Pick the size for your wrist, then the gold, the dial and the papers before a final sale
Choose the size on your wrist before anything else. The 36 is the classic Datejust worn by men and women, and it sold more than any other size. If it looks big on you, the mid-size 31 is the next step down, and the small Lady-Datejust wears like jewelry. Two-tone gold on the Jubilee bracelet suits most women. Watches are final sale, so settle the papers and the dial with us first.
Which size: women's Rolex 26, 28, 31 and 36 mm
Measure your wrist first, then pick the case. The sizes here run from 26 to 36 mm. The 36 leads, as both a Datejust and a Day-Date, and it is the Datejust size that men and women both wear. If the 36 reaches past the edges of your wrist, step down a size. The 31 is the mid-size that still reads as a real watch. The 26 is the small classic, and it wears like a bracelet. The 28 is the size of the current Lady-Datejust. The size is in every title, and our women's Datejust page holds the Datejusts alone, for sale from 26 to 36 mm.
Lady-Datejust: the 26mm ladies Rolex on a Jubilee or President bracelet
A 26 mm Datejust is the Lady-Datejust, whatever name its title uses. Many of the small ones here are the 69173, in steel and yellow gold on the Jubilee. Others are solid 18K gold, most of them on the President. The President is the rounded three-piece link with a hidden clasp. These are mostly older watches, and a few come with their papers. The current Lady-Datejust is 28 mm; if none is listed here, ask the desk to find one through the trade.
Day-Date: women's Day-Date Rolex, the 36 mm in 18K gold
Every Day-Date on this page is the 36, in solid 18K yellow gold, and most listings name the President bracelet. The Day-Date is made only in gold or platinum, with the day spelled out at twelve. Some of ours have diamond dials, and some wear aftermarket parts, such as the President bracelet, the dial or a diamond bezel, as their listings say. Most come without the Rolex card or papers. In the year, 8 Day-Date 36s sold here, more than any model but the Datejust 36. The Day-Dates here are also the only 36s for sale on our Day-Date page, which adds the 40 and 41 mm cases.
Gold or steel: two-tone, yellow gold or stainless steel ladies Rolex
Take two-tone if you wear yellow gold jewelry. It is steel with an 18K gold bezel and center links, and about half the watches here are built that way. Some of those carry Everose, Rolex's rose gold, instead of yellow. Two-tone was also the metal that sold most. Steel suits a woman who wears white gold or silver. Solid 18K yellow gold comes on the President bracelet here, on the smaller Datejusts and the Day-Date.
Diamond dials: factory or aftermarket diamonds on a women's Rolex
Ask where the diamonds were set before you choose a diamond dial. Rolex sets some diamond dials at the factory. Jewelers set others later, and those resell as custom pieces, not as the factory watch. Some 26 mm watches with diamonds in the title say in their descriptions that the dial is aftermarket work. A listing that says nothing either way is a question for the desk. Our setters on 47th Street do this work too, and we tell you which kind you are buying.
Papers and final sale: box, papers and returns on a pre-owned ladies Rolex
Check what the watch comes with before you pay. Most descriptions say whether the Rolex card or papers are included, and about one in four here has one or the other, mostly the newer watches. The box comes only as an add-on. Every watch is pre-owned and final sale, since our refund policy lists watches as non-returnable. So take all of your questions to the desk before you buy, through the live chat, or on 212-872-9692 by text or phone from 10 AM ET. Each watch is authenticated in person before it is listed, and it ships tracked.