Rolex Datejust "Wideboy Sigma"

The grey Wideboy dial is what sets this Rolex Datejust reference 1601 apart, and remarkably it brings together three rare features in a single dial. There is the unusually cool grey colour, the sigma marks flanking the six o'clock that indicate solid gold applied markers, and the distinctly wide, fat baton markers with matching hands. The Wideboy nickname is collector shorthand for those bold batons and hands used on these early 1970s executions, and here they give the familiar reference 1601 silhouette a more architectural presence. Produced around 1973, this vintage Rolex Datejust belongs to the height of the 1601's run, when the fluted-bezel Datejust had settled into its definitive form as the everyday luxury watch against which all others are measured.

The grey dial is plain and clean, an unusually cool and understated colour for the reference, and its restraint plays beautifully against the wide applied indices and matching hands. The sigma marks that frame the lower indices confirm the precious-metal construction of the markers, a detail prized by collectors. A date sits at three beneath the cyclops. The 36mm stainless steel case carries the fluted bezel that has always defined the Datejust, and the crown screws down at the side. Powered by the automatic calibre 1575, the watch is presented on a Jubilee bracelet with a Rolex folding clasp in polished stainless steel.

The case flanks show light surface scratches, the honest marks of a watch worn and enjoyed across five decades. The Jubilee's centre links carry minor brushing wear consistent with age, exactly the sympathetic patina one hopes to find on an original bracelet still on the watch. It comes with its original Rolex box.