{"id":33023,"date":"2026-07-14T23:51:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T21:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewatchguy.de\/?post_type=product&p=33023"},"modified":"2026-07-14T23:55:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T21:55:33","slug":"18038-day-date-unpolished-thick-case-full-set-interesting-history","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/thewatchguy.de\/en\/watch\/18038-day-date-unpolished-thick-case-full-set-interesting-history\/","title":{"rendered":"18038 Day-Date (unpolished thick case \/ full set \/ interesting history)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brand:<\/strong>\u00a0Rolex
\nModell:<\/strong>\u00a0Day-Date
\nReference:<\/strong>\u00a018038
\nYear:<\/strong>\u00a01982
\nSerial number:<\/strong>\u00a07407XXX
\nMaterial:<\/strong> 18 Karat yellow gold
\nBracelet:<\/strong> 18 Karat yellow gold
\nDiameter:<\/strong>\u00a036 Millimeter
\nCondition:<\/strong> very good
\nBox&Papers:<\/strong> yes, full set<\/p>\n

Unpolished “thick case” 18038 Day-Date with a fascinating history.<\/p>\n

The case is in top vintage condition. This is the “thick case” variant\u2014a version Rolex used for only a brief period in the early 1980s\u2014characterized, as the name suggests, by a noticeably thicker case profile which gives the watch additional presence on the wrist and makes it appear a millimeter or two larger.<\/p>\n

These thick cases are easily identified by the space between the bezel and the winding crown; there is a gap here, making the thickness of the case clearly visible.<\/p>\n

The condition is wonderful. The watch has been worn, but clearly with care. While there are light signs of sleeve polish, the original contours remain fully intact, showing only superficial signs of wear.<\/p>\n

The gold\/champagne dial is flawless. The print is sharp, all lume dots are intact, and the lume material has developed a rich, vanilla-toned patina. The hands are equally impressive, featuring a patina that perfectly complements the dial.<\/p>\n

The bezel is sharp and the teeth are wonderfully present. The crystal had a little scratch so we mounted a brand new factory crystal with laser crown.<\/p>\n

This watch has an intriguing delivery history. Originally destined for Nigeria (Country Code 633), the oil-rich nation plunged into a severe economic and political crisis in the early 1980s. As sales went down, Rolex redirected the watch to its home market in Switzerland, where it has been sold by rolex authorized dealer G. Peterhans in Savuit-sur-Lutry.<\/p>\n

Such re-routing occurred frequently in Rolex’s history; since the significance of the certificate code wasn’t widely understood at the time, the code was simply left unchanged.<\/p>\n

The 8385 President bracelet is in fine condition, showing only light stretch, and features a perfectly intact, unpolished crown logo on the clasp. The bracelet comes with 22 links (fitting a wrist circumference of approx. 18 cm); featuring clasp code “G” (indicating 1982), it is the original bracelet for the watch.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: A wonderful, classic Day-Date in a demanded case configuration with a fascinating history.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brand:\u00a0Rolex Modell:\u00a0Day-Date Reference:\u00a018038 Year:\u00a01982 Serial number:\u00a07407XXX Material: 18 Karat yellow gold Bracelet: 18 Karat yellow gold Diameter:\u00a036 Millimeter Condition: very good Box&Papers: yes, full set Unpolished “thick case” 18038 Day-Date with a fascinating history. The case is in top vintage condition. This is the “thick case” variant\u2014a version Rolex used for only a brief period […]\n","protected":false},"featured_media":32993,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[148,147],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-33023","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-rolex-en","product_cat-watches","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewatchguy.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/33023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewatchguy.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewatchguy.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewatchguy.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewatchguy.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewatchguy.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=33023"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewatchguy.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=33023"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewatchguy.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=33023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}