The 1990s two-tone Lady-Datejust with the tapestry dial.

The Lady-Datejust is the Datejust at 26mm, the size Rolex made for women from the 1950s until it moved the line to 28mm in 2015. It is the same watch in miniature: an Oyster case with a screw-down crown, an automatic chronometer movement, the date under its Cyclops lens at three, a fluted or engine-turned bezel, and a Jubilee or Oyster bracelet. Because Rolex made them for six decades in every dial and metal, the pre-owned market is deep and this is where the money goes when people search for a women’s Rolex.

The 69173 is the two-tone Lady-Datejust of the late 1980s and 1990s, before the 79173 brought the sapphire-era updates, and it carries the calibre 2135. The tapestry dial is a champagne dial with a fine woven texture pressed into it, made for a short run and now the reason this unit is worth more than a plain champagne one. On the Oyster bracelet rather than the Jubilee it wears a little sportier than the usual two-tone.

WGACA gives the reference as 69173, the movement as automatic with quickset date, the case as 26mm steel with a fluted bezel and sapphire crystal, the closure as an Oysterclasp and the condition as Excellent with light scratching and tarnishing throughout the hardware and light tarnishing on the caseback. Two-tone and the tapestry dial are in the title; the gold bezel and crown and the Oyster bracelet are from the photograph. The calibre, chronometer rating, reserve and 100 metres are Rolex’s published figures for the 69173 generation. Box, papers and year are not stated.

WGACA authenticates in-house and is not a Rolex authorised dealer, and Amazon adds its 30-day return window. A 1990s watch: ask when it was last serviced, and ask for the serial and whether box or papers come with it. Nothing here was measured on the watch.

This unit is sold by What Goes Around Comes Around (WGACA) through Amazon Luxury Stores, authenticated by the seller with Amazon’s 30-day return window on top; it is one piece, and when it sells the listing goes away, so the second button opens the live search for 26mm Lady-Datejusts.

Steel and two-tone Lady-Datejusts have resold close to what pre-owned buyers paid, sometimes more, sometimes less; that is a pattern, not a promise, and nothing here is investment advice.