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Rolex Day-Date 40
Ref. 228206
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 Day-Date has been on the wrist of heads of state and institutional power since 1956, and Rolex has never pretended otherwise — it is the watch the brand reserves for its most demanding materials. This 40mm reference replaced a slightly unwieldy predecessor in 2015, trimming the proportions and sharpening the lug profile into something that reads as formal without bulk. The ice-blue dial is not a colour option available across the range; Rolex reserves it specifically for platinum pieces, so it functions as a quiet material indicator to anyone who knows the collection. On the wrist, 264 grams of solid platinum makes itself known in a way that gold of the same dimensions does not — the density is roughly 60 percent greater, and the watch settles with a gravity that is immediately apparent. The President bracelet, integrated and flowing, distributes that weight well enough that it stops being distracting after the first hour. The Calibre 3255 holds a Superlative Chronometer rating, which Rolex backs with its own post-casing accuracy standard of -2/+2 seconds per day — tighter than COSC certification requires. The Parachrom hairspring and Chronergy escapement behind that rating also make the movement substantially more resistant to magnetic fields than a conventional lever escapement, which matters more than it once did.
- Reference
- 228206
- Brand
- Rolex
- Collection
- Day-Date
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 12mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Fixed
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 3255
- 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
- 47.4mm
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
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 Stainless Steel Watches (3,355), Automatic Watches (1,699) and Blue Dial Watches (913).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- 40mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 70-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Rolex Day-Date 40 alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 228206 | pfc912-1020001-100182 | 3805-0400 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £62,950 | £62,800 | £65,900 |
| Case size | 40mm | 40mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 120m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Rubber strap |
| Power reserve | 70 hours | 60 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 70 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
What size strap does it take?
20mm. 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 47.4mm, 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, though at 40mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths at £62,950 is the cheapest of 4 UK retailers, against £99,950 at the dearest — a difference of £37,000.
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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