The Rolex Lady-Datejust 69178 is the solid 18 ct yellow gold, fluted-bezel version of the 26 mm Lady-Datejust. It carries the date function and Cyclops-magnified date window of the full-size Datejust in a case scaled for a smaller wrist, built entirely in precious metal and fitted to the President bracelet.
The Lady-Datejust line was introduced by Rolex in 1957 as a women’s chronometer-certified automatic watch. The 691xx generation, of which the 69178 is part, is the sapphire-crystal, quickset-date series powered by the caliber 2135. Within Rolex’s numbering, 691 designates this Lady-Datejust series, the final digit 8 designates the 18 ct yellow gold case, and the middle digit 7 designates the fluted bezel.
The 69178 sat in the upper part of the Lady-Datejust range at the time of sale, as the all-gold, non-gem-set configuration. It was produced from the mid-1980s and remained in the catalogue until around the turn of the 2000s, when the 179xxx series with the caliber 2235 replaced it. A 1996 example falls in the later part of that production window.
This configuration carries a champagne (gold-tone) dial with a sunburst finish, applied gold baton hour markers, and gold hands. The date sits at 3 o’clock beneath a Cyclops lens, and the outer minute track runs around the dial edge.
The dial is signed with the Rolex coronet and the Oyster Perpetual Datejust designation, along with the chronometer text confirming the movement’s certification. Marker and hand styling on this reference is applied gold rather than printed. The 69178 was produced with a wide range of factory dials across its run, so the champagne baton dial is one of several documented configurations rather than the only one.
The case is the Oyster form in solid 18 ct yellow gold, with a screw-down caseback and a screw-down winding crown. The measured case diameter is 26 mm without the crown, with a lug width of 13 mm. Sources describe the case profile as the standard tonneau-form Lady Oyster of the era.
The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops magnifier over the date at 3 o’clock, providing 2.5x magnification. The crown is a screw-down Twinlock type, and the solid caseback is engraved on the inside with the Montres Rolex S.A. signature and the 69000A case code. Water resistance is rated at 100 m.
The bezel is the fluted 18 ct yellow gold bezel, a fixed decorative bezel with no timing or reading function. The fluting is the traditional Rolex machined pattern. A factory diamond-set bezel on this case is a separate reference, the 69138, so a diamond bezel found on a 69178 is an aftermarket addition rather than a factory fitment.
This reference is fitted with the President bracelet in solid 18 ct yellow gold, a three-piece link bracelet with a concealed Crownclasp folding clasp. The attachment beneath the bezel is concealed, giving an unbroken visual line between the case and the bracelet.
The ladies President bracelet for the 26 mm case carries the clasp code 8570F, with end links coded 68B. The clasp is a concealed deployant that closes flush, with the crown signature on the outside. The 69178 is documented on both the President bracelet and, on some examples, the Jubilee bracelet; this configuration is the President.
The movement is the Rolex caliber 2135, an automatic, self-winding movement with bidirectional winding. It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), carries 29 jewels, and holds a power reserve of approximately 42 hours. It is a certified Swiss chronometer (COSC).
The 2135 was the first of Rolex’s ladies calibers to include a quickset date, allowing the date to be advanced independently of the hands. To set the date, the crown is unscrewed and pulled to the intermediate position, then turned to advance the date; the further position sets the time. The movement uses a Glucydur balance and KIF shock protection, and measures 20 mm in diameter and 5.83 mm in height.
The functions are hours, minutes, centre seconds, and date.
The case, bezel, and bracelet are solid 18 ct yellow gold. The crystal is synthetic sapphire, scratch resistant, with an integrated Cyclops magnifier. The hour markers and hands are gold. The clasp is solid 18 ct yellow gold matching the bracelet.
The overall material character is a fully precious-metal watch with a sapphire crystal, with weight and construction consistent with an all-gold case and bracelet.
A full set for a 1996 example of this reference would typically include:
Older version (original-sale-era boxes across the reference’s run)
Newer version
A 1996 example corresponds to the Gen 3 box format. A modern service box on a 1996 watch indicates a later replacement rather than the original delivery packaging, which is relevant when assessing a full-set listing.
A 1996 example was sold with a punched paper guarantee, the format Rolex used before the credit-card-style guarantee was introduced in 2006. The guarantee was completed and stamped by the selling dealer and punched to record the reference and serial. Coverage applied under Rolex’s international guarantee terms in effect at the time of sale. On a 1996 watch, that original guarantee period has long since expired.
Older version (original-sale-era guarantee formats across the reference’s run)
Newer version
A 1996 example corresponds to the Gen 3 paper guarantee format. The 69178 was discontinued before the plastic warranty-card era, so an original factory set should not include a modern credit-card-style Rolex warranty card; Rolex generally used paper certificates before the mid-2000s. The original guarantee period has long since expired on any example, so the paper guarantee now functions as a provenance and authenticity document rather than active coverage, and current mechanical assurance comes from a recent service rather than the factory warranty.
The 26 mm case wears as a compact dress watch. With a 13 mm lug width and a case height in the region of 10 mm, it sits close to the wrist and passes easily under a cuff. In solid gold, the watch has real heft for its size, with a total weight typically in the low-to-mid 70-gram range depending on bracelet sizing.
The President bracelet tapers toward the concealed clasp and follows the wrist closely. The proportions suit smaller wrists, broadly in the 5.5 to 6.75 inch range. This is a watch built for everyday and formal wear rather than a tool or sports role, and the all-gold construction places it at the dressier end of the Lady-Datejust range.
Across the 69178’s run the constants are the solid 18 ct yellow gold Oyster case, the fluted yellow gold bezel, the caliber 2135, and the 26 mm case size. What varies between examples is the dial and, on some examples, the bracelet.
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