Rolex Day-Date 40mm Black Onyx Diamond Baguette Dial Fluted Bezel Solid 18k Yellow Gold President Bracelet 228238 | 2017 Full Set

Title

Rolex Day-Date 40mm Black Onyx Diamond Baguette Dial Fluted Bezel Solid 18k Yellow Gold President Bracelet 228238 | 2017 Full Set

Short Description

2017 Rolex Day-Date 40 (ref. 228238) crafted entirely in solid 18k yellow gold with a deep black onyx dial set with factory baguette diamond hour markers, fluted yellow gold bezel, and the iconic President bracelet with concealed Crownclasp. Powered by the Superlative Chronometer-certified Caliber 3255 with 70-hour power reserve. Full set, good condition, authenticity guaranteed, 14-day refund policy. $39,999 shipped worldwide.

Product Description

The President’s Watch — At Its Most Opulent

Since its debut in 1956, the Rolex Day-Date has carried a distinction that no other watch in the world can claim: it was the first wristwatch ever to display both the day of the week, spelled out in full, and the date simultaneously — an innovation so definitive it gave the model its name. The Day-Date quickly became the choice of world leaders, heads of state, and luminaries of industry and culture, earning the enduring nickname “The President’s Watch” — a title no marketing campaign could manufacture and no competitor has ever truly challenged. Reference 228238, introduced in 2015 as the current-generation Day-Date 40, carries that legacy forward in its most architecturally complete form: the full 40mm case, fluted bezel, and President bracelet executed entirely in solid 18k yellow gold. This particular example takes that already extraordinary foundation and elevates it further with the most high-jewelry dial configuration in the lineup: a deep black onyx surface set with factory baguette diamond hour markers.

Solid 18k Yellow Gold — From Case to Bracelet

The 228238 is built with an uncompromising material specification: solid 18k yellow gold throughout, with no stainless steel, no Rolesor construction, no precious metal restricted to the bezel alone. The 40mm Oyster case — middle, crown guards, caseback, and crown — is machined from solid 18k yellow gold, with the characteristic combination of brushed and polished surfaces that Rolex applies to give the case its layered visual depth. The fluted bezel, machined from the same solid 18k yellow gold, features the characteristic deep-cut fluting that has been the Day-Date’s most recognizable design signature since the very first references of the 1950s — originally functional as a screwing mechanism for waterproofing, evolved into the purest aesthetic signature in luxury watchmaking. At 40mm, the current Day-Date 40 case is meaningfully larger than the Day-Date 36 it sits alongside in the catalog, offering a more contemporary and commanding wrist presence without overpowering the elegance of the solid gold construction. The case is sealed with a screw-down Twinlock crown and rated to 100 meters of water resistance — functional protection that confirms this is a Rolex first and a jewelry piece second.

The Black Onyx Dial with Factory Baguette Diamond Hour Markers

The dial of this 228238 is one of the most visually commanding configurations available in the Day-Date 40 lineup. The deep black onyx surface provides an intensely dark, richly textured canvas against which the factory-set baguette diamond hour markers create an extraordinary contrast — structured columns of precisely cut, individually set diamonds that catch the light from every angle and send it back in dozens of directions simultaneously. Baguette-cut diamonds are the most architecturally exacting of all diamond cuts to set: their rectangular profile demands perfect alignment and precisely matched dimensions across all twelve positions on the dial, and any inconsistency in size, color, or placement would be immediately visible against the clean black surface. The fact that Rolex sets these diamonds in its own workshops — selected, set, and inspected to the brand’s extraordinarily exacting standards — elevates the 228238 from watchmaking into high jewelry. The day display window at 12 o’clock spells the full day of the week in yellow gold lettering, and the date window at 3 o’clock is magnified by the Cyclops lens. Yellow gold hands complete the dial, their warmth harmonizing perfectly with the yellow gold case and the baguette markers’ settings. The result is a dial that shifts and glows differently under every light source — dramatic in direct sunlight, intimate in candlelight, commanding under boardroom lighting.

The President Bracelet — The Most Prestigious Bracelet in Watchmaking

Introduced alongside the original Day-Date in 1956, the President bracelet remains the most recognizable and most imitated bracelet design in the history of fine watchmaking. Its three-piece semi-circular links are crafted entirely in solid 18k yellow gold — not plated, not gold-filled, but solid yellow gold throughout every link — and articulate with a fluid, almost liquid wrist drape that no other bracelet construction replicates. The bracelet closes with Rolex’s concealed Crownclasp — a mechanism that hides the entire clasp beneath the bracelet’s surface, creating an uninterrupted, seamless line of gold across the underside of the wrist. No fastener, no visible mechanism, no gap — just the continuous flow of solid gold links from one end to the other. The combined weight of the solid gold case and President bracelet on the wrist is an experience entirely unlike wearing a steel or two-tone watch — substantial, warm, and unmistakably precious. A scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with Cyclops lens protects the dial above.

Powered by Caliber 3255 — Rolex’s Most Advanced Perpetual Movement

Inside the case beats the Rolex Caliber 3255, the most technically sophisticated movement Rolex has produced for the Day-Date line and a significant upgrade over the previous Caliber 3155. With over 90% of components redesigned, the 3255 features the patented Chronergy escapement — machined from nickel-phosphorus for exceptional energy efficiency and outstanding resistance to magnetic fields — combined with a paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring made from a proprietary zirconium-niobium alloy that is virtually unaffected by temperature fluctuations, shocks, or magnetic interference. Paraflex shock absorbers provide additional structural resilience. The movement operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour with 31 jewels and delivers approximately 70 hours of power reserve — enough to run from Friday evening through Monday morning without winding. The date advances instantaneously at midnight in a matter of thousandths of a second, and the movement carries Rolex’s Superlative Chronometer certification, guaranteeing accuracy of -2/+2 seconds per day after casing — a standard twice as strict as standard COSC chronometer testing. The Caliber 3255 represents Rolex’s definitive answer to the question of what the finest automatic movement in a solid gold dress watch should be.

Condition & What’s Included

This 2017 example is in good condition and comes as a full set with original Rolex box and papers. It is the first-generation production of the 228238 reference, introduced in 2015, making it among the earliest examples of the current Day-Date 40 generation. Authenticity is fully guaranteed on every watch sold through The Crown Collection Watch, and this listing comes with a 14-day refund policy for complete peace of mind.

Shipping & Payment

This watch ships from San Francisco at $39,999 fully insured worldwide. DM for further details or additional photos.

Why This Reference Stands Out

The 228238 is the definitive yellow gold President — a 40mm Oyster case in 18k yellow gold with the iconic fluted bezel and President bracelet, powered by the superlative Caliber 3255. Among all the dial configurations available across the 228238 lineup, the black onyx dial with baguette diamond markers occupies the highest tier of visual drama and jewelry-level craftsmanship — delivering the structured brilliance of individually set factory diamonds against the most intensely dark dial surface in the collection. Diamond and baguette dials hold meaningful premiums on the secondary market, and complete sets with box and papers command a 10-15% premium over watch-only examples. For the collector, executive, or connoisseur who wants the ultimate expression of the Day-Date in yellow gold — not the most understated version, not the most accessible, but the most completely realized and most opulent — the 228238 in black diamond baguette is precisely that watch. It is the President’s Watch at its most presidential.