THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 6305-2
YEAR: 1954
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 36mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC

The Ref. 6305 was the model that started the Datejust’s success, with more sales than any other line in Rolex’s history. Initially launched in 1945, the Datejust was a dressy watch that only came in solid gold or two-tone construction—not quite the daily wearer we see today—and sold in small numbers, partly due to its high cost.

Rolex decided they needed to branch out and make the Datejust more attainable. Enter the 6305: a 36 mm stainless steel watch with a rounded caseback (which Italian collectors named Ovettone, meaning “big egg”), a Cyclops lens to increase legibility, radium-filled spearhead markers, and an engine-turned bezel. 

The present example came from the very early years of stainless steel Datejusts. The star of the show is the dial, which was originally pearl white but has tropicalised heavily into a gorgeous warm beige hue, complemented by the red “Datejust” signature and roulette date wheel. The alpha hands still retain their original radium lume plots, as do the dial markers. The bracelet is a slightly later US Jubilee stamped 1/74 with “50” end links. The caseback features 1950s Rolex logo engraving and dates II 54.

The movement has been serviced within the last year and is running exceptionally well at +2 s/d, 250 amplitude, with a beat error of 0.2 ms.

This is easily the ultimate stainless steel Datejust, with an incredibly rare configuration and a beautiful touch of warm colour thanks to the magic of time.