Rolex Decades: The ‘40s Datejust Versus the ‘50s Datejust

It’s strange to think that the Rolex Datejust was once a genuine revelation in the world of watchmaking. The first model to house an automatically winding movement inside a waterproof housing AND display a date function, it took the world by storm in the 1940s and cemented Rolex’s position at horology’s very top table.

Since then, however, any progressions on the watch have been confined to merely streamlining what was already there. There have been no further complications added—unless you count a rotatable bezel on a version which never really caught on.

But even so, the Datejust, to many people, simply IS Rolex. In fact, with its classically traditional shape, its perfectly legible dial and unassuming manner, it is the archetypal image of the mechanical watch.

It has been a fixture in the catalog, and the bestselling one pretty much since its introduction, for the thick end of 80 years now. In addition, it has the most variety of any model in the collection, with well over 700 different combinations of metal, bracelet, hour markers, bezels and dials available across four different sizes. There is, without doubt, a Datejust to suit everyone.

But where did it all start, and what happened in the early days?

Below, we explore how the watch changed from its inception and through its first decade of production.

The ‘40s Datejust Versus the ‘50s Datejust: The Beginning

Datejust Ref. 4467
Key Features:

Production: 1945-1959
Case Size: 36mm
Materials: Yellow/Rose Gold
Movements: Cal. A295
Bezel: Fixed. Coin-Edged
Crown Guards: No
Dials: Cream/Black
Crystal: Plexiglass

For Rolex, 1945 presented two reasons for a celebration. Not only did it see the end of the Second World War, the company was also commemorating its 40th year in business.

On the whole, they had been successful years too. Rolex had already invented, or at least found a way to manufacture at scale, both the self-winding movement (the Perpetual) and the waterproof watch housing (the Oyster).

Those two innovations had sounded the early death knell of the ubiquitous pocket watch and by war’s end, the utility of the wristwatch had made itself evident, not least for those serving on the front lines.

Suddenly, wearing your watch on your arm was not only acceptable but fashionable and brand founder, Hans Wilsdorf, was quick to cash in.

The debut Datejust made its entrance at the Hotel des Bergues in Geneva, presented by Wilsdorf himself, and sat on a bracelet created especially for the watch and the occasion. The Jubilee was and is perhaps Rolex’s most intricate and comfortable band, with its five semicircular links able to hug the shape of the wrist in a way even the Oyster and President can’t match.

The initial ref. 4467 was offered in either a yellow or rose gold 36mm case which, because of the size of the A295 movement inside, had a conspicuously concave back. Needed to accommodate the self-winding rotor and the date mechanism, it has led to this first model (and several follow-ups) being christened either the ‘Big Bubbleback’ or the ‘Ovettone’, the Italian for ‘Big Egg’.

Elsewhere, the model’s bezel had a finely milled edge which was a forerunner to the fluted type we know today. Here though it had a specific purpose in that it gave Rolex’s technicians something to grip as they screwed the bezel down and formed the watertight Oyster case.

Dial options were limited to either cream or the far rarer black but there was a huge amount of variety thrown in over the reference’s tenure. Although the handset seems to have stuck with the same dagger-like Alpha style throughout, the indexes could be either triangular or bullet type, and either with or without lume. Additionally, the numerals in that groundbreaking date display were changed often.

The very first run were in all black. Then, between 1945 and 1947 they were in all red. From 1947 to 1953 they could be all red or in the consecutive red/black known as ‘Roulette’. From 1953-1958 they were all roulette before reverting back to all black in 1959.

On top of that, some dials are signed ‘Chronometer’ while others have ‘Certified Chronometer’, and there are two types of Rolex coronet known to have been used; the full-size one found on other Bubbleback models or a much shorter, squat crown.

But while the ref. 4467 was most certainly a Datejust and termed as such in its advertising, the name didn’t appear on it anywhere. In fact, it wouldn’t be seen on the dial until the 1950s after the fledgling watch had gone through enough different references to put even the early years of the Submariner to shame.

We’ll do a quick rundown of those successive iterations here:

The ‘40s Datejust Versus the ‘50s Datejust: The Early References

Datejust Ref. 5030
Key Features:

Production: 1948
Case Size: 35.5mm
Materials: Yellow/Rose Gold. Rolesor
Movements: Cal. A295
Bezel: Fixed. Smooth
Crown Guards: No
Dials: Cream/Black
Crystal: Plexiglass

The ref. 4467 was joined in 1948 by the second Datejust reference, the ref. 5030.

It has become something of an oddity in Datejust folklore, with its peculiarly shaped and slightly smaller 35.5mm case and its smooth bezel. Like the ref. 4467, it could be had in either rose or yellow gold and with a black or cream dial. But this was the reference to introduce Rolesor to the Datejust, the two-tone bleeding of steel and gold which has gone on to become its calling card. However, the power still came from the A295 and so this is also referred to as an Ovettone model. Only in production for one year, the ref. 5030 is a particularly rare example.

Datejust Ref. 6030/1
Key Features:

Production: 1949-1951
Case Size: 36mm
Materials: Yellow Gold (ref. 6030). Pink Gold (ref. 6031)
Movements: Cal. A295
Bezel: Fixed. Coin-Edged
Crown Guards: No
Dials: Cream/Black
Crystal: Plexiglass

The ref. 6030 and ref. 6031 were both released in 1949, with the former in yellow gold and the latter in pink.

They reverted back to the same basic visuals as the debut ref. 4467, seeing a return to the 36mm case with its finely milled bezel. Again powered by the A295, both of these Ovettone models are exceptionally rare and were also produced in left-handed versions.

The ‘40s Datejust Versus the ‘50s Datejust: The ‘50s References

Datejust Ref. 6074
Key Features:

Production: 1950
Case Size: 36mm
Materials: Platinum
Movements: Cal. A295
Bezel: Fixed. Smooth
Crown Guards: No
Dials: Black
Crystal: Plexiglass

Of course, there’s rare and then there’s rare! The astonishing ref. 6074 was produced in only 1950 with a grand total of two examples being made, both in platinum. One has since been lost to the sands of time. Even the case back and bracelet were cast in platinum, while up front the black honeycomb dial was augmented with white gold hands.

Datejust Ref. 6075
Key Features:

Production: 1951-1954
Case Size: 36mm
Materials: Yellow/Pink Gold. Rolesor
Movements: Cal. A295
Bezel: Fixed. Coin-Edged
Crown Guards: No
Dials: White/Black
Crystal: Plexiglass

The ref. 6075 is thought of as the last of the old-school Datejusts. Indeed, it would be the last reference to not have the name on the dial and would also be the last time the cutoff coronet would appear. It carried over many of the features of the ref. 6030/1 but came with the upgraded A296.

The ‘40s Datejust Versus the ‘50s Datejust: The Datejust Becomes the Datejust

Datejust Ref. 6104/5
Key Features:

Production: 1951-1955
Case Size: 36mm
Materials: Yellow/Pink Gold. Rolesor
Movements: Cal. A296
Bezel: Fixed. Coin-Edged (ref. 6105). Smooth (ref. 6104)
Crown Guards: No
Dials: White/Black/Silver
Crystal: Plexiglass

The ref. 6104/5 is where we start to see the first true inklings of the ‘real’ Datejust. Although the initial pieces still omitted the watch’s name on the dial, it was included around 1953 and would become a fixture from then on.

But what would make the reference an especially interesting one for collectors is the truly bewildering number of dial variations produced. There are ‘two-line’ and ‘three-line’ versions (‘Chronometer Certified’ and ‘Officially Chronometer Certified’). There are examples with that script written in a different order (‘Chronometer Officially Certified’). There are pieces with the text written in red or black or silver. Additionally, some are marked ‘Swiss Made’ below the six index, while later pieces have just ‘Swiss’ (known as ‘Swiss Only’ dials). And when the ‘Datejust’ title was added, that too came in a variety of colors. It is all, as I’m sure you can imagine, extremely complicated.

The ref. 6104/5 is also where we see the first instance of Rolex including diamonds on the model. However, they are so few in number (that number might be as low as 8) that it seems likely one was produced as a special order and the brand decided to make a handful more as an experiment. Exceedingly rare and valuable, there are versions with only three diamond hour markers, some with six and some with eight.

Datejust Ref. 6304/5
Key Features:

Production: 1953-1955
Case Size: 36mm
Materials: Steel. Yellow/Pink/White Gold. Rolesor
Movements: Cal. A296
Bezel: Fixed. Coin-Edged (ref. 6305). Smooth (ref. 6304)
Crown Guards: No
Dials: White/Black
Crystal: Plexiglass

The ref. 6304/5 followed many of the conventions of the previous ref. 6104/5 but added even more variation, in a move that would go on to define the Datejust series as a whole.

So the case size and shape, and the movement remain the same, as do the choice in bezels. Dial versions are also incredibly confusing including, for a very short time, an Explorer-esque 3/6/9 type.

However, added to that we have the first ever steel Datejust, and it is interesting that that piece came out in 1954 or so, only two years before Rolex released a watch set to become their new flagship, the Day-Date. The Datejust had been the brand’s premier offering since its debut, but with the impending arrival of the President, it seems they were repositioning the model as more of an everyman watch.

Later on in the ref. 6304/5’s run, the milled bezel changed to a wider span more closely resembling the fluted surrounds we all know (regarded as the ref. 6305-1) and also introduced the first of the engine-turned bezels, the ref. 6305-2.

There were diamond-indexed examples of the ref. 6304/5 as well, along with both white gold and platinum models, in tiny numbers, all of which shared the same reference numbers—this being in the early days of Rolex before their strictly regimented classification systems.

The ‘40s Datejust Versus the ‘50s Datejust: The Datejust Thunderbirds Are Go

Datejust Ref. 6309
Key Features:

Production: 1954-1959
Case Size: 36mm
Materials: Steel. Rolesor. Yellow/Pink Gold
Movements: Cal. A296
Bezel: Bidirectional. 60-Minute Scale
Crown Guards: No
Dials: White/Black
Crystal: Plexiglass

In 1954, Rolex supplemented the Datejust range with a bizarre new watch, with a feature that would go on to define many of the brand’s most successful models—but not this one.

The ref. 6309 took over the Turn-O-Graph moniker from another reference, the ref. 6202 which bore a striking resemblance to a certain dive icon. But while the earlier watch could be easily mistaken for the Submariner, the ref. 6309 could not.

Basically a standard Datejust with a rotating bezel inscribed with a 60-minute scale, it was really neither tool watch nor dress watch. As such, it sold poorly but did pick up one enthusiastic group of admirers.

The USAF aerobatics team, the Thunderbirds, could make special use of the timing bezel in their maneuvers and members started wearing the ref. 6309 as their go-to timepiece. It would also become the first Rolex sports watch to be released in Rolesor.

Catching wind of its success, Rolex brought out the ref. 6609 in 1959, upgraded with the Cal. 1065 and renamed it the Rolex Thunderbird in the U.S. market.

The ‘40s Datejust Versus the ‘50s Datejust: The End of the ‘50s

Datejust Ref. 6604/5
Key Features:

Production: 1956-1959
Case Size: 36mm
Materials: Steel. Yellow/Pink/White Gold. Rolesor
Movements: Cal. 1065
Bezel: Fixed. Fluted (ref. 6605). Smooth (ref. 6604)
Crown Guards: No
Dials: White/Black
Crystal: Plexiglass

The final Datejust of the decade was released in 1956 and brought with it arguably the last outward modernization the model would ever get.

The Cyclops lens above the date window, reportedly invented because of the poor eyesight of Hans Wilsdorf’s wife, magnified the numerals below by 2 ½ times. It has remained a feature on nearly every date-equipped Rolex ever since, with a couple of diving exceptions.

The movement was given a significant upgrade as well, dispensing with the old A296 and bringing things right up to date with the Cal. 1065. This was the mechanism to introduce the watch’s renowned instantaneous date change at midnight, courtesy of a spring-loaded cam system. With previous calibers, that switchover had started a couple of hours before midnight and finished a couple of hours after. Otherwise similar in functionality to earlier movements, the Cal. 1065 was, however, a slimmer caliber and so did away with the Ovettone case shape.

Up front, while the handset was still the older Alpha-style, towards the end of the ref. 6604/5’s run, the indexes changed to the plain rectangular batons we know from contemporary examples.

That concludes our exhaustive, and exhausting, rundown of the first Datejust era. It was quite clearly a frenetic time at Rolex, but as the 1960s dawned, the watch settled down somewhat into a more stable and recognizable form.

We will cover its subsequent decades in future articles.

Featured Photo: BeckerTime’s Archive.