Born in 1945 as the first self-winding chronometer wristwatch to show the date in a little window, the Datejust taught the world a habit it never dropped. Quiet enough for a boardroom and cool enough for a rooftop bar, it moves seamlessly from Monday morning to Saturday night.

Presents itself in mint condition with little to no signs of wear. Set against the light, the bright blue sunray dial spins through a hundred shades of blue, deep as midnight on one turn of the wrist and bright as a summer sky on the next. Crowned by a smooth domed bezel in polished steel, the face stays calm and open, with no fluting to shout over the colour underneath. Woven from five-piece links in brushed and polished steel, the Jubilee bracelet moves like fabric and throws off tiny bright squares of light. Finished with a folding Oysterclasp, the fit gains 5mm from an Easylink extension that unfolds with no tools.

Functions include hours, minutes, seconds, and date. Unscrew the screw-down crown at 3 o’clock and wind about 30 turns in the first position to wake the Calibre 3235. Pull to the second position for bidirectional rapid date setting, and set to yesterday’s date. Pull to the third position to stop the seconds hand, then walk the hands past 12 to today’s date and on to the correct time. Screw the crown back down for 100 metres of water resistance, backed by a 70-hour power reserve and Superlative Chronometer accuracy rated at -2/+2 seconds a day. 

Comes as a complete set, double-boxed with an international guarantee card, green card wallet, Oyster Perpetual Datejust booklet, warranty booklet, and green Rolex seal tag.

Eighty years on, the Datejust remains the first name people say out loud when they decide to buy a Rolex. If your collection is waiting for the piece you actually reach for every morning, a short message is all it takes to start the conversation.