1970s Rolex Datejust 'Wide Boy' Style Reference 1603 Why This Watch Matters The Datejust – perhaps the ultimate T-shirt to tuxedo watch – may seem a bit ubiquitous to the uninitiated, but the fact that this classic model lets so much Rolex goodness fly under the radar is exactly why we love it. This is a very special watch, with a gorgeous silvered “sigma” dial. Have no idea what we're talking about? Read on. The Full Story The Datejust is one of the most iconic and most popular Rolex watches ever made, ever since its launch in 1945. Finding a vintage Datejust is not all that hard, but finding the just the right Datejust is not easy task. This Datejust ticks all the boxes, with a stunning silvered sigma dial, perfectly preserved lume dots, and the instantly recognizable steel fluted bezel characteristic of the reference 1603. What is a sigma dial? Well it’s a dial with white gold hands and indexes, which is signified by the two tiny Greek lower case letter sigmas, that flank the index at 6 o’clock. (They can easily be mistaken for zeroes, or the letter “o”.) These are also sometimes known as APRIOR marks – they were used by the Association pour la Promotion Industrielle de l’Or, a gold industry trade association. One of the wonderful things about Rolex is how their mechanical watchmaking, even through the Quartz Crisis, continued with barely any indication at all that the rest of the industry was in turmoil; a testimony to the unflappable consistency that makes Rolex Rolex. The Fine Print Maker: Rolex Model: Datejust Reference: 1603 Year: Circa 1972 Case No: 3609xxx Material: Stainless Steel Dimensions: 36mm diameter; 12mm thick Sapphire Crystal: No Lume: Tritium Caliber: Automatic winding, caliber 1575 Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Jubilee bracelet with folding clasp, ref. 6251H Lug Width: 20mm, end links reference 55 Box/Papers: No What we Love and What You Should Know A great example of a 1970s-era vintage Datejust. The dial is nearly flawless with virtually no imperfections. The white gold hands are slightly aged, with a slight scuff on the minute hand. The lume dots are completely intact with no bruising, which is extremely rare for a Datejust of this age. The watch has definitely been worn, but not too much, and only has a couple minor scratches to the band and under the lugs from changing the bracelet. As far as the bracelet is concerned, it has likely been worn and is slightly stretched out, however the Jubilee bracelet tends to be more flexible than its Oyster and Presidential cousins.
