THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 1601/8
YEAR: 1971
CASE DIAMETER: 36MM
CASE MATERIAL: 18K YELLOW GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: 18 YELLOW GOLD
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC

During the 1960s and 1970s, Rolex was not afraid to experiment with dial designs, introducing a wide array of unique dials across the Oyster Perpetual, Datejust, and Day-Date lines. One of our favourites, and now relatively elusive, is the “Shantung” dial. These dials were produced primarily for the Asian market, appearing around 1968 and disappearing by the late 1970s. Shantung fabric is a finely textured silk, with an irregular horizontal texture that catches the light in a truly captivating way. These dials have the silk woven horizontally.

Blue Shantung dials are rare, but one or two occasionally pop up, usually in a steel or two-tone case. This example, however, was made entirely in 18k yellow gold. Both the case and bracelet have seen minimal wear: the original Jubilee bracelet with ’71 clasp has zero stretch and has two links off the watch.