Rolex 69173 OP Date Dial

[96SS10SS]

Hello all, first post on this forum!
I recently purchased a 69173 for my wife to match my 16233. I was curious about the dial markings as it only states Rolex Oyster Perpetual. I am only familiar with seeing Datejust and Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified on these models. The case is marked 69173 and the SN is 862xxxx.
I tried to upload photos but was hitting the forum size limits.

Does the 69173 case marking with this dial indicate a dial swap or was this common back in the early/mid 80s?

[Tools]

A Rolex 69173 should say Datejust on the dial and be a ladies 26mm, Two Tone.

The Oyster Perpetual Date and Oyster Perpetual are generally 24mm watches.

Everything is not set in stone with Rolex though. More info may be required.

[96SS10SS]

It is a two-tone with jubilee bracelet.

[Kcore]

OP, there’s a Rolex OP 69173 at Bob’s. It’s a TT and dial indicates Oyster Perpetual Date like yours. It’s listed as a DateJust.
Check it out:

https://www.bobswatches.com/ladies-r...RoCxWcQAvD_BwE

[CTech]

The 69173 was marketed as a Lady-Datejust from about 1986 onwards, and so those watches would have had a Datejust dial with the Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified inscription.

Earlier versions of the 69173 were listed in the catalogue as a Lady Date and so they had a Date dial with no SCOC inscription at the bottom of the dial inscription. Some of the dials had dashes before and after the DATE script, but others did not, just like the OP's photo.

The OP's watch has a serial number that dates it to around 1985, so there is a good chance that it was originally sold as a Lady Date and that the dial is correct for the age of the watch.

Here's a photo of the 69173 in the early 1984 catalogue:

[96SS10SS]

Thank you, all. I appreciate the contributions.
So it is totally normal, and it is considered a Datejust that is simply not marked as such. I assume it has the 2135 ticking inside it. I also noticed I can set the quickset date forward or backward which is normal according to a quick search on the forum.
It also has the open 6/9 date wheel which I think is pretty cool.
I got a very good deal on it ($3200) from a reputable company but just wanted to be sure it was original.