DJ 1601 dial enquiry

[Richard Carver]

Originally Posted by vegetarianmeatball

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the advice. I guess I was just worried since some people talk about dial changes as if its a deal breaker. But I take it that a dial change on a DateJust was not uncommon? And that as long as the replacement dial is a real Rolex part, for someone who isn't a collector worried about catalogue originality, it should be fine?

Thanks again!

Absolutely. Until the collector insanity of the last 15 years a dial change was as common as dirt. That's why I have to laugh at the originality fetish, lots of things have happened to these old soldiers in the last 50 years. :)

If you had a black dial and wanted silver you changed the dial, if you had a fluted bezel and wanted a smooth bezel you put it on. Rolex didn't become semi-religious artifacts not to be touched by human hands until recently. :)

Did your 1601 leave the factory as a TT or SS? Only Rolex knows for sure and it will take an RSC estimate to find out. Original papers will work but not many of those left.

Dials matter on big dog collector refs but a staggering number of those reside in watches they only met recently. Got a perfect 6200 dial in a beat case? Find a perfect case with strong original bevels and add thousands to it's value.

Decent DJs are disappearing and prices are rising. On this level the condition of the watch is important, plenty of original Rolex dials around.