The “President” is the Rolex Day-Date, launched in 1956 as the first wristwatch to display both the date and the day of the week spelt out in full. Strictly speaking, the name belongs to the three-piece semi-circular link bracelet introduced with the watch; collectors long ago transferred it to the watch itself. The current family comprises the Day-Date 36 and Day-Date 40, and every reference since 1956 has been cased exclusively in 18 ct gold or platinum.
Why is it called the President?
Rolex designed the President bracelet specifically for the Day-Date at its 1956 launch, and the name was in official use for the bracelet within a decade. The nickname migrated to the watch head via the Oval Office. Lyndon B. Johnson wore a yellow-gold Day-Date openly during his presidency, and Rolex advertising of the period leaned into the association. Marilyn Monroe reportedly gave John F. Kennedy an engraved Day-Date in 1962; there is no evidence he ever wore it, and the watch resurfaced at auction in 2005, selling for around US$120,000. One caveat for the pedantic: Dwight D. Eisenhower’s famous gold Rolex was a Datejust, not a Day-Date. In seventy years of continuous production, the Day-Date has never once been offered in steel — a claim no other Rolex line of this age can make.
References
The line runs to dozens of references; these are the landmarks.
| Reference | Years | Key spec | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6510 / 6511 | 1956 | First Day-Date, cal. 1055 | Discontinued |
| 1803 | around 1959–1977 | “Pie-pan” dial, cal. 1555/1556 | Discontinued |
| 18038 | 1977 | Quickset date, sapphire crystal, cal. 3055 | Discontinued |
| 18238 | 1988 | Double-quickset cal. 3155 | Discontinued |
| 228238 | 2015–present | Day-Date 40, cal. 3255, 70 h reserve | In production |
| 128238 | 2019–present | Day-Date 36, cal. 3255 | In production |
Super clone availability
Grand Watch Club currently carries one listing that wears the President name outright: a reduced Rolex Day-Date in rose gold with a silver diamond dial on a President bracelet, priced at £299. The family itself runs far deeper — the Day-Date category holds 261 products spanning the range’s sizes, metals and dial treatments, from plain baton dials to diamond-set pieces. Across that category, entry-level builds carry Japanese movements while the top tier uses Swiss clone calibres; the £299 President-badged listing sits at the entry point.
- Reduced Rolex Day-Date Rose Gold Silver Diamond Dial President Bracelet — Japanese movement — £299