My Father's Rolex 16018 Yellow Gold Datejust - A Legacy from Father to Son

A. Introduction

It has been quite a while as i was busy with work, studies and reservist for the past weeks since my first blog.

Ever since my first blog post, i do get questions from many people regarding the origin for naming my blog, Theteddybearmanperception. For this clarification,  i would like to explain separately under another blog post in the future.

Since young, I am someone without much interests as i grew up in a controlled environment by my Parents, which is much more scarier than my siblings and their children had ran through. (Haha, this is quite unexpected for people who know me now as my childhood is rather bad.)

Talking back about personal interests, Watches and Food are really something i am passionate about and sadly these are the only things that i am good at except work and studies. 

Though my blog, i hope to share with everyone about my passion for Watches and Food. In addition, also serve as a repository and place to express my feelings in earlier events of how i feel about in earlier events. Hopefully, i feel happier after releasing these feelings. 

Therefore, please stay tune to my future blogs updates on Watches, Food and Feelings before i forget even more things due to my lack of rest and exams. 

B. Background

Back to this Blog update, in this blog, i would like to share my passion in Watch first. As I have just started on my blog write-up , I can't help but to write this review of a Beautiful watch passed to me from my Father - A Legacy from my Father to Me, as a Son.

My Father has always been my Role Model since i was a kid even til this day and i am his only child that shares the same horoscope as he do - Pisces. Moreover, my Father is the one that had poisoned (influenced) me about Rolex Watches ever since i was young that every successful person would wear a Rolex Watch which my Father and my elder Brothers do. (I guess my Bros would be agreeable with me, lol) With this thoughts, it eventually led me to the World of Horology (World of Rolex..hehe). 

Since young, I always remember looking at my Father wearing this watch - The Rolex 16018 Yellow Gold Datejust for daily work and events, day in & day out. It is also the watch that sparked my interest in Rolex Gold Watches.

Fig 1. Rolex 16018 Yellow Gold Datejust with MOP Dial with Rolex Big Buckle Red Watch Box

A brief background of my procession of the watch, this watch was given to me by my Father earlier last year and this watch as i mentioned earlier above, was his signature watch that he had wore for the past decades for daily work and events. In fig 2 below, he even wore it for my baby photo shoot when I was 1 year old.

Fig 2. Part Print of My Father carrying me while wearing his Signature Watch

He used to wear it on a Gold President Bracelet (Non Original Rolex) and a Diamond Bezel (Non Original Rolex).(Note: He bought the Watch brand new with Leather Strap from Tickling Time (Watch Palace) back in 1985). 

As I am a purist in Rolex, I removed the diamond bezel and the president bracelet when I received the watch. However, the Original Dial which is a Matt Gold Dial with Diamonds was corroded due to water slippage and poor handling of the watch across the years. Gratefully, my Mother kept the original fluted bezel. 

 Fig 3. The Watch when it was handed over to me 1+ year ago

Therefore, I have no choice but to recon the dial then as I was unable to find any suitable dial available in the market then. (Seriously, i never search that thoroughly in the market then)

 Fig 4. A Nicely Recon Sliver Diamond Dial and Original Fluted Bezel on my 16018

My watchmaker did a good job in recon of the original dial, but Rolex Service Centre (RSC) Singapore does not recognize the modified Dial and its modified hands with lume (Seconds, Minute, Hour) as an Original Rolex Watch.

Fig 5. Rolex 16018 Yellow Gold Datejust with White MOP Dial

                     

 Fig 6. Rolex 16018 Yellow Gold Datejust with MOP Dial x Ma Maison Chocolate Ice Cream

Therefore, i search extensively and managed to get a Mother of Pearl (MOP) Dial from Hong Kong with the help of my contact to replace the Re-con dial as well as original replacement hands. Though the cost of the Dial is expensive, it sure brings out the elegance of my 16018 as seen in Fig 5 and 6.

 Fig 7. The Watch and the Watch Accessories

On the other hand, my Father kept the Original Warranty Certificate and the Purchase Receipt that help added value and preserve the history to the watch. In addition, 

I managed to find a suitable Rolex Watch Box to keep its accessories (Original Green Tag, Original Red Tag, Warranty Certificate, Purchase Receipt as well as the Warranty Card holder.)

C. Technical Information for my 16018  

After going though the happenings for my watch, lets have a look at some technical information on the Rolex 16018 Yellow Gold Datejust:-

1) Model: Rolex Datejust

2) Model Reference No: 16018 (this model replaces the earlier Rolex 1601/8)

3) Material of Watch: Yellow Gold , 18K

4) Series based on Numbers manufactured: 8 Million Series

5) Circa: 1985 (The 16018 is available in the market from early to late 1980s relatively)

6) Movement: 3035 movement with standby time of 42 hours maximum (Note: the Rolex 3035 movement that utilizes bigger parts as compared to 3135 movement and therefore it has a slightly louder ticking movement sound.)

7) Bezel: Rolex Fluted Gold Bezel

8) Crystal: Sapphire (Note: Rolex Gold Watches adopted the Sapphire Crystal earlier than their Half-Gold and Stainless Steel counterparts in the same era, example 16013, 16014 etc. Example, Rolex Gold Datejust adopted the Sapphire Crystal as early as 1978 compared to Half-Gold and Stainless Steel Models around 1989)

9) Water Resistance: 100m with Rolex Crown screw in perfectly and gaskets in working condition.

10) Lug: No Pin Hole at 20mm wide based on internal diameter from lug to lug (Note: Rolex Datejust and DayDate models in Gold do not have pin hole - 1970s to Present)

11) Strap: Original Rolex Alligator Leather Strap with Rolex Plated Gold Buckle (Note: I still have the Original 750 Solid Gold Buckle which I keep while using the Plated Gold Buckle for daily wear)

A Brief Background of 16018
A brief background about the watch, the Rolex 16018 is not a common model as compared to 18038 and 16013 of the same era as sales of a 16018 is rather slow due to higher sales in 18038 and 16013. Most people would buy a 16013 for daily wear due to its affordability and people who want to buy a Full Gold watch in the past tend to prefer a 18038 which is a DayDate over a 16018 which is a Datejust.

Therefore, there are lesser 16018 in the watch market as compared to other models, like 16013, 16233, 18038 and 18238 which are more common. 

D1. Watch Case and Leather Strap

Under this section, we would first take a look at the profile views of the 16018 to let everyone understand the watch better.

D1.1. Side Profile and Crown

 Fig 8. Side Profile of the Watch with Rolex Screw in Crown

In fig 8, we see the side profile of the 16018 and the Rolex screw in crown. Notice that the water tightness of the Screw In Crown is represented by one line under the Rolex Crown Logo. 

D1.2. Bezel Profile and Crown

Fig 9. Side Profile of the Bezel and the Crown

In fig 9, we see the profile of the Bezel and the Crown in a certain angle. Any idea, why i want to show the side profile of the Bezel with the crown?

This is because for the 16018, the slopping angle of the Bezel is steeper than its Successor, Rolex 16238 which everyone usually thinks that both models uses the same bezel. This is not correct as both models uses different bezels which differs in the slopping angle. If you happened to own a 1601, please also note that the angle of slopping for the bezel is flatter and not as steep as its Successors 16018 and 16238. 

D1.3. Back-case and Hall Marks

 Fig 10. Back-case and Hall Marks

In fig 10, we see the back view of the watch, namely the Back Case, Hall Marks and Crown of my 16018. 

Firstly, i will start off with the Back Case of the watch. Notice the base of a 16018/16013/16014 Datejust Back Case is wider in the middle portion followed by a slope at the side of the back case, this is different from its successors (16238/16233/16234) which adopts a smaller surface area of the middle portion of the back case and is thicker (more protruding) 

Secondly, it will be the Hallmarks. What are Hallmarks? - Hallmarks are seals signify the material type, other information like model of watches and these hallmark could be applied by the manufacturer or precious metals control etc. It is worth noting that all Rolex watches comes with a certain form of hall marks, be it be stainless steel or gold models. 

In fig 10, notice the hall marks on the underside of the lugs, these hall marks are only available on Gold Rolex Models (e.g Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold and Platinum).
The 750 on balance and 18K signify Gold Material for the watch while the other hall mark is a official swiss hallmark applied to watches before 1995.

Thirdly, i will show everyone a zoom up photo of the Back Case and the Crown from the Back View in Fig 11. 

 Fig 11. Zoomed View Back of the Crown

I guess you must be wondering why am i showing a closed up photo of the crown and there are no prizes for guessing though. The reason i am showing this closed up is to further illustrate on the difference between a 16018 and 16238. Lets take a look at the alignment of the crown on the case, notice that the crown sits outside of the case entirely and it is unlike a 16238 and alike that has a recessed case back area to receive the crown. (I will cover this in the 16238 blog review) 

 Fig 12. Thickness of Back-case

From Fig 11, we are able to see the thickness of the Back-case and it shows that the larger surface area of the back-case as well as the thickness. 


D2. Rolex Leather Strap and Rolex Buckle

D2.1 Original Rolex Leather Strap and Full Gold Rolex Buckle

Fig 13. Front of Original Leather Strap from 1985

Fig 14. Back of Original Leather Strap from 1985

In fig 13 and 14, we see the original leather strap that came with the watch back in 1985, notice the quality of the strap is top notch with nice patterns and build. Imagine that this is a 30 years strap and it has not fall apart. Seriously, i don't really dare to wear this strap in fear of it falling apart anytime. 

Fig 15. Front of Original Full Gold Buckle from 1985

As seen in the above fig 15, the shape of the crown for a Rolex Solid Gold Buckle appears to be flatter and the matchsticks are shorter for a 1980s Full Gold Buckle.

Fig 16. Back of Original Full Gold Buckle from 1985

In the above fig 16, notice that there are 2 hallmarks of the Solid Gold Buckle has "RolexSA" in oval shape which denote the company while "750" which means the material in Full Gold. 

D2.2 Replacement Rolex Leather Strap and Replacement Plated Gold Rolex Buckle

Fig 17. Replacement Leather Strap from 2014

 Fig 18. Back of the Replacement Leather Strap from 2014

 Fig 19. Packaging for the Replacement Leather Strap

As mentioned in my earlier paragraph for the original leather strap, i ended up buying a replacement leather strap for daily wear from RSC in 2014. It is a new alligator leather strap that comes with a plated gold replacement buckle.

With reference to fig 17 and 18, we see the front and back of the leather strap which looks nice. However, kindly avoid water contact to surface of the leather strap as it will wash away the shiny coating of the strap. :( This render the newer replacement strap inferior to the original strap in the past.

Kindly note that note that fig 19 is the plastic wrapping that comes with the leather strap in case you need the reference number)

Fig 20. Front of Replacement Plated Gold Buckle from 2014

Fig 21. Back of Replacement Plated Gold Buckle from 2014

In fig. 21, back view of the replacement buckle, notice there are 3 hallmarks, namely, RolexSA in oval shape, SWISS and PLAQUE G. The first hallmark would mean the company, second hallmark means swiss made while the last hallmark means Plated Gold. As highlighted by bro minimerc, the print of the original hallmark is more detailed compared to a fake.

D3. Rolex Accessories


D3.1 Rolex Warranty Paper and Original Purchase Receipt

Fig 22. Rolex Warranty Paper 1

From the 1970s to mid-end 2000, Rolex issue Paper type Warranty Paper for their watches before switching to Warranty Cards in late Z series around 2007. In the above fig 22, shows the outer look of the paper warranty.

Fig 23. Rolex Warranty 2

In the above fig 23, it shows the following information (please see note in red for easy identification):-

a) Watch Model - 16018
- This shows the watch model of the watch you are buying, make sure that your Warranty Paper and the serial number at 12 O'clock of the watch tally.

b) Country Code - 430 (Singapore)
- For every country that Rolex has an Authorized Dealer, Rolex would assign a particular Country Code to differentiate the countries. Like an example, the paper shows 430 which is Singapore, Hong Kong is 888, Germany is 100 and etc.

c) Serial Number - 8 million series 
- As mentioned above, this shows the serial number of the watch. Note that the first letter of the watch denotes the series of the watch until G series which is track-able for the watch manufacture year. (Kindly note that the Alpha Numeric series is harder to track as the serial number is mixed up)

d) Authorized Dealer - Watch Palace/ Ticking Time
- Authorized Dealers are Shops that has official license from Rolex to sell Brand New Rolex watches in a Brick and Mortar Shop. 
In this case, my watch comes from Ticking Time which is the previous name of Watch Palace/ Kee Hing Hung (kindly correct me if am wrong on this part as i am not born yet in 1985)

Fig 24. Receipt of the Watch

The above fig 24 shows the original purchase receipt when my Father bought the watch back in 1985 at $5,850.80, a discount of around 31% from the Retail Price of $8,549.00 then.

 D3.2 Rolex Red Leather with Crown Buckle Watch Box

 Fig 25. Rolex Red Leather Watch

Fig 26. Bottom of Rolex Red Leather Watch with Box reference number

As mentioned earlier, no many people knows about the extract box that the watch supposedly to come with as it wasn't important in the past for people to keep the box.

For me, i managed to find the above box in fig 25 and 26 as the watch box for my 16018. From my reference, this box is for a Rolex Gold Model in 1980s based on the box reference number, 72.00.01.

I really like the box as it is my favorite color in Red and it comes with a big Rolex buckle. 

D3.3 Rolex Green Tag and Rolex Red Tag

Fig 27. Rolex Green Tag and Rolex Red Tag

          

The above photo fig 27 shows the original Reg tag that comes with the watch. A red tag is like a form of COSC certification of the watch which replaces the COSC certification paper in the past that Rolex issued with their watches. Kindly note that the green fabric string that comes with the red tag is in sync with the green tag green fabric string.   

Fig 28. Rolex Green Tag with Retail Price

In fig 28, we see a mid 1980s Green Tag with the word Datejust written over it with the Retail Price Tag. The reverse side of the Green Tag has the information of the Watch Model number and serial number. 

The fabric string of the green tag is also green in color. 

D3.4 Rolex Booklets 

Fig 29. Rolex 80s/90s Datejust Booklet

From the 70s till current, all Rolex Models would come with a Booklet in specific to its model. In this case in fig 29, it is a Rolex Datejust model and please note that the printing year of the booklet must be around the year of manufacture of the watch, +1 or -1 year as watch sometimes are not sold instantly then. 

This Booklet gives you an idea of what Rolex do and some basic instruction on adjusting the watch. 

Fig 30. Rolex 80s/90s Your Rolex Oyster Booklet

In fig 30, is a Your Rolex Oyster Booklet that accompanies a Rolex watch from the 70s to the 90s. Now you don't see this booklet in modern Rolex watch set. 

This booklet is a mid 1980s Your Rolex Oyster Booklet that is less common these days and is in sync with my 1985 16018. The content of this booklet is more like a catalog of their other models. 

D3.5 Rolex Warranty Card Holder and Rolex Calendar

Fig 31. Rolex Red Leather Warranty Holder

In fig 31, i managed to find a matching Red leather warranty holder which is of the same material and it is really nice in person. 

The Warranty Holder in the past operates as much as its current Green Counterpart, which is to keep the Warranty Paper and the Service Booklet with an addition item, a Calendar.

Warranty Paper is an important piece of paper that serves as the birth cert of the watch while the Service Booklet is talking about taking care of the watch. 

Fig 32. Rolex 1985/1986 Calendar

As mentioned in Fig 31, Rolex used to issue Calendar together with the watch and i am very lucky to obtain one that is 1985/ 1986 which adds on the value of my watch.

E. Conclusion 

Now i have reach an end of this review, i would like to thank you for your patience to read this Blog update of my 16018, Rolex Yellow Gold Datejust and hope that it will help you in identifying a 16018 or similar 1980s Rolex Watch.. 

Hopefully, i have not miss out anything major and i will continue my search for a Stone Dial for the 16018 as it is a dream previously discussed with my deceased Uncle, Gan Tio. (my Father's Cousin)

Finally, i would like to post a photograph of my 16018 side by side with my 16238, which is it's successor to end this lengthy review. (Kindly note that i will blog my 16238 in a future Blog update) 

Cheers and stay tune to my next blog update. :)

Thanks and Regards,
The Teddybear man 

Fig 33. Rolex 16238 (Black Computer Dial) and Rolex 16018 (White MOP dial)