The History of the Rolex Day-Date President | Bob's Watches

Hello everyone! Today we’re looking at one of the most recognizable watches in the Rolex catalog: the Day-Date President. First unveiled in 1956, its instantly recognizable positioning of the day of the week at the 12 o’clock mark and date at 3 o’clock has since been copied by many other brands over the years. Its fluted bezel, general case design and proportions mirror the aesthetics of the equally iconic Datejust. However, since its early it was often fitted with the Rolex President bracelet which in many ways melds the designs of the Oyster and Jubilee bracelets in the best way possible. Its links are larger and heavier semi-circular links that mimic portions of the Jubilee, appearing in the same staggered setup as you get from an Oyster. First launching as the reference 6510 and 6511 in ‘56, measuring 36mm across, the same as it is offered today, early models suffered from some teething issues that led Rolex to redesign the model into the reference 1803 and other 18XX references that lasted in variations of production through the 1970s. The 1807 “Bark” model is an especially charming example of the weirdness from this era, as it features a uniquely textured bezel and matching bracelet center links that do, in all fairness, resemble tree bark. It was somewhere in this early period, though not this 1807 in particular, that ended up earning this watch its presidential nickname in the first place. Lyndon B. Johnson famously wore the Day Date a fair amount during his term