Rolex “John Bull” Champagne Linen Day-Date Ref. 18038 Unpolished

The Rolex Day-Date was introduced in 1956 and was the first watch to display the date, as well as the fully-spelled-out day of the week. This reference 18038 is made particularly special as the case was likely hand finished, or carved at time of purchase at the Bahamian official Rolex retailer John Bull by their master watchmaker Günter Miethe. This was a popular request by the Bahamian retailer throughout the 1980s and these watches are highly prized by collectors for their unique look and island vibes. Our understanding is that Rolex gave their blessing to their official retailer John Bull to customize these watches for the local Bahamian market at the time. Most of the John Bull watches with a bark carved finish were steel Submariners or less commonly steel GMT-Masters. This is the first ever Day-Date we have seen with this iconic John Bull finish. 

This example is in incredibly well preserved condition, and appears to be unpolished. It measures 36mm in diameter (43mm lug-to-lug). The watch features a champagne linen dial adding depth to the watch’s textured look. This particular example dates to circa 1978 with a 5.6M serial.

The watch does not come with a box or papers. We do not know the service history, but it is running well. It recently passed a water resistance test of 5 bar.

PRICE: $29,000 (Item: SBUXYT5115)