Known as the President because it was worn by several American presidents, the Rolex Day-Date is the brand’s flagship watch available only in precious metals. The Rolex President is now slight smaller but much better.  Just introduced at Baselworld 2015, the new Day-Date 40 has a 40 mm Oyster case that contains the calibre 3255, a state of the art movement equipped with the new Chronergy escapement, an extended 70 hour power reserve and most intriguingly, new lubricants that Rolex produces in-house.

With a case diameter of 40 mm, the new Day-Date replaces the oversized Day-Date II, which suffered from day and date indications that seemed too small relative to the case. The Day-Date 40 will sit alongside the original, 36 mm Day-Date in the collection, with the latter being positioned as a ladies’ watch with bright dial colours available.

The Day-Date 40 has the same case form and profile as its larger cousin, with polished tops and sides on the lugs. It is available in four precious metals, platinum, Everose, as well as white and yellow gold. The top of the line platinum model is fitted with a pale blue “glacier” dial that Rolex bestows only on its platinum watches, decorated with an etched crosshatch motif.

Platinum

Everose

Yellow gold

White gold

New dial finishes

That’s not the only unusual dial finish found on the Day-Date 40. The Everose model has a pinstripe motif, while the white gold model has an unusual striped, quadrant finish. And the yellow and white gold models are notable for the use of applied, bevelled Roman numerals, against a first for Rolex.

Though simpler, the baton indices found on the platinum and Everose watches are also bevelled.

The mechanics

Like all Day-Date watches before, the calibre 3255 used here has an instantaneous calendar, meaning both the day and date displays change within a fraction of a second at midnight.

But the calibre 3255 goes beyond the calendar, with 14 patents in it. A thinner barrels, improved gear train and newly developed lubricants produced in-house give the watch a 70 hour power reserve, a 50 percent gain over the equivalent earlier movement.

And the calibre 3255 also has the Chronergy escapement that includes a redesigned pallet fork with an asymmetric shape that functions more efficiently than the traditional anchor. The escape wheel has also been redesigned, and is skeletonised for lightness – meaning that is is produced via the UV-LIGA process of metal deposition.

The Day-Date 40 is available only on the President bracelet, slightly redesigned to integrate better into the case. And the clasp is hidden, with a hinged Rolex crown to undo the locking mechanism.

Prices are as follows:

Yellow gold 33,200 Swiss francs
White gold 35,800 Swiss francs
Everose gold 35,800 Swiss francs
Platinum 59,500 Swiss francs