Rolex Datejust 36 Silver Dial (1979) – B-Ware at an attractive entry price

Not every Rolex has to be flawless to be interesting. This Datejust 36 with a silver dial from 1979 offers genuine vintage character at an attractive price – consciously offered as B-ware, as it comes with two technical limitations. For watchmakers, experienced collectors, or anyone looking for a project, this can be precisely what makes it appealing.

Important note on condition

Before we delve into the advantages of this watch, we want to transparently point out the known limitations:

• The manual winding is very stiff.
• The date change mechanism is defective: The date does change, but very slowly and only about 12 hours after the actual change time.

For this reason, the watch is preemptively offered as B-ware. By purchasing this watch, the buyer waives the legal right of withdrawal. Aside from these two points, the watch is fully functional and exhibits good timekeeping accuracy.

Despite the defects: a solid foundation

Apart from the mentioned limitations, this Datejust presents itself in good to very good overall condition. The case, bezel, crystal, movement, and dial appear very well-maintained, while the bracelet and case back are in good condition. During refurbishment, the case was high-gloss polished and professionally refinished, the bezel was brought to a high polish, the shiny surfaces of the bracelet were polished and the satin-finished areas re-worked, and the acrylic crystal was freshly polished. Visually, the watch thus makes a significantly more well-kept impression than one might expect from a B-ware watch.

Technical specifications at a glance

• Brand / Model: Rolex Datejust 36, Ref. 16030
• Dial color: Silver
• Case diameter: 36 mm
• Lug width: 20 mm
• Weight: 85 g
• Case material: Stainless steel
• Crystal: Acrylic (not original)
• Water resistance: not tested / no guarantee
• Year of manufacture: 1979
• Bracelet length: 19.5 cm
• Internal reference number: 10872

The movement: good timekeeping despite mechanical defects

Inside, the Rolex Caliber 3035 is at work – an automatic movement with a power reserve of 50 hours according to the manufacturer's specifications. Despite the stiff manual winding and the defective date change, the movement delivers convincing values for timekeeping:

• Rate deviation: -5 seconds/day
• Amplitude: 268°
• Beat Error: 0.9 ms

These values show: The core of the movement generally runs smoothly and precisely – the described defects specifically concern the winding mechanism and the date switching, not the actual timekeeping accuracy.

Condition at a glance

Note: The condition assessment is based on a subjective evaluation by our team, taking into account the age of the watch and other relevant factors. The functional limitations described above (manual winding, date change) are not reflected in this table and should be considered separately.

Work performed

• Case high-gloss polished
• Case professionally refinished
• Bezel brought to high polish
• Bracelet polished on high-gloss areas
• Bracelet re-worked on satin-finished areas
• Acrylic crystal polished

Scope of delivery

• the watch itself
• transport box
• our in-house certificate of authenticity

Who is this watch suitable for?

This Datejust is specifically aimed at watchmakers who want to repair the winding mechanism and date setting themselves, experienced collectors looking for an affordable base for a later restoration, or anyone who wants to acquire a genuine vintage Rolex as a project at a significantly reduced entry price. If you are looking for an immediately perfectly functioning watch, this offer is not for you – but if you consciously accept the described limitations, you will receive a Datejust with solid substance at an attractive price.

Conclusion

This Rolex Datejust 36 Ref. 16030 from 1979 is consciously and transparently offered as B-ware: stiff manual winding and a delayed date change are juxtaposed with an otherwise well-maintained, optically refurbished watch with good timekeeping accuracy. Please note that the purchase of this watch is associated with the waiver of the legal right of withdrawal.

Interested? Contact us to learn more about this piece or to arrange a viewing.