Rare Airbus

16610

And the model on the six digits is solid, such as m116610.

The motivation for the consumable watch chain to be changed from hollow to solid (heavier) may be due to texture, durability, and the need for rising luxury goods prices, as well as the maturity of mechanical technology and cost reduction. In the age when the machinery was not yet developed, each watch section required a high labor cost; even in the 1930s, the consumable watch chain needed to be purchased separately (a complete watch chain may cost 50% of the price).

For a long time, Rolex has used the consumable watch chain produced by Gay Frères (bracelet manufacturer) (Lao later bought it).

2. Commemorative watch chain (usually, we often call it a “five baht chain,” to avoid awkwardness, we call it a five-bead chain):

Standard in some journal models (Date-Just), the table section has five columns.

In 1945, to celebrate its 40th anniversary, Rolex launched a commemorative watch chain, which we often call a five-bead chain. The five-bead chain is also exciting. Initially, it was only used to match Lao’s precious metal fake watches, which represent high-end models. But when the head of the state strap appeared in 1956, the five-bead chain was overshadowed. Here are two points for watching friends based on network data:

1) The five-bead chain was originally a rectangular buckle, which was later changed to the same hidden buckle as the head of the state type, and then changed to the same buckle as the consumption type (there are also three generations, which can be seen from the third generation, and the current five The status of the bead chain is lower than that of the head of the state bracelet.)

2) The new GMT-Master (Greenwich II) no longer relies on plate chains (fixed with rose gold or white 18K gold cases for some time) and five-bead chains (set with 904L steel and stainless steel cases for some time). Hierarchy.

“Watches are not expensive or cheap, but people’s hearts are high or low.” Rolex has provided more comprehensive choices for watch friends with fluctuating budgets by expanding the range of watch straps for the famous “Coke Circle” and “Blue Black Circle.” Five-baht (bead) chain> Consumable chain (higher positioning, more comfortable to fit the wrist, belonging to the “basic” and above watch chain)

3. Head-of-state watch chain (the heads of state of some countries prefer to wear it)

Triple-arched precious metal. Yes, the same precious metal as the dial. (Gold, White 18K Gold, Rose Gold, Platinum)

The President’s chain President strap

Head-of-state watch chain>five baht (bead) chain>consumable chain (except PearlMaster watch chain) Watch friends who can buy PEARLMASTER diamond-studded models may only care a little about the grade of the watch chain. The main thing is to look good.

4. PEARLMASTER watch chain (the watch chain with the highest positioning of Rolex)
5. Oysterflex strap (commonly known as “tape”)

Rolex Yacht-Master Series m226659-0002