Need help with a neo-vintage purchase -- DayDate from 00 so 118238

[lexWill11]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post...so cheers everyone...

I have the opportunity to purchase a 118238 for roughly $13k.

Naked but in good condition.

Only thing I can tell is that the dial doesn't seem to go with the hands, sticks with none-lume hands. I have spent the last two days trying to research this and my conclusion is that it doesn't seem to be the original dial (i.e. as sold with).

I'd prefer to restore it and given the price, I don't mind spending some $$$ on the correct dial.

Any tips on figuring out the exact configuration of the watch as it was sold...

Thank you in advance

[rootbeer7]

Posting pictures would help.

[miamiclay]

Pictures may help determine whether the current dial is “period correct,” i.e. one that could be its original, but for 6-digit models I don’t believe there is any way to learn what it was born with.

Warranty certificates for older models occasionally showed the dial code, but I don’t believe there’s any way to know with a 118238. (Rolex knows, but they won’t tell.)

[crowncollection]

Post pics please


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[Pepperjack]

When a watch comes into my shop for service, Rolex requires that I enter the serial number into a database. That database can have a variety of information for that watch, including the last known dial, which is often the dial it was originally sold with.

It's not uncommon for that information to not be available, and the older the watch is, the more likely that field is just blank in the database. You may get what you're looking for through your local AD, though.

There is one thing I would like to note. Rolex does not really care about pieces being "period correct;" if that's important to you, you may have to source a dial yourself. If the dial and hands originally had tritium (which I think may have been completely phased out at that point), they cannot be bought with tritium through an AD or RSC.