Spending Time With The President — The Rolex Day-Date 40 Refs. 228239 And 228235

I have spent plenty of time around the iconic Rolex Day-Date. Those watches, however, were all vintage or, at best, neo-vintage. My time spent with the current generation is limited, to put it mildly, so I felt it was about time I tried on a pair of thoroughly modern DDs in the contemporary 40mm size. These are the white gold ref. 228239 and the rose gold ref. 228235.

Will these watches make me feel proudly presidential or unbelievably unworthy? Let’s find out!

Ref. 1803 — Image: Bulang & Sons

A touch of Rolex Day-Date history

The Rolex Day-Date is widely regarded as the brand’s flagship model. This wasn’t always the case, though. Rolex introduced the Datejust in 1945 as its most luxurious offering, available only in precious metals. It would spend 11 years as The Crown’s crown until the Day-Date refs. 6510 and 6511 came along in 1956.

While the Datejust became synonymous with the Jubilee bracelet, the Day-Date is famous for its President bracelet. Unlike the Jubilee, the President has remained exclusive to the Day-Date until today. The name “President” has a slightly murky history. Some claim Dwight D. Eisenhower wearing a Day-Date inspired it; others point at Lyndon Johnson. Rolex briefly referred to the Day-Date as “the president’s watch” in the ’60s. Today, the watch is still nicknamed “President,” though that is the official name of the bracelet.

Ref. 18238

My experience primarily revolves around the 36mm 18xx, 180xx, and 182xx models. These roughly span the 1960–2000 era. During this period, non-quickset calibers, pie-pan dials, and acrylic crystals slowly made way for single- and double-quickset movements, flat dials, and sapphire crystals. Since then, the 41mm Day-Date II came along. The watches I am trying today are a 2015 refinement of that generation, coming in at 40mm wide. Of course, you can also still opt for the 36mm alternatives today.

Day-Date II ref. 218238 — Image: The Watch Club

Refinements to the larger Rolex Day-Date

The Day-Date II ref. 218238 was not universally loved. Of course, people had to get used to seeing a 36mm icon a solid half-centimeter bigger. But that wasn’t the biggest issue. The watch wasn’t merely scaled up but also proportioned differently. Its case was beefier and sportier. The dial, specifically, looked markedly different. Its relatively short applied indexes left a large negative space, emphasizing the larger size even more.

The current generation of the 40mm Day-Date solved those issues. The lugs are narrower, and so is the bezel. The dial, also reproportioned, looks more like that of the 36mm version.

All in all, the Rolex Day-Date 40 no longer looks like a 36mm DD on steroids. Instead, it looks very similar and familiar, just a bit larger. If you find the 36mm version too small, this now feels like a truly viable and mature alternative.

Not like a vintage Rolex Day-Date at all

So, on to my experience with this duo of current Rolex Day-Date offerings. Upon handling them, I felt a sense of awe. They feel nothing like the vintage watches I remember. I always wax poetic about Rolex solidity and the feel of the house’s bracelets. The gold President dials it up a notch. If you add the heft of gold to the unique combination of lateral rigidity and longitudinal suppleness, you get a bracelet that feels like it runs on well-oiled ceramic ball bearings. There truly is no other bracelet like it.

This sense of precision extends to the fluted bezel. The roof-like teeth are so sharp, flat, and expertly polished that their reflections can be overwhelming in the right light. The show doesn’t stop as you move inwards. The white gold ref. 228239’s diamond markers and the rose gold ref. 228235’s faceted Roman numerals glisten just as brightly.

Any modern Rolex feels solid compared to its vintage predecessors. The Day-Date, however, strikes the greatest contrast with them. This may be due to vintage examples of gold watches and their bracelets usually having worn, stretched, and scratched a bit more than their steel counterparts. At the same time, the current generation just feels clinically perfect, widening the gap further.

A word on the 40mm size

As I alluded to before, I feel the 40mm Day-Date represents a significant improvement over its 41mm predecessor. I can imagine you may not have spotted that these were the 40mm versions from the header picture alone. That’s a good thing! Here’s a little visual tell for the diamond-set model: the baguettes at 6 and 9 o’clock are slightly larger than the rest. On the 36mm version, all 10 diamonds are of equal size and shape.

The question is: who are these for? To me, a larger Day-Date always felt a bit unnecessary. The Day-Date wearers who made the watch famous weren’t exactly tiny guys. Nobody would argue the 36mm watch looked dainty on them. The DD always had plenty of presence to fit wrists of any size. I always envision someone with two Panerai watches, a Rolex Deepsea, and an IWC Big Pilot looking for a dressier watch when I envision a buyer of the larger Day-Date. I have no clue whether that is correct, but while I understand the demand for a larger Explorer, I don’t quite see it here.

At the end of the day, whether I see a need for it does not matter at all. Apparently, there is a market for it, and Rolex offers a worthy alternative to the 36mm classic. Whereas the 41mm Day-Date II felt a little brash, the Day-Date 40 is now every bit as refined as the 36mm models. Speaking of the size, the images show the watches on my colleague Nacho’s very average 17cm (6.7″) wrist. Your opinion may differ, but I can hardly fault the look. It looks spot on.

Closing thoughts

The Rolex Day-Date occupies an interesting segment of the watch market. I don’t view it as a strict dress watch, and it sure isn’t Haute Horlogerie. To be perfectly frank, I don’t even think it is all that pretty if you try to look at it without letting its iconic air cloud your judgment. So what is it, exactly?

To me, this is a watch that is made to impress. I don’t mean that in a bad way. You don’t have to use it to impress others, although very few watches do so as well as this does. Just handling it and enjoying it privately is deeply impressive. It feels more precise, solid, and refined than any item in any regular person’s daily life. The way its moving parts feel under the fingertips and the way it reflects light seem 4K in a full-HD world.

So, does it make me feel presidential? Well, not quite. I don’t feel ready for these watches. The rest of me seems to get 25% shabbier when I have one on my left wrist. They are just too bright, sharp, and eye-catching for me. Maybe I should grow into them, as RJ always says. Or maybe, just maybe, they aren’t really my style.

What do you think of the current Rolex Day-Date 40 refs. 228239 (white gold, €53,650) and 228235 (rose gold, €48,000)? Let us know in the comments section below!