1601 Datejust Steel/Pink Gold

Let’s start with the cool fact that this vintage Rolex Datejust was once owned by Mr Heetman, yes Heetman from Heetman Jewelers on the Lijnbaan 92 in Rotterdam; one of the first and oldest Rolex dealers in the country (est. 1916) until it closed its doors in 2018. This vintage Rolex Datejust from 1960 was one of the personal watches of one of the three Heetman brothers. This Mr Heetman could often be seen with a modern Rolex on one wrist, and a vintage one on the other; this is one of those vintage Rolex watches. One of the Rolex trained watchmakers working for Heetman Jewelers, was able to buy this watch from the family when the store closed down, which he was very happy about because the watch was from his birth year. However, life doesn’t always work out the way you want it to, and a few months ago the watch had to be sold. She’s now with us and we are looking for a new owner (would be amazing to bring this one back to Rotterdam).

The case on this 1960 manufactured Datejust is one of the fattest we have ever seen, especially considering its age, the case is like new with gorgeous Rolex factory brushing on top of the four lugs and a high polish for the sides of the case. The highlights on this beefy vintage Rolex are obviously the 18k pink gold details; like the pink gold winding crown, the pink gold bezel, and all the pink gold details on the dial. That bezel is a typically 1960’s one with a more refined cutting of the fluted bezel. The details on the matte white dial are fantastic, with larger brick like and sharply cut indices for the 6 and 9 position, and sleeker ‘Arrow’ indices for the remaining ones, all executed in pink gold of course. Another stunning feature are the set of hands, these are the so-called ‘Dauphine’ hands, and are also manufactured from 18k pink gold. Personally I love the pink gold frame around the date window, so for this reason we’ve fitted a plexiglass crystal without magnification, so that this pink gold frame detail is even more noticeable. However, should you still want a plexiglass crystal with magnification, it is no problem at all and we’d be more than happy to switch this crystal for another one. The watch is worn on our Alcantara Cinnamon colored strap which closes around your wrist using an original, 16mm stainless steel Rolex pin-buckle.

This quite rare and stunning looking vintage Rolex Datejust was fully serviced by the previous owner (that veteran Rolex trained watchmaker) and again checked by our own watchmakers, and as expected, there were nothing but green lights in regard to the condition of the movement and its overall performance – she will be sold with great confidence, and provided with our comprehensive two-year warranty.

reference: 1601
case number: 702XXX
year of production: 1960
case diameter: 36mm
movement: self-winding, Rolex caliber 1560
box and papers: no

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