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Rolex Day-Date II
Ref. 218349
Sits in Rolex’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Rolex watches we list, which start at £6,150.
Price range £6,150 to £125,000 across 41 Rolex watches in stock.The original Day-Date launched in 1956 as the first wristwatch to spell out the day of the week in full, and it spent decades as a 36mm proposition. The 218349 arrived in 2008 as a deliberate restatement of that idea at a scale the original never attempted, adding five millimetres to the case and pushing the lug-to-lug out to 49.6mm. It ran until around 2015, when the Day-Date 40 superseded it with slightly tidier proportions — which makes the II the blunter, more emphatic version of the two. At 210 grams in solid 18k white gold, this is a watch that announces itself through weight before anything else. The 42 round brilliant diamonds set into the bezel are factory-fitted, not aftermarket, and the dial — offered across several variants including rhodium and diamond-paved finishes — rewards different light conditions in different ways depending on which option is fitted. The Calibre 3156 underneath carries a Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers, two details that matter less on paper than in practice: a movement this well-protected will handle daily wear without the attentiveness a more delicate calibre demands. Sizing the President bracelet requires removing links by threaded screw rather than the quick-adjust systems found elsewhere, which is worth knowing before the watch arrives.
- Reference
- 218349
- Brand
- Rolex
- Collection
- Day-Date II
- Case size
- 41mm
- Case thickness
- 12.1mm
- Lug width
- 21mm
- Case material
- White gold
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 3156
- Functions
- Day-date
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 49.6mm
- Power reserve
- 48 hours
- Gem set
- Yes
Learn more about Rolex
Hans Wilsdorf founded Wilsdorf & Davis in London in 1905 with his brother-in-law Alfred Davis, importing Swiss movements and casing them in England. He registered the name Rolex in 1908 — short, pronounceable in any language, and easy to fit on a dial.
Wilsdorf's conviction was that the wristwatch, then regarded as a woman's ornament and hopelessly fragile, could be made accurate and durable. He proved the first half in 1910 by obtaining the first chronometer certification for a wristwatch, and the second in 1926 with the Oyster case, sealed by a screw-down crown and caseback. Mercedes Gleitze swam the Channel wearing one in 1927, and Wilsdorf bought the front page of the Daily Mail to say so — arguably the first modern watch marketing campaign.
The Perpetual rotor followed in 1931, giving automatic winding in a form the whole industry eventually copied. The company relocated to Geneva during the First World War to escape British wartime duties.
The professional models arrived in a compressed burst in the 1950s: Submariner, Explorer, GMT-Master, Milgauss, and later the Daytona. Each was built for a specific job — diving, exploration, aviation, laboratory work, racing — and each became a design template.
Wilsdorf left his shares to a private foundation on his death, so Rolex answers to no shareholders. It remains the largest producer of certified chronometers in Switzerland by a wide margin.
- 1905
- Hans Wilsdorf founds Wilsdorf & Davis in London.
- 1908
- The Rolex name is registered.
- 1926
- The Oyster case introduces genuine water resistance.
- 1931
- The Perpetual rotor brings modern automatic winding.
- 1953
- The Submariner and Explorer launch.
- 1963
- The Cosmograph Daytona arrives.
Also in 3 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (2,731), Automatic Watches (1,699) and Solid Gold Watches (138).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Rolex's more premium watches
Rolex Day-Date II alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 218349 | pfc931-2020001-400182 | 6907-1205 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £49,950 | £49,200 | £51,700 |
| Case size | 41mm | 42mm | 42.3mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 120m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Rubber strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 48 hours | 65 hours | 72 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 48 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
21mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 49.6mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16.5cm (6½ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £49,950. There is nothing to compare it against today.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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