If you’re in the market to purchase your very first Rolex but are concerned about the price, fret not. There are plenty of models well suited for first-time Rolex buyers. Case in point is the Rolex Date model, also known as the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date. Although it is sometimes confused with the Datejust, the Date is a separate collection entirely. The Rolex Date is actually in between an replica rolex date watches (previous versions not the current one) and a Datejust. Let’s find out why.
The Rolex Date made its debut in the 1950s—following the 1945 launch of the Datejust. While both models featured an Oyster case, a date window, and a Cyclops lens on the crystal, there are some fundamental differences between the two.
Firstly, the Rolex Date sports a 34mm case size. This is 2mm smaller than the traditional Datejust and the same size as the traditional Air-King. I say traditional, because of course today, there are several larger sizes of the Datejust, such as Datejust II and Datejust 41. Similarly, the Air-King also has a new larger size today.
In addition to the case, the bracelet width of the Rolex Date is slightly thinner at 19mm rather than the Datejust’s 20mm width. What’s more, it’s important to note that older versions of the Rolex Date—similar to other vintage Rolex models—have acrylic crystal protecting the face of the watch instead of the sapphire crystal used today.
There are several variations replica rolex watches within the Rolex Date family, including metal options, bezel assortments, bracelet choices, and dial varieties.
Earlier versions of the Rolex Date from the 1950s, such as the ref. 6534 ran on the Rolex Caliber 1030, chronometer-certified. Later on, in the 1960s, the Rolex Date ref. 15xx models had either the Rolex Caliber 1565 or 1575. These automatic movements are non-quickset date ones, meaning the hands have to be moved around the dial to change the date.
