Description

Three of the rarest features in the entire history of the Rolex Day-Date appear together in this single watch. The reference 1806, produced at roughly one-hundredth the volume of the standard 1803, carries the hand-hammered Florentine finish across every visible surface of the case, bezel, and matching brick bracelet. The dial is a red lacquered Stella: one of the most coveted and intensely coloured of all Rolex dial configurations, produced in small numbers for a brief window in the 1970s. And the day disc reads in Italian, “DOMENICA” here, Sunday, confirming original delivery to the Italian market. A watch of this specific configuration represents the Day-Date at its absolute apex of rarity and visual impact.

The Reference 1806 – The Rarest Case in the Day-Date Family

To understand the ref. 1806 is to understand how deeply unusual it is. Within the 1800 series of Day-Date references, the last digit defines the case and bezel treatment: 2 for smooth, 3 for fluted, 4 for diamond-set, 7 for bark, 11 for Morellis engraving. The 6 denotes the Florentine finish, a hand-hammered, crosshatch guilloché technique applied by a craftsman with a burin across every surface of the case, bezel, and lugs. Unlike the bark finish of the 1807, which covers only the bezel and bracelet centre links, the Florentine finish of the 1806 extends across the entire case, bezel, case sides, lugs, and the matching brick bracelet’s links and clasp. There is no surface left untouched.

This finish was applied by hand, and the time required to do so is the primary reason the reference was produced in such small numbers. Specialist sources estimate that the 1806 was manufactured at approximately one-hundredth the production volume of the 1803. Most examples that were made went to the Middle East; Italian-market examples are rarer still. To encounter a ref. 1806 at all is unusual. To encounter one with a Stella dial is exceptional. To encounter one in the specific combination present here, the Florentine case, the Florentine bracelet, red Stella dial, and Italian day disc, is something else entirely.

The Red Stella Lacquer Dial – A Process Without Equal

The Stella dials were produced from the early 1970s in a small number of intensely pigmented lacquer colours: turquoise, coral, orange, green, yellow, oxblood, and red. Each dial was built up through multiple cycles of lacquer application and oven baking, then hand-polished and sealed with a transparent varnish. The process was extraordinarily labour-intensive and prone to failure; many dials cracked during production and were discarded. Rolex reportedly destroyed unsold batches of remaining stock in the late 1980s. This dual attrition, production losses, and deliberate destruction have reduced the surviving population of clean Stella dials to a fraction of what was originally made.

The red Stella is among the most visually powerful of all the Stella colours. Against the Florentine-textured yellow gold of the case and bracelet, the depth of the red lacquer surface creates a contrast of extraordinary intensity: the gold glitters and scatters light across its hand-hammered surface while the dial absorbs it, drawing the eye inward with an almost jewellery-like effect. Applied gold baton indices float above the dial surface, their three-dimensional presence amplified by the glossy lacquer beneath. The result is a watch that is impossible to look at neutrally.

The Florentine Bracelet and the Italian Day Disc

The bracelet accompanying this watch carries the same Florentine finish throughout its brick-link construction, with the fold-over deployant clasp bearing the Rolex signature in the same hand-hammered surface. The match between the case and the bracelet, both carrying the Florentine treatment uniformly, is the condition that makes the ref. 1806 complete. Florentine bracelets from this era are themselves rare and frequently separated from their original cases over decades of ownership.

The Italian day disc, “DOMENICA” for Sunday, visible here, confirms this watch was delivered new to the Italian market. Among Stella Day-Date collectors, language-specific day discs that match the country of original sale are a valued provenance detail, adding a layer of biography to a watch whose configuration already speaks to a very specific original owner with very specific tastes.

The Dial

The red lacquer surface is even and deeply saturated, reading as a rich, jewel-like crimson that shifts subtly in colour between artificial and natural light. Applied gold baton indices mark each hour with clean precision. Gold dauphine hands sweep the dial with the warmth of the case metal above. At 12 o’clock, the day disc reads in Italian; at 3 o’clock, the Cyclops-magnified date aperture completes the layout. The acrylic crystal above contributes to the warm, slightly domed quality characteristic of this generation of Day-Date, a feature retired with the 18038 in 1978.

Specifications

Brand: Rolex

Model: Day-Date Automatic (ref. 1806)

Year: circa 1970s

Case material: Gold-tone (18k yellow gold) with hand-hammered Florentine finish

Case diameter: approx. 36 mm

Bezel: Hand-hammered Florentine-finish gold-tone bezel

Dial: Red lacquered “Stella” dial with applied gold baton indices

Strap: Gold-tone Florentine-finish brick bracelet with signed deployant clasp

Movement: Automatic – Rolex Calibre 1556

Condition: Good vintage condition with light signs of wear consistent with age

Accessories: Watch only (no box or papers)

Warranty: 1 year warranty

Availability

This vintage day-date automatic watch is available through Vintage Times Amsterdam.

For further information or high-resolution images, please feel free to contact:

Vintage Times

Vintage Times Amsterdam is a small watch boutique who mainly deals online and with a select group of private collectors. We are constantly looking for rare vintage timepieces and try to present the best condition available. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact for more information about this watch or other timepieces from our collection. We ship worldwide and also welcome you for a visit at our office in Amsterdam.

Vintage Times

email: [email protected]

tel / app: +31 6 4 1111 044