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1979 Rolex Datejust 16013 - Blue Dial

Details

This Is The Datejust Everyone Recognizes

If you picture a vintage Datejust, this is usually it. Two tone case, fluted yellow gold bezel, Jubilee bracelet, and a blue stick dial. By the late 1970s, Rolex had this formula sorted, and it became so recognizable for a reason. It works from every angle and never tries too hard.

Why This Configuration Matters

The blue stick dial is the quiet flex here. Cleaner and more modern than Roman or champagne options, it keeps the watch versatile and easy to wear. Against the gold bezel and two tone bracelet, it adds contrast without overpowering the design. The fluted 18k yellow gold bezel is the anchor. It gives the watch its identity and is the reason this reference still reads as a Datejust from across the room. Paired with a Jubilee bracelet, this is the classic execution Rolex leaned on for decades.

What You Need To Know Before Wearing It

The watch runs well. The case is in good condition with wear consistent with age. The dial is in good shape and presents cleanly. The Jubilee bracelet shows stretch consistent with age, and runs well after passing by the test bench. 

Why This Watch Still Makes Sense

This is an honest vintage Datejust that wears exactly how these are supposed to wear. Familiar, comfortable, and easy to live with.

It works for someone who wants the classic two tone Rolex look without pretending it is something else. Correct parts, honest condition, and a configuration that has aged well because it was never chasing novelty.

Every watch we offer has been authenticated and mechanically looked over to ensure immediate usability.

Bracelet extension, cutting, or sizing is available upon request through our professional in-house jewelers.

 

Every watch we offer has been authenticated and mechanically looked over to ensure immediate usability.

Bracelet extension, cutting, or sizing is available upon request through our professional in-house jewelers.

Key Specs

Reference: 16013

Model: Datejust 36

Year: 1979

Movement: Automatic

Case Size: 36mm

Bezel: 18k yellow gold fluted

Bracelet: Two-tone Jubilee bracelet

Dial: Blue stick dial

Wrist Size: Fits 6.75–7.5 inches

SKU: 317

History

Introduced in 1945 to mark Rolex's 40th anniversary, the Datejust was the first self-winding, waterproof wristwatch to display the date in a window at 3 o'clock. The name said everything: the date, just there, automatically.

The watch debuted alongside the Jubilee bracelet — a five-piece link design created specifically for the occasion and still one of the most copied bracelet patterns in watchmaking. Later iterations added the iconic cyclops lens, magnifying the date 2.5x directly above the aperture, a detail so practical it became a Rolex signature.

Over the decades the Datejust evolved through generations of references — from the early 1600-series with engine-turned bezels to the 1603 in yellow gold, the 16013 and 16030 two-tones of the 1980s, the 16233 and 116233 of the 1990s and 2000s — yet the core proposition never changed: a 36mm case, an automatic movement, and a date that flips at midnight.

It's the Swiss watch equivalent of a white oxford shirt. Timeless in steel, versatile in two-tone, proper in solid gold. Collectors prize the earlier sigma-dial examples for their textural richness; later smooth-dialed pieces wear as effortlessly today as they did the day they left Geneva. Few references have ever achieved this level of consistency across six decades of production.