Rolex Day-Date Oysterquartz Burlwood Dial Review: ref. 19018

Let’s talk about the proverbial elephant that is always in the Swiss watch room: the quartz crisis. By the early 1970s, quartz movements were more accurate and cheaper to produce than mechanical movements, leading to turmoil across the industry, particularly impacting Swiss manufacturers. Though Seiko is credited with presenting the first quartz watch in 1969, some speculation suggests that Rolex was the first to develop a quartz movement. Following a variety of quartz Datejust models in the late 60s and early 70s, the “Oyster Quartz” collection was launched in 1977 with a unique integrated bracelet design.

The reference 19018 seen here is a continuation of that new design language translated into a Day-Date model, and is a great example of some of the funkier design elements that are present in Rolex’s archives. In 18K yellow gold with a matching yellow gold bracelet, it features a full burlwood dial and an Italian day wheel. The result is one of the most unique and character-filled watches in Rolex’s catalog. 

While natural materials such as stone have been used in dials for many decades (and are experiencing a surge in popularity of late), wood dials are much rarer, and give an incredible amount of texture and personality to the watch. In the early 1970s, Rolex began outfitting some of their watches with dials made from Sequoia wood, transitioning to burlwood in the later part of the decade. Burls are created from knobby outgrowths on trees and feature unique textures and the swirling grain patterns which are visible on this dial. No one burl is identical to another, making each dial completely unique. Wood dials also age wonderfully as the wood gains patina from exposure to sunlight. Rolex watches from this era with wood dials in good condition are hard to find, and are highly sought after by passionate collectors.

Vintage Rolex offers the opportunity to find truly unique pieces that the brand would never make today. Watches like this 19018 bring a degree of character and individuality that is hard to find in the modern Rolex catalog. In an era of mass production, these pieces stand out for their use of natural beauty in concert with groundbreaking design to create something truly one of a kind.