Few watches say quiet confidence quite like a two-tone Lady-Datejust, and fewer still manage it in a size this easy to live with. Since 1957 it has been the piece a woman reaches for when she wants the room to notice the watch before it clocks the logo. Made for the collector who wants one timepiece that carries her from a morning meeting to a midnight celebration without a second thought.

Presents itself in brand new condition with no signs of wear. Set against a crisp white lacquer dial, applied 18K yellow gold Roman numerals catch the light with every turn of the wrist. Crowned by a fluted 18K yellow gold bezel, dozens of mirror-polished facets scatter warm flashes of gold. Woven from five-piece links in steel and 18K yellow gold, the Jubilee bracelet drapes like fabric and lifts the whole watch into dress-watch territory. Finished with a concealed folding Crownclasp, the two halves close into one clean line with the crown tucked into the centre links.

Functions include hours, minutes, seconds, and date. Found at 3 o’clock, the screw-down Twinlock crown unscrews to its first position, where turning it forward hand-winds the Calibre 2236 and its roughly 55-hour power reserve. Pulled out one click, the crown quick-sets the date, magnified for easy reading beneath the Cyclops lens. Pulled out all the way, the seconds hand stops so the hours and minutes can be set right on the second. Screwed back down, the crown keeps the Oyster case waterproof to 100 metres, while the Syloxi silicon hairspring holds Superlative Chronometer accuracy of −2/+2 seconds a day.

Comes as a full set, boxed with warranty documentation.

Nearly seventy years on, the Lady-Datejust is still the watch other watches imitate when they want to look effortless. For the collector who has been waiting on the one piece that pairs with everything and strains at nothing, a short message is all it takes to begin.