Vintage 1979 Taupe DJ 16030 - Oyster or Jubilee

[dardardelight]

Hi Folks,

First post here! I have a 1979 Taupe Datejust 16030 that I picked up on a leather strap. I'm looking to put a metal bracelet on this, and have decided to just roll with a new bracelet bought by rolex AD.

I've seen these taupe dials on both jubilee and oyster and know that they might have been mixed and matched down the line.

Does anybody know if these taupe 16030s originally were sold with oyster vs jubilee?

Anybody have any experience with the "new" bracelets and have any recommendations on which bracelet to pick up? I think both would look stylistically fine with me. Thanks !

[Dan S]

Jubilee and Oyster bracelets have very different looks and feels. I personally think you would be better off deciding based on which one you personally prefer. Either would be OK for a 16030 IMO.

Regarding the original bracelet, there may have been a connection between the bezel style (16000/16013/16030) and the bracelet, but I've never heard of any connection between the style of bracelet and the color of the dial. I think that fluted bezels typically had jubilees and the smooth bezel typically had an oyster bracelet, but I've never heard that the engine-turned bezel DJ needed to have one bracelet or the other. Anyway, I'm sure people will say that there were many exceptions to these rules.

I personally like the look with an oyster bracelet, because I think it's a sporty combination. A jubilee will give it a dressier look.