Introduced in 1956, it was the first wristwatch to display both the date and the day of the week in a window on the dial. Made exclusively from precious metals, it has always been synonymous with luxury, elegance and prestige.

With a diameter of 36mm, reference 18028 was produced between 1978 and 1989. This model, with its smooth bezel, is particularly rare. A wide variety of dial configurations were offered at the time, including some in semi-precious stone or wood, but all were now flat, unlike the domed dials present on the older reference 1803. Others were equipped with highly colored lacquered dials, the famous “Stella” dials.

The name comes from a company called Stella, which supplied Rolex dialmakers with the special lacquer and gloss pigment used to make these dials. As these dials were produced over several decades, the colors and shades vary considerably. The example we have is bright red, creating a superb contrast with the yellow gold case.

Over the course of production, 4 types of dial have been produced, and the model we have here features a 4th and last generation dial, recognizable by the chemin de fer minute track with Roman numerals signalling every five minutes.

The 2 most useful improvements for this reference were the addition of a sapphire crystal to guarantee greater water-resistance, and the quick date-setting function via the crown. This technical advance was made possible by the new 3055 caliber, replacing the 1555 caliber used in the previous generation.

As soon as this model was released, Rolex offered a choice of 25 different languages for the day display, English being the most common, but our model also features Italian.

This watch comes with its box, original warranty, card holder and manuals.

CONDITION REPORT on request.

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