Rolex Day-Date 40mm Slate “Ombré” Dial 18k Everose Gold Fluted Bezel President Bracelet 228235 | 2025 Like New Full Set — Warranty Till 2030

The Watch That Defines Power — At Its Most Visually Captivating

Since its debut in 1956, the Rolex Day-Date has carried a distinction no other watch in the world has ever matched: it was the first wristwatch to simultaneously display both the day of the week — spelled out in full — and the date in a dedicated window, a horological first that gave the model its name and defined its purpose. Within a year of its launch, the Day-Date had found its way to the wrists of Dwight D. Eisenhower, establishing an association with world leadership that no marketing budget could manufacture and no competitor has ever truly challenged. For nearly seven decades, the Day-Date has been “The President’s Watch” — worn by heads of state, Nobel laureates, Olympic champions, and leaders in business, culture, and science across every continent. Reference 228235 carries that legacy into the current era as the 40mm Day-Date in solid 18k Everose gold — and this 2025 example, in the rare slate ombré dial configuration with Rolex warranty running through 2030, represents the model at its most complete and most visually distinctive.

Solid 18k Everose Gold — From Case to Bracelet, Without Compromise

The 228235 makes no concession to practicality in its material specification: the entire watch — case, crown, crown guards, fluted bezel, caseback, and every link of the President bracelet — is crafted from solid 18k Everose gold. Everose is not a standard rose gold alloy. It is a proprietary Rolex formulation, developed and produced entirely at Rolex’s own foundry in Geneva, that incorporates a small quantity of platinum within the gold-copper-silver matrix. This platinum addition stabilizes the rose hue at the molecular level, preventing the color shift and fading that affects conventional rose gold over years of wear. A watch crafted in Everose today will present with the same warm, rich pink-gold character in twenty years as it does now — a material permanence that no other manufacturer’s rose gold can guarantee. The 40mm Oyster case is finished with Rolex’s characteristic combination of polished and brushed surfaces — polished on the sides and chamfers, satin-brushed across the lugs — creating a layered interplay of light and shadow that communicates the depth and warmth of the Everose gold with every movement of the wrist. The case is sealed with a screw-down Twinlock crown and rated to 100 meters of water resistance, and a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with Cyclops magnifying lens sits over the date window at 3 o’clock.

The Fluted 18k Everose Gold Bezel — Rolex’s Most Iconic Design Signature

The fluted bezel machined from solid 18k Everose gold is the Day-Date’s most instantly recognizable visual feature — the detail that has defined the model’s silhouette since the very first references of the late 1940s and remains as distinctive today as it was in 1956. Originally functional in purpose — the fluting allowed the bezel to be screwed onto the case as part of the waterproofing architecture — it evolved into a pure aesthetic signature as Rolex refined its case sealing technology, and today stands as the most recognized bezel design in the history of fine watchmaking. On the 228235, the fluted bezel is machined from the same solid 18k Everose gold as the rest of the case, with each individual groove hand-finished to catch and refract light with maximum brilliance and depth. The warm pink-gold of the Everose fluting against the cool slate gradient of the ombré dial creates a chromatic tension — warm and cool, light and dark — that is unique to this configuration and impossible to replicate with any other dial color in the Day-Date 40 lineup.

The Slate Ombré Dial — The Rarest and Most Discussed Day-Date Configuration

The slate ombré dial is the star of this reference — and it is the detail that has made this particular configuration one of the most photographed, most discussed, and most sought-after Day-Date 40 variants in the current Rolex catalog. The dial transitions seamlessly from a lighter, cooler grey tone at the center to a deeper, darker charcoal towards the edges — a gradient that creates an extraordinary sense of depth and dimension across the dial surface, shifting subtly with every change in light source and viewing angle. In direct sunlight, the lighter center seems almost luminescent against the darker perimeter. In softer indoor light, the gradient reads as more subtle and more uniform. In low light, the interplay between the Chromalight luminescent fills and the dark outer edges of the ombré creates a glow that is entirely its own. No photograph fully captures the behavior of this dial across its full range of lighting conditions — it is a surface that must be experienced on the wrist to be fully understood.

Applied gold stick index markers in Everose gold sit atop the ombré gradient, hand-positioned and individually polished to precision tolerances, with Chromalight luminescent fills for low-light legibility. The Everose gold handset echoes the warmth of the case and bracelet, and the signature day display at 12 o’clock spells the full day of the week in the language of the wearer’s choice across 26 available options — the detail that has been the Day-Date’s most singular identifier since the very first reference of 1956. The date is displayed at 3 o’clock beneath the Cyclops magnifying lens, and the full Rolex quality certifications are signed across the lower dial.

The President Bracelet — The Most Prestigious Bracelet in All of Watchmaking

Introduced alongside the original Day-Date in 1956 and never offered on any other Rolex model, the President bracelet remains the single most recognizable and most imitated bracelet design in the history of fine watchmaking — and in solid 18k Everose gold, it is its most opulent expression. Its three-piece semi-circular links are machined from solid 18k Everose gold throughout — not plated, not gold-filled, but solid precious metal from the first link to the last — and articulate with a fluid, liquid wrist drape that no other bracelet construction replicates. The bracelet closes with Rolex’s concealed Crownclasp — a mechanism that hides the entire fastening system beneath the bracelet surface, creating an uninterrupted, seamless curve of Everose gold across the underside of the wrist with no visible clasp, fastener, or gap. 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 — warm, substantial, and unmistakably precious in the most literal sense of the word.

Powered by Caliber 3255 — The Most Advanced Movement Rolex Has Produced for the Day-Date

Inside the case beats the Rolex Caliber 3255, the most technically sophisticated movement Rolex has ever fitted to the Day-Date line and a significant upgrade over the previous generation in virtually every measurable category. With over 90% of components redesigned compared to the Caliber 3155 it replaced, the 3255 features the patented Chronergy escapement — machined from nickel-phosphorus for approximately 15% greater 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 against impact. 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, the day advances instantaneously at the same moment, and stop-seconds allows precise time-setting to the exact second. 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, and the most exacting accuracy requirement applied to any standard production watch movement from any manufacturer.

Condition, Warranty & What’s Included

This 2025 example is in like-new condition, showing no meaningful signs of wear. It comes as a complete full set — original Rolex box, papers, warranty card, warranty booklet, manual, hang tags, leather card holder, and all accompanying documentation — and is fully linked, ready to wear straight from the box without any sizing required. Critically, this example carries an active Rolex factory warranty valid through 2030 — five full years of remaining Rolex warranty coverage transferable to the new owner — a distinction that adds meaningful assurance and residual value above and beyond a standard out-of-warranty pre-owned example.

Shipping & Payment

This watch ships from San Francisco at $56,500 via FedEx fully insured worldwide. Authenticity is guaranteed. Leave a message for further details or additional photos.

Why This Reference Stands Out

The 228235 in slate ombré is one of the most visually distinctive configurations in the current Day-Date 40 lineup — a dial that no competitor produces in any analogous form, unique to this specific Rolex reference, and one that has been consistently praised across collector communities and auction catalogues since its introduction. Among Day-Date 40 configurations currently available on the secondary market, the combination of slate ombré dial, solid Everose gold construction, President bracelet, and active factory warranty through 2030 is one of the most comprehensive and most desirable packages available at this price point. Secondary market examples of the 228235 in ombré configuration trade between $52,000 and $65,000 depending on condition and warranty status, with active-warranty like-new examples at the upper end of that range. At $56,500 for a 2025 like-new full-set example with warranty through 2030 and FedEx insured worldwide shipping, this listing represents a compelling, well-documented, and comprehensively protected acquisition of the Day-Date 40 at its most distinguished.