Rolex Day-Date 40 Exhibition – Schaap en Citroen Den Haag

It has been exactly 60 years since the introduction of the first Rolex Day-Date, reference 6511. This is being celebrated by a dedicated Rolex Day-Date 40 exhibition at one of the largest retailers in The Netherlands, Schaap en Citroen. Even better, their boutique in The Hague was chosen for this exhibition. A ‘home game’ for us, for a change.

Rolex Day-Date ‘President’

In the last 60 years, a lot has changed about the Day-Date, but a lot has also remained familiar. Today’s Rolex Day-Date 40 (introduced in 2015) is clearly a descendant of the very first Day-Date from 1956. A child can see that. It is the watch that was worn by presidents. After U.S. President, Lyndon Johnson was elected (and wearing a Day-Date), Rolex even came up with this advertisement:

We’ve covered the Rolex Day-Date and new Rolex Day-Date 40 more than once during our 12 years of writing about watches. The Day-Date is an icon and the ‘Holy Grail’ for many, even those who aren’t as deep into watches as us. It just shows how powerful a brand can be and that people want to have ‘this watch’ without further reasons other than that it’s the Rolex President.

Rolex Day-Date 40 Exhibition

We reported about the new Rolex Day-Date 40 collection in this article. We called it ‘The Return of a Classic”, as the Rolex Day-Date II was discontinued for obvious reasons and Rolex went back to the drawing board to come up with something that was more true to the original 36mm Day-Date design. It was a clear success as the new 40mm version of the Day-Date received a lot of accolades from watch journalists as well as from consumers and collectors from the very moment it was unveiled.

The 60th anniversary is the reason for Rolex and Schaap en Citroen to put the spotlight on this iconic watch (only available in precious metals) once more with a dedicated Rolex Day-Date 40 exhibition in The Hague.

Day-Date Wall of Fame

A large ‘Rolex Day-Date’ wall has been placed inside the boutique in The Hague with a lot of details and explanation around this icon. It includes a few things about its history, using old advertisements for example. Two interactive screens could be used to check out all details about the Day-Date collection, from dial configurations to close-up shots of the caliber 3255 movement.

Besides the ‘interactive’ Rolex Day-Date wall, the rest of the Schaap en Citroen boutique iss all dressed-up ‘Rolex’. The boutique normally has a large Rolex corner, but now everything on their 1st floor is also filled with Rolex watches and accessories. Most Rolex Day-Date 40 and some 36mm models of the Day-Date collection were present in the collection of Schaap en Citroen. Not all dial configurations were available, but at least there was an overview (see above) of which dials can be selected when you buy a Day-Date.

Schaap en Citroen invited some of their Rolex clientele for the evening as well as some press (Dutch magazine Watching was there, as well as Fratello Watches). Later on, it became quite crowded with a lot of people who showed interest in the Rolex Day-Date. Schaap en Citroen did an amazing job with live music, great catering and having knowledgable staff walking around to assist people with questions (and wishes).

The Rolex Day-Date 40 Exhibition is open until December 12th. For opening times, location and contact details, click here.

Thank you Schaap en Citroen and Rolex.