Wrist Game or Crying Shame: Rolex Day-Date Tridor

Welcome to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, where you don’t need the House, Senate, Lords, Commons, or even a quorum to cast your vote on which watch should take office on your wrist.  Today, we come out of left field with the Rolex Day-Date Tridor.  But first…

I’m kind of angry at you readers.  You were downright rude to what I thought, and still think, is a super cool dive watch: the TAG Heuer Super Professional.  Apparently, you like your TAGs with more color, less mechanicals, or a bunch of buttons on the side as you gave this watch a serious Bronx Cheer with a 75% Crying Shame vote.  Well, that’s more Super Professionals for me, then!  Let’s see how you feel about today’s eccentric pick, the Rolex Day-Date Tridor.

The Rolex Day-Date was first introduced way back in 1956 and has always been made in either gold or platinum.  No matter what some might say, it is the brand’s flagship watch.  As the watch of Presidents (thereby gaining the nickname of “President”), crooked gangsters (sometimes, they’re world leaders too!), shady financiers, Texas oilmen, gangster rappers, hairband rockers, and even some folks with good taste – it is unmistakeable due to its day and date displays and, if so equipped, unique bracelet.  Traditionally, the watches were in 36mm (for men’s) but today they’re also available in some unfortunate bloated format like the Datejusts.  Folks, 36mm is the size for a Rolex that was born as a 36mm watch.  Don’t fight me on this – you’re just plain wrong to think otherwise.  Now, I mentioned gold and platinum as your metals of choice for the President.  When it comes to gold, yellow, white and rose have been available for some time, but there was a time that something else existed in the guise of the Rolex Day-Date Tridor.

Sounding like it sprouted from Middle-Earth like some Tolkien-esque object of desire, the Rolex Day-Date Tridor was born during the decade when my two favorite baseball teams last won a World Series (Baltimore and Detroit…sigh): the 1980’s.  The Tridor took a white gold-cased Day-Date, but brought a bracelet that showed that even stodgy Rolex wasn’t immune to the questionable tastes of the era.  Rolex decided to clad a rainbow of rose, yellow and white gold right down Main Street (that’s the center link) and they called this concoction “Tridor”.  Catchy, wasn’t it?  They then offered up a yellow gold fluted bezel, a white gold crown and gave colorblind buyers the opportunity to throw just about any clashing dial onto the watch.  Oh, and diamonds?  Sure thing…I’ve seen this with diamonds on the bezels and the dials.  Just go have a look on Google at the various combinations that were created during this period of designer drugs – astounding stuff, really.  I can still recall seeing these new at places like Mayor’s in South Florida and while they weren’t my cup of tea, the metal work was done well.  This is Rolex after all.

The Rolex Day-Date Tridor made it into the early 2000’s, but this is not a watch you saw often and it’s one you almost never see today.  Now, I’ll admit to you that I have a soft spot for such oddities and I’d love to own a Credor Tridor.  On the other hand, I own a Root Beer GMT Master and I understand that most people consider that to be a hipster doofus watch.  If the Root Beer garners that type of “love”, I have no idea in hell what skinny jeans, collab sneakers, limited edition clothing idiot-type reputation a wearer of one of these watches would obtain.  Yes, I hear you – just where what you like!  But seriously, what in the heck would one wear with the Tridor without being laughed at?  It doesn’t ooze “power watch” like a traditional President and it kind of looks clownish.

But still…I’d rock one.  I’m thinking era-appropriate Fila tennis shorts and matching collared shirt just might be the only ticket to wear with such a timepiece.  And I mean to throw no shade at an 80’s SL Benz – Bruno Sacco had it going on – but I think that one of those just might be the only car to drive with this watch.  You see…owning a Tridor could get really expensive…

On the other hand, perhaps you work somewhere like a carnival and colorful watches would simply work well for you.  Perhaps the watch we found in the land of 6 foot 4 men full of muscles – that’s Brussels could act as a suitable accessory.  For 12,950 Euros and on Chrono24, you can get your hands on what I think is a very clean-looking Rolex Day-Date Tridor (the watch and photos are the property of the seller).

Plus, it was just serviced by Rolex in 2017.  The seller calls this an 80’s ref. 18039 and that should mean quickset date.  It comes with a rather conservative – and sexy if I may say so – gold dial that blends well with the rest of the livery.  The lugs looks thick as well and how about that bracelet?  Damn – I almost want to bite it…you know, like pirates do when they find doubloons!  There are no boxes and papers, but who cares.  This watch should live on your wrist and not tucked away for safe keeping.  After all, as they say, if you’ve got it, flaunt it!

Folks, don’t let me down with your votes on the Rolex Day-Date Tridor.  You know that despite its polarizing looks, this is a watch that you just might not tell anyone that you secretly love…but that you secretly do!  Well, guess what…your secret is safe with us when you vote!  Let’s find out if this Tridor is a treasure worth the hunt or if it should be cast into the mouth of a volcano like that silly hobbit did with a certain piece of finger jewelry.