Rolex Datejust 1601 1970

The Rolex Datejust Ref. 1601 was introduced in 1959. The Datejust had been around since 1945 and had undergone several updates. It all started with the reference 4467 in 1945. Rolex thought of calling it the Rolex Victory after World War II, but felt that name needed to be changed. The more concrete "Datejust" was chosen; this name would not appear on any dial until 1953.

When the "new" Rolex Datejust ref. 1601 debuted in 1965 it mounted the cal.1570. The new version had a higher striking frequency of 19,800 Vph. In 1972 a hacking function was added without changing the caliber name. However, the rapid date change was not yet present.

The Rolex Datejust certainly deserves a place in the top 10 greatest watches of all time. The fluted bezel is made of white gold.