Like the Fender Stratocaster and the Porsche 911, the luxury Rolex Datejust replica watches was so elegantly conceived and executed during the mid-20th Century that it has remained in production to this day, more or less in its original form. And like the Strat and the 911, the Datejust has undergone development as new ideas, materials, and technologies emerged, but the basic design has been remarkably stable. These companies knew not to mess too much with a classic.
And, yes, the notion that the Rolex Datejust is the Strat or the 911 of Swiss replica watches is exactly the point. The Datejust has been a brand icon for 1:1 fake Rolex watches ever since it came out in 1945, and today — just like the Strat and 911 — the Datejust looks so current, so fresh that it’s easy to forget that these Swiss made fake watches were initially designed over 70 years ago.
1945–1953: Rolex 4xxx Series Datejust Replica Watches
Since the 1920s, decades before the Datejust, Rolex had been successfully selling their Oyster Perpetual replica watches for sale; “Oyster” because the AAA fake watches were watertight like an oyster, and “Perpetual” because they automatically wound themselves, thus seeming to run perpetually.
To celebrate the firm’s 40th Anniversary in 1945, cheap Rolex replica watches produced reference 4467, an Oyster Perpetual with a date complication, and they called it The Datejust. The Datejust was the very first waterproof, automatic wristwatch to incorporate a date window, and this mechanism changed dates very close to midnight (unlike many date complications which take hours to change over).
We’ve heard two versions of where the name ‘Datejust’ comes from: that the date changes just before midnight, and that the date is always “just,” as in correctly displayed. Either story makes sense.
The 1945 Datejust was also the first US top Rolex fake watches to include the now famous five-link Jubilee bracelet, thusly named because Rolex was celebrating its 40th anniversary.
For about a decade, perfect replica Rolex watches continued to produce the Datejust with their Caliber 7xx movements. The shape of these movements required the rear case to bulge out, much like many other Rolex models of the era, and these best Swiss made copy watches are affectionately called “bubblebacks.” Collectors should be warned that high quality fake Rolex watches no longer produces parts for, nor services, Datejusts from this era. Engaging a third-party watchmaker who specializes in maintaining bubblebacks can be costly.
1954–1955: Rolex 6xxx Series Datejust Fake Watches
In 1954, the word “Datejust” began to appear on the dial. The updated movement switched the date exactly at midnight, rather than just before. Also in 1954, wholesale Rolex replica watches began introducing the “cyclops” magnifying lens to the Datejust (it was invented in 1953), and by 1955 Rolex fake watches for men included chunkier fluting on the bezel. The name on the dial, the cyclops, and the new bezel style combined to turn the Datejust into Rolex’s most potent icon.
1957: Replica Rolex Watches Begin to Phase Out the Bubble Back
Around 1957, replica Rolex watches with Swiss movements began outfitting Datejusts with the short-lived Caliber 1065 movement. This unit used a newly designed rotor that allowed the case back to be flat, thus bringing the bubbleback era to an end. It wasn’t a hugely significant change in 1957, but for today’s collectors the Caliber 1065 movement indicates an important line in Datejust history because service and parts are far more accessible today than they are for bubblebacks.
1958: Fake Rolex 160x Series Datejust Watches
Around 1958, best quality fake Rolex watches began to introduce the Caliber 1560 movement, and by 1960 the Datejust had shifted wholly to this movement to become the 160x Series, which would endure until 1979. Around 1966, 1:1 Swiss Rolex replica watches began introducing Caliber 1570, which beat at a slightly higher frequency, but the updated movement didn’t change the Datejust line in any essential way until around 1972, when the movement incorporated a hacking function that stopped the second’s hand while setting the time, allowing for accurate synchronization with a reference time source.
Other key features that started to appear around this time were the stick hands and stick markers (these would vary slightly over the years, but have endured). With these features, the Datejust took on the familiar appearance that has served as the aesthetic template for Datejusts ever since.
Understanding the reference numbers for the 160x series Datejusts is quite simple: a 1600 will sport a smooth bezel; 1601 a fluted gold bezel; 1603 a stainless steel “engine turned” bezel (the latter features very fine radial etchings). What isn’t simple is that AAA US Rolex fake watches offered a wide range of metals for the case and bezel (from all steel to solid yellow, rose, and white gold, to tow-tone), and the dial colors and patterns were even more varied. In other words, perfect quality replica Rolex watches riffed prolifically with the 160x series.
1977: Rolex Oyster Quartz Datejust Replica Watches
Datejusts with quartz movements existed in a kind of parallel universe that lasted for around 25 years. Cheap online fake Rolex watches began developing the in-house Oyster Quartz Caliber 5035 movement around 1972, releasing the first Oyster Quartz Datejusts in 1977. Certainly not luxury Swiss made Rolex replica watches’ most popular technology among today’s collectors, the OysterQuartz Datejusts are still serviceable, provide dead-accurate timekeeping, and — at least among watch collectors — can be interesting conversation pieces. They also have angular lugs with a distinct 1970s vibe. Reference numbers are 17xxx.
1979–1988: Rolex 160xx Series Datejust Fake Watches with Quickset, Smooth Sweep and a Flat Dial
Around 1979, top Swiss movements Rolex fake watches began installing the Caliber 3035 mechanical movement into the Datejust, setting off a run that lasted until 1988. A quickset function for the date was a big improvement. Quickset dates are so common today that it may be difficult to appreciate how significant this feature was at the time; anyone requiring proof only need set the date on a watch without quickset, a seemingly endless endeavor.
The Caliber 3035 beats 28,000 times per hour, which equates to eight ticks per second. This rate has since become the industry standard for mechanical best AAA replica watches, and it produces the almost-smooth sweep of the seconds hand that, for some time, was one way to identify a genuine Rolex.
Aesthetically, the only significant change was that Datejust dials were now completely flat. The long-standing pie-pan dials had yet to return to the Datejust.
1988–Present: Today’s Replica Rolex Datejust Watches
In 1988, replica Rolex watches store online introduced the Caliber 3235 to the 36mm Datejust, and this movement currently powers both the 36mm and the 41mm Datejusts. This movement is now loaded with proprietary amagnetic materials and lubricants, and, due to these improvements, currently outperforms the COSC Certification standard. The 41mm Datejust came out in 2016 in gold, and in 2017 fake Rolex watches for men brought out the first steel versions.
US top Rolex replica watches has nudged the aesthetics of the Datejust forward every so slightly since 1988, but these changes are hardly worth mentioning because the design has been so stable for so long. Gone are the “engine turned” steel bezels; you’ll have to go for a smooth bezel if you’d like a steel Datejust. The cheap best knockoff watches are simply more accurate and more durable versions of one of the most stable designs in watchmaking.
Early 2000s: Fake Rolex Turn-O-Graph (a.k.a. “Thunderbird”) Datejust Watches
In 1953, Swiss luxury Rolex fake watches offered the first wrist replica watches with rotating timing bezels. One of them, dubbed the Turn-O-Graph, was issued by the U.S. Air Force, thus making these the first true Rolex tool watch as well as their first true military issue watch. Rolex marketed these top Swiss movements super clone watches to the US as “Thunderbirds,” named after the US Air Force squadron that used them, and before long they joined the Datejust family.
During the ‘oughts, online perfect replica Rolex watches brought the Turn-O-Graph back into the Datejust line, and these 36mm replica watches sold crisply to those seeking a perfect sport-dress balance. They’re not entirely hard to find — especially those later models — and they really do stand out.