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Old 8 March 2016, 10:18 AM   #1
Eric Chan
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Rolex Day-Date 118238 – 1st Year Review

One year to the date has passed since obtaining my personal watch grail, the Day-Date 118238 with the white roman dial.

Just a little background on what this watch means for me before I get into the actual review. Growing up, I was aware of Rolex, but never really did get into fine timepieces until 2003. My first Rolex was a Datejust 16234 that I received in 2004 and since then, I could not get enough of the Rolex brand. It was in 2005 that I truly “discovered” the Day-Date and knew that I would have it one day. It took a decade to obtain as there were many other priorities in life that took precedence over the sizeable purchase of a precious metal watch. So enough with the background and onto the review!

Movement:

Within this marvelous timepiece is the robust Rolex Calibre 3156. I will not pretend to be an expert in this field as all the knowledge I have is based on what I have read on this Forum and my own personal research on the topic over the years. All I can say is that it has kept amazing time, based on my calculations, +3 seconds per day. The one aspect that I love the most about this movement is that it is a variation of the same movement within most of the Rolex stainless steel models, like the Submariner, meaning that I do not have to worry about being “delicate” with this watch. Not to suggest that I would start on extreme activities while wearing it, but if I did, I would not have to worry about the movement being compromised.

Bracelet:

The 118238 is available in the President and Oyster bracelet. The President was my choice for two simple reasons:

1. I love the look of the bracelet. Simple, elegant and automatically recognizable.

2. It is exclusive to the Day-Date line. The Oyster bracelet is available on nearly, if not all Rolex sport models. So to me, the logical choice would be to choose the bracelet that only is available with the Day-Date.

The gold is softer than steel and scratches will show. This does not bother me as watches should be worn and enjoyed and the over appearance of “wear-and-tear” simply add to the overall character of the timepiece.

Bezel:

The fluted bezel has become a signature for Rolex. It was designed many, many years ago and does not show any signs of being obsolete. The way the light reflects off of it is truly magical and enhances the look of the watch. When I see a fluted bezel, the two watches that come to mind are the Day-Date and the Datejust.

Dial:

There are many dial combinations for the Day-Date. There is no right or wrong combination as everyone has differing or varying tastes. When I first laid eyes on the white roman dial, I knew that was the dial combination for me and after a decade of yearning for this watch, that opinion has not changed. The white dial compliments the yellow gold with a very subtle warmth and the roman numerals provide a sense of timelessness for this watch.

Design:

What more can I say about the Day-Date that has not already been said (much more eloquently) by others? It was first introduced in 1956 and in its 60 year history; the design has changed very little. It is a true timeless classic and I firmly believe it will remain relatively unchanged for another 60 years.

The 36mm size is appropriate for this type of watch and it does “wear” larger and feels more substantial on the wrist than other 36mm watches I have come across. The Day-Date, in any incarnation, is the quintessential Rolex that best represents the epitome of what Rolex is all about; style, prestige and timelessness.

Well, there you have it. My humble review of my beloved grail, the Day-Date 118238.
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Old 9 March 2016, 02:05 PM   #2
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Awesome review and happy DD anniversary! Thanks for sharing and what a stunner! 😍😍😍

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Old 10 March 2016, 03:10 AM   #3
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Awesome review and happy DD anniversary! Thanks for sharing and what a stunner! 😍😍😍

Sent from my SM-G925W8 using Tapatalk


Thanks for reading buddy!
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Old 10 March 2016, 11:37 AM   #4
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Awesome review! The 118238 is my grail as well. I want the champagne stick dial, though, as I feel it's a little less dressy. The white Romans dial has grown on me in recent months, though! Congrats on an awesome watch. Do you wear anything else?
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Old 10 March 2016, 12:22 PM   #5
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Old 11 March 2016, 12:12 AM   #6
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Good to see you are still happy with your DD Eric :thumbs:
Regarding the size and wearing larger than one might think you hit the nail on the head.

The predecessor;
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Old 11 March 2016, 12:55 AM   #7
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Great personal review Eric..and a Happy DD Anniversary to you and your Grail.
You summed it up susinctly ....
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Old 11 March 2016, 04:00 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by anothernewphone View Post
Awesome review! The 118238 is my grail as well. I want the champagne stick dial, though, as I feel it's a little less dressy. The white Romans dial has grown on me in recent months, though! Congrats on an awesome watch. Do you wear anything else?
Thanks Bill.

During the work weeks, I usually alternate between my DD, YG GMT and YG Sub. The weekends tend to get SS wear.
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Old 11 March 2016, 12:16 PM   #9
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Happy Anniversary Eric, and thanks for the great review. The 36mm day date is next on my list. I agree that it wears larger than it's 36mm and while all variants are beautiful, the 36mm is the most elegant by far IMO.
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Old 11 March 2016, 12:28 PM   #10
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How timely. I've been lusting over the same watch for the past month and just can't decide yet on the dial and size. I agree that one can't go wrong with the classic 36mm, but I've also tried on the 40mm and it feels just as good. I am still sleeping on it and will most likely continue to do so until Basel 2016.
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Old 11 March 2016, 01:10 PM   #11
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Love the review and can't disagree with a thing... but do love my 228238 YG w/ Black Diagonal Dial. . .
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Old 11 March 2016, 01:18 PM   #12
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Great review Eric! So glad you obtained your Grail. I love hearing your passion for this timepiece. May you enjoy it for many years to come
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Old 12 March 2016, 12:02 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joli160 View Post
Good to see you are still happy with your DD Eric :thumbs:
Regarding the size and wearing larger than one might think you hit the nail on the head.

The predecessor;


The predecessor looks pretty good too.
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Old 12 March 2016, 01:39 PM   #14
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Both ..beautiful pieces, tho I prefer stick markers myself...
Love it, Winston.. as witness at YVR airport...
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Old 12 March 2016, 03:15 PM   #15
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Great personal review Eric..and a Happy DD Anniversary to you and your Grail.
You summed it up susinctly ....
Thanks Thomas. Still love it as much as the day I first bought it. Wearing it right now as I type this response.
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Old 12 March 2016, 11:39 PM   #16
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Stunning watch. The changes to the 6 digit reference really hit the mark. Of course, the weight with the solid bracelet is tremendous and give the watch an ultra-luxurious feel. But also, the subtle change of polishing the lugs creates great contrast which really makes the yellow gold surfaces pop.
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Old 13 March 2016, 10:51 AM   #17
Eric Chan
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Originally Posted by nresetar View Post
Happy Anniversary Eric, and thanks for the great review. The 36mm day date is next on my list. I agree that it wears larger than it's 36mm and while all variants are beautiful, the 36mm is the most elegant by far IMO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zuger View Post
How timely. I've been lusting over the same watch for the past month and just can't decide yet on the dial and size. I agree that one can't go wrong with the classic 36mm, but I've also tried on the 40mm and it feels just as good. I am still sleeping on it and will most likely continue to do so until Basel 2016.
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Originally Posted by dddl View Post
Love the review and can't disagree with a thing... but do love my 228238 YG w/ Black Diagonal Dial. . .


Thanks guys.
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Old 13 March 2016, 10:54 AM   #18
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Great review Eric! So glad you obtained your Grail. I love hearing your passion for this timepiece. May you enjoy it for many years to come
Thanks Brian.

Rest assured I will enjoy and own this watch for many, many years. Just something about a YG DD that will never go out of style.
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Old 13 March 2016, 06:53 PM   #19
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Good one year review, Eric! One thing you could perhaps report on for us is whether or not you needed to add or subtract a link over the course of 12 months. The one thing I wish the Day-Date did better is user-friendly on-the-fly bracelet adjustment.

Bit late for me to be asking though, as some of your photos posted helped get me interested in 36mm watches again and I've already managed to acquire a 118238 and a 118239 - both with black stick dials. So in some way you're the Dr Tom of the Day-Date!

Only cloud on the horizon is the nagging suspicion I've developed that it might be fun to collect these watches with different dials. And there are so many!
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Old 14 March 2016, 07:37 AM   #20
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Eric, so sorry I did not see this trail last week.. We share the same love for the 118238...my own one year anniversary is in May..

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthrea...ghlight=118238
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Old 14 March 2016, 08:19 AM   #21
returntorolex
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Chan View Post
One year to the date has passed since obtaining my personal watch grail, the Day-Date 118238 with the white roman dial.

Just a little background on what this watch means for me before I get into the actual review. Growing up, I was aware of Rolex, but never really did get into fine timepieces until 2003. My first Rolex was a Datejust 16234 that I received in 2004 and since then, I could not get enough of the Rolex brand. It was in 2005 that I truly “discovered” the Day-Date and knew that I would have it one day. It took a decade to obtain as there were many other priorities in life that took precedence over the sizeable purchase of a precious metal watch. So enough with the background and onto the review!

Movement:

Within this marvelous timepiece is the robust Rolex Calibre 3156. I will not pretend to be an expert in this field as all the knowledge I have is based on what I have read on this Forum and my own personal research on the topic over the years. All I can say is that it has kept amazing time, based on my calculations, +3 seconds per day. The one aspect that I love the most about this movement is that it is a variation of the same movement within most of the Rolex stainless steel models, like the Submariner, meaning that I do not have to worry about being “delicate” with this watch. Not to suggest that I would start on extreme activities while wearing it, but if I did, I would not have to worry about the movement being compromised.

Bracelet:

The 118238 is available in the President and Oyster bracelet. The President was my choice for two simple reasons:

1. I love the look of the bracelet. Simple, elegant and automatically recognizable.

2. It is exclusive to the Day-Date line. The Oyster bracelet is available on nearly, if not all Rolex sport models. So to me, the logical choice would be to choose the bracelet that only is available with the Day-Date.

The gold is softer than steel and scratches will show. This does not bother me as watches should be worn and enjoyed and the over appearance of “wear-and-tear” simply add to the overall character of the timepiece.

Bezel:

The fluted bezel has become a signature for Rolex. It was designed many, many years ago and does not show any signs of being obsolete. The way the light reflects off of it is truly magical and enhances the look of the watch. When I see a fluted bezel, the two watches that come to mind are the Day-Date and the Datejust.

Dial:

There are many dial combinations for the Day-Date. There is no right or wrong combination as everyone has differing or varying tastes. When I first laid eyes on the white roman dial, I knew that was the dial combination for me and after a decade of yearning for this watch, that opinion has not changed. The white dial compliments the yellow gold with a very subtle warmth and the roman numerals provide a sense of timelessness for this watch.

Design:

What more can I say about the Day-Date that has not already been said (much more eloquently) by others? It was first introduced in 1956 and in its 60 year history; the design has changed very little. It is a true timeless classic and I firmly believe it will remain relatively unchanged for another 60 years.

The 36mm size is appropriate for this type of watch and it does “wear” larger and feels more substantial on the wrist than other 36mm watches I have come across. The Day-Date, in any incarnation, is the quintessential Rolex that best represents the epitome of what Rolex is all about; style, prestige and timelessness.

Well, there you have it. My humble review of my beloved grail, the Day-Date 118238.
Awesome! I always was under the impression we had the 3155 movement. What is the 3156?
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Old 14 March 2016, 02:27 PM   #22
Eric Chan
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Originally Posted by descartes View Post
Stunning watch. The changes to the 6 digit reference really hit the mark. Of course, the weight with the solid bracelet is tremendous and give the watch an ultra-luxurious feel. But also, the subtle change of polishing the lugs creates great contrast which really makes the yellow gold surfaces pop.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Gnomon View Post
Good one year review, Eric! One thing you could perhaps report on for us is whether or not you needed to add or subtract a link over the course of 12 months. The one thing I wish the Day-Date did better is user-friendly on-the-fly bracelet adjustment.

Bit late for me to be asking though, as some of your photos posted helped get me interested in 36mm watches again and I've already managed to acquire a 118238 and a 118239 - both with black stick dials. So in some way you're the Dr Tom of the Day-Date!

Only cloud on the horizon is the nagging suspicion I've developed that it might be fun to collect these watches with different dials. And there are so many!
Thank you for the kind words.

No need for me to add or subtract links. I guess I am just lucky as I know a couple of guys who wear DD's and wish there was an Easylink option.

I am glad to be of some influence on you regarding the 36mm size watches. This one as you know wears bigger than other watches similar in size. To me it is the perfect and classic size for this type of watch. Hope to see your other beauties on the Forum.
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Old 14 March 2016, 02:47 PM   #23
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Eric, so sorry I did not see this trail last week.. We share the same love for the 118238...my own one year anniversary is in May..

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthrea...ghlight=118238


Thanks Tom. It has been a great year with our beauties has it not?
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Old 14 March 2016, 02:49 PM   #24
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Awesome! I always was under the impression we had the 3155 movement. What is the 3156?


Thanks Steve.

The 3156 is when Rolex incorporated the blue parachrom hairspring in the watch movement. I think this happened in 2011.
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Old 4 April 2016, 11:24 AM   #25
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Had exactly the same watch with white romans and sold it a few years back. I just did not wear any yellow gold at the time but I should have kept it, for sure. Wear it in good health and keep it forever, it is a true quintessential Rolex!
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Old 4 April 2016, 11:43 AM   #26
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Rolex Day-Date 118238 – 1st Year Review

Glad you are still loving your DD, I am too!
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Old 10 April 2016, 07:13 AM   #27
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I haven't set mine since January the 4th, and it's only half a second slow! Is this normal?
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Old 10 April 2016, 08:00 AM   #28
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I haven't set mine since January the 4th, and it's only half a second slow! Is this normal?
....Sounds abnormal to me.... .. But fantastic if that be the case.
Haven't heard of such accuracy from anyone else. ....
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Old 20 April 2016, 05:48 PM   #29
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So very nice , perfect
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Old 21 April 2016, 01:07 AM   #30
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Nice review, thanks
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