Pick 36 or 40, yellow gold or Everose, factory or aftermarket diamonds, then the papers
Choose the size before the dial. Take the 36 unless your wrist is broad, because it is the size bought most here, and it looks right with a suit or a T-shirt. Save the 40 for a big wrist. Expect an older one to come as the watch alone, since its papers rarely survive the years. Every watch is final sale, so settle your questions with the watch desk first.
The President: Rolex President bracelet and the Rolex President watch
President is the name of the bracelet first. Its links are semi-circular, three to a row, in solid gold or platinum, and it closes on a hidden clasp, so nothing breaks the line of links around the wrist. Rolex made the bracelet for the Day-Date, so many buyers call the whole watch the President. Most of our Day-Date listings name it as the bracelet, and the 1803's listing says its bracelet is aftermarket. A gold Lady-Datejust can wear one too, so a 26 mm President is a Lady-Datejust, not a Day-Date.
36 or 40: Rolex Day-Date 36, Day-Date 40 and the Day-Date II
Take the 36 if your wrist is about 7 inches around or less. In solid gold on the President bracelet, a 36 already has plenty of presence. The 40 suits a bigger wrist, and it sits heavier, with more gold in the case and the links. The Day-Date II is the 41 mm case Rolex made before the 40, and its broad lugs make it wear larger than the 40. Measure the case of a watch you already own before you choose. Every Day-Date 36 for sale here also shows on our women's Rolex page.
Yellow gold or Everose: 18K yellow gold or Everose Rolex Day-Date
Take yellow gold for the Day-Date most people picture, and most of the ones bought here were yellow. Everose is Rolex's own rose gold, alloyed so its pink holds over the years, and it reads warmer on the wrist. Match the watch to the gold you already wear, since a yellow Day-Date beside a yellow chain looks like one set. Most references name the gold in their last digit. Yellow gold ends in 8, like the 228238. Everose ends in 5, like the 228235.
Factory or aftermarket: Rolex Day-Date diamond dial and diamond bezel
Settle whose diamonds you want before you fall for a dial. A bezel Rolex set with diamonds at the factory gives the watch a reference of its own. Read the description as well, since that is where an aftermarket dial or bezel gets named. Some diamond dials carry neither word, so ask the desk which kind you are looking at. Across a room the two look alike, and up close the setting tells. The watch team inspects each one in person before it is listed. Our setters can also fit a plain one with an aftermarket diamond-set bezel or diamond dial, as custom work.
Vintage or modern: Day-Date 1803, 18038 and 18238 or the 228238
Read the reference first, because it tells you the generation. The four-digit 1803 is a vintage Day-Date, under an acrylic crystal that scratches but polishes out. The 18038 and the 18238 are the classic 36s under sapphire. The 18238 is the later of the two. The 228 references are the current 40, and the 218238 is the Day-Date II. An older watch runs only as well as its last service, so ask the desk when it last had one.
Papers and the bracelet: Rolex President bracelet, papers and final sale
Expect an older Day-Date to come without papers, and read the year on its listing as an estimate. On an older watch the President bracelet's links can stretch after decades on the wrist, so ask how much play it has and how many links come with it. In-stock watches ship tracked, usually within two to five business days. Every watch is final sale, so ask before you pay. Name the President you want on the live chat, or text the Day-Date's reference to 212-872-9692 from 10 AM ET.