Rolex Day-Date President 40

The Rolex Day-Date has long been synonymous with power and success since its launch in 1956, acknowledged by Rolex itself as its most prestigious model. Until 2015, there has been little changes to the design throughout the decades and only one update to the mechanical movement.

In 2015 Rolex introduced the Day-Date 40, a brand new 40mm model and updated design of the classic Day-Date that until now has only been available in 36mm. It appears that every aspect of the Day-Date was revisited: the mechanical movement, aesthetics, and even construction.

Mechanical Movement

Rolex created the new calibre 3255 mechanical movement just for the Day-Date 40. Each time Rolex introduces an updated movement, the expectations for reliability continue to be met. Rolex redefined the Superlative Chronometer certification at the same time and the Day-Date 40’s calibre 3255 exceeded expectations, where after casing the timepiece loses or gains only 2 seconds per day, more than twice that is required of an official chronometer.

Design Aesthetics

As the popularity of “oversized” watches have grown, it was only a matter of time until Rolex began to reintroduce the brand’s flagship models in larger sizes. All-new models have been around for a few years, such as the 41mm Day-Date II and similarly the 44mm Yacht-Master II or 41mm Datejust II, aiming to satisfy clients looking for larger wristwatches. While there is a market for these, I’m sure that Rolex will see success with the Day-Date 40 due to it being a part of the original model’s collection, as well as the slight reduction in size, because 1 millimeter can make all the difference.

Construction

The Day-Date 40’s Oyster case is created from a solid block of 18 ct gold and fitted with the Twinlock double waterproofness system, is still guaranteed to be waterproof up to 330 feet.

The President bracelet - the instantly recognizable design to which the Day-Date owes its nickname - was designed for the model’s launch in 1956. The three semi-circular links of solid gold or platinum that create a reliable and comfortable bracelet now include ceramic inserts inside the links to enhance its durability.

60th Anniversary Edition

2016 marked the Day-Date’s 60th anniversary and Rolex decided to celebrate with a bright green dial that is available exclusively on the 18 ct Everose and white gold models, Rolex has marked anniversaries before with green: the 2005 Submariner Date features a green bezel in light of the watch’s 50th birthday.

Click here for more history on the original Day-Date President model.