Rolex 1603 Sigma Linen dial - so... when is a dial rare?

I recently liquidized a fair portion of my vintage Seiko watch collection to acquire my first steel vintage Rolex - 1967 Rolex reference 1603 Sigma Linen dial. I chose it specifically for the "rare" combination of 1603-specific stainless steel machined bezel (most DateJusts have the white gold fluted bezel; reference 1601), pie-pan textile-like "linen" dial (most DateJusts do not have textured dials), and white gold "Sigma" indices and hands (most DateJusts have steel indices and hands). I like the utilitarian look and resilience of an all-steel DateJust (especially on an Oyster bracelet with the discretion (and corrosion resistance) of white gold hands and indices:

During my pre-acquisition search phase, I saw a Chrono24 ad calling a linen dial a "rare piece" and speculated what the definition of "rare piece" is. After some thought, I defined "rare" as:

A watch I can expect to see "once-or-less-in-a-lifetime" by chance 

...and had a basis to determine whether the combination 1603+Sigma+Linen is rare - or not.

I started with the date range of 160X four-digit Datejusts (1960 to 1979) and the serial numbers starting and ending this range (0,5M to 5.7M) for all references which gave 5M pieces produced, assumed (optimistically) 40% of all Rolexes made in this period were DateJusts (2M 16XX) produced of which half (1M) remain. I then checked Chrono24 to see the distribution of the various 160X references and dial types: 30% were 1603s, 4% 1603 Sigma, 3% 1603 Linen and 0.4% were 1603 Sigma + Linen dials. 

So - are the 4.000 remaining 1603 Sigma+Linen dials "rare" (by my definition)? 

Well, assuming 8B people globally and 4000 1603 Sigma+Linen dials, my calculation suggests there will be 2 million people for every 1603 Sigma+Linen (or 3 in Denmark -pop.6M - where I live). I asked Google how many people faces (or in this context - watch faces :-) I will see in a lifetime (ie. be within eye-identification-of-the-watch-on-their-wrist distance) and the estimate was 1,5M people. And with that, we have the number of 1603s I can expect to see in a lifetime as:

(1603: 56; 1603 Sigma: 8; 1603 Linen: 6 and 1603 Sigma+Linen: 0.75)

From this, I deduce that there might be 3 or so 1603 Sigma+Linen dials in Denmark (population about 6 million) but I'll be lucky to see one in a chance encounter in my lifetime... 

Of course, I'll now probably see a 1603 Sigma+Linen dial in the queue in Aldi tomorrow, and another next Thursday... I'll keep you posted!

1967 Rolex DateJust 1603 Steel Chronometer, Piepan Sigma Linen Dial

As an avid collector of 1960's Seiko watches, I have focused on the attributes that make Seiko watches attractive to me: the solid build quality which allowed these pieces to survive and be useable after more than 50 years, the cross-compatibility and availability of donor movements for maintenance and repair, industry-leading innovation, long and colorful brand history, classic design elements and extensive information available through books, forums, and blog posts.

One other brand provides all of the above and adds an additional attribute: a superlative brand image. That brand is Rolex. 

My passion for watches was kindled reading Rolex advertisements on the back cover of National Geographic as a youngster back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and an aspirational dream was born to one day own a Rolex.

Life - and priorities - came in the way, but the aspirational dream remained. Eventually, I was able to indulge in the watch passion, and vintage Seiko offered an affordable entry into vintage watches. I read, researched, and blogged my way into building up themed collections, which I traded up for fewer, better pieces, but Rolex prices kept increasing, and the brand remained at arm's length for me. 

After nearly 20 years of collecting I was finally in a position to celebrate a professional aspiration (two years of successful self-employment), sold much of my existing collection, and acquired my first vintage Rolex: a 1967 Rolex DateJust 1603 with linen dial and 18K white gold coronet, markers  (sigma dial) and hands and stainless engine-turned bezel:

The 36mm Oyster case is a perfect size - perhaps THE perfect size for a "gentleman's steel wristwatch" and together with the jubilee bracelet, engine-turned bezel, and cyclops date lens possibly the quintessential Rolex wristwatch. The steel engine-turned bezel is a discrete, sober alternative to the shinier 18K white gold fluted bezel of the contemporary reference 1601 DateJust.

The chronometer-certified 26 jewel 1575 automatic movement running at 19800 bph is currently within 1 second a day - a tribute to the precision and durability of a 53-year-old watch. Much of this precision comes from the trademark Rolex free-sprung balance and Breguet overcoil which are less susceptible to positional variation and state of wind than conventional fixed-inertia regulator balances. Together with automatic winding, vintage Rolexes tend to be awesomely precise, decade after decade!

The trademark of the DateJust is the instantaneous date changeover at midnight, facilitated by a spring-loaded jeweled yoke operating a cam mounted on the reverse of the calendar wheel. The date function on these vintages is non-quickset and requires you to invest a few minutes and quite a bit of hand-turning to change the date, but this is an acceptable compromise allowing you to own a pie-pan linen sigma dial only found on these vintage four-number series pieces from the 1960s and early seventies... it's the price of admission to an exclusive club!

While much of the robustness comes from the overengineered 1575 movement, the classic Oyster case with its trademark screw-down case back and screw-down crown provides a water-and dustproof environment that has protected the movement and dial from the ingress of the elements for more than half a century.

Vintage Rolex watches are far from cheap, but is the price justified? For me it most definitely is. The 1603 Datejust is a "portable, tangible asset".

To be able to purchase this watch, I had to release ten vintage Seiko pieces from the collection I had carefully curated over the last 10 years. While it took me six months to sell my Seiko pieces and realize my initial investment in them, there are always ready buyers for a vintage DateJust, especially for less-common variants with linen- or sigma dials, and prices have steadily increased - doubling over the last decade, corresponding to a very reasonable 7% return on investment.

Tangible assets are however more than financial investments. In the DateJust I attained my aspirational goal, a watch that speaks to me, connecting me to my boyhood dreams and lifting my spirits every time I wear it. 

 

In a single watch, I have a design icon that defines the canon of perhaps the greatest design generation - 1950-60s RayBan Wayfarers, Levi 501s, Zippo lighters, Porsche 911s... and the Rolex DateJust.

As a design icon, the DateJust is perfect for everything from a t-shirt and jeans to a formal business suit, and as a portable asset I can - unlike say a classic car - wear and enjoy it, and have it lift my spirits all day, every day.

So yes, a vintage DateJust is absolutely worth it. 

Check out my Instagram profile for more pictures and impressions:

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