A 1970s Datejust, with three things to ask about first.

The Datejust 36 is the watch Rolex built its reputation on: the first self-winding wristwatch with a date that changed at midnight, launched in 1945, and made ever since in a 36mm Oyster case with a screw-down crown, an automatic chronometer movement, the date under its Cyclops lens at three, a fluted, smooth or engine-turned bezel, and a Jubilee or Oyster bracelet. Because Rolex made it for eight decades in every dial and metal, the pre-owned market is deep and this is where the money goes when people search for a Rolex that is not a Submariner.

Three points. The bezel: a 1601 has a fluted 18k white gold bezel and the 1603 has an engine-turned steel one; the photograph shows fine machined lines, which is the 1603 bezel, so either the reference or the bezel is not what the seller says. The dial: Rolex did not catalogue a Confetti dial for the Datejust, and the photograph shows a plain dark dial with baton markers, so ask whether the dial is original. The crystal: Rolex fitted acrylic to the Datejust until the late 1970s, so a sapphire crystal on a 339xxxx watch would be a later replacement. None of that makes it a bad watch; it makes it one to ask about.

WGACA gives the reference as 1601, the crystal as sapphire, the dial as Confetti in navy, the bracelet as a steel Jubilee with an Oyster clasp, the box as included, the serial as 339xxxx, the wrist size as 9 inches and the condition as Excellent with light scratching. The engine-turned bezel and the plain dark dial are from the photograph; the calibre and the non-quickset date are Rolex’s published spec for a Datejust of this serial range. The copy keeps both accounts rather than choosing.

WGACA authenticates in-house and is not a Rolex authorised dealer, and Amazon adds its 30-day return window. Ask for a photograph of the reference between the lugs, whether the dial and crystal are original, when it was last serviced, and use the return window to have it looked at. 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 36mm Datejusts.

Steel and two-tone 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.