Rolex Datejust 36 1601

The Datejust ref. 1601 has been part of the Rolex portfolio for over 20 years. The Genevan luxury watch giant produced the model between 1960 and 1981, during which time the 1601 underwent a number of changes, especially with regard to calibers. Rolex also offered the timepiece in a wide variety of color and material combinations.

Nevertheless, all variants of the Datejust 1601 have the same 36-mm Oyster case, acrylic crystal with date magnifier, and date window at 3 o'clock, as well as the classic, simple dial design for which the Datejust is famous.

Prices for the stainless steel Datejust 1601 start at around 4,700 USD, which makes it a relatively affordable entry-point into the world of vintage Rolex watches.

The Rolex 1601 has the classic Datejust measurements: 36 mm across, 11.7 mm thick, 44 mm lug to lug. It also comes on the standard five-piece link Jubilee bracelet with a lug width of 20 mm. The links are folded, and the end links are hollow. It's perhaps important to note that bracelets from this era are not particularly popular among Rolex fans. But thanks to its drilled lugs, the bracelet can easily be switched out for a bracelet or strap from another manufacturer.

What's the Rolex Datejust 1601 made of?

The Datejust 1601 comes in a stainless steel and/or yellow or rose gold case. For the watch's characteristic fluted bezel, Rolex always uses gold, so models in stainless steel will have white or yellow gold bezels. Together with a gold crown and gold center links, the yellow gold bezel creates a beautiful two-tone look.

The front surface of the Datejust 1601 is matte, regardless of the material. By contrast, Rolex gives the sides a fine polish. The solid screw-down case back and crown mean the watch is water-resistant to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft). However, it's important to remember that these models are vintage and potentially have seen plenty of action in their day; you should definitely get the watch's water resistance checked and certified before buying.

Rolex Datejust 1601: Dial Options

The Datejust 1601 comes with a wide variety of dials. Silver-white and golden sunburst dials are particularly prevalent, but you'll also find models with blue, black, and gray dials. The applied bar indices can differ somewhat depending on the year, particularly in terms of their chamfer. Rolex also used different hands over the years; while most model variants feature slender baton hands (like the current Datejust), some older watches come with lancet hands.

Regardless of the color and indices, the dial on the 1601 is what's known as a pie pan dial, which means the outer edge of the dial is slightly lower than the center. On the Datejust 1601, this is where the minute track and the luminous tritium dot hour indices are located.

The dial is protected by an acrylic crystal that features Rolex's characteristic date or cyclops magnifier at 3 o'clock, which enlarges the date 2.5-fold.

Rolex 1601 vs. 1603: What's the difference?

The Rolex Datejust 1601 and 1603 are technically identical and differ only in that the reference 1603 is made exclusively of stainless steel and has a stainless steel bezel. The bezel also features different fluting.

Rolex originally fitted the Datejust 1601 with the caliber 1565, but replaced this movement in 1965 with the newer caliber 1575. The latter boasted better shock protection for the balance wheel and an instant date-change function, meaning the date switches to the next day exactly at midnight. Rolex further developed the functionality of the caliber in 1972 by adding a stop seconds mechanism.

Interestingly, the bridges on calibers 1565 and 1575 often feature the caliber designation 1560 or 1570. The latter calibers are versions without a date display. However, since these calibers are otherwise identical to their date display counterparts, Rolex uses one bridge for all four movements.

Prices for the Datejust 1601 depend on the particular version. Prices for a stainless steel model with a silver-white dial start at around 4,750 USD on Chrono24. Editions with a blue or gray dial require an investment of 5,400 to 6,500 USD. Two-tone watches in stainless steel and yellow or rose gold change hands for between 5,000 and 7,750 USD. If you'd prefer a 1601 in gold, plan to spend between 9,100 and 12,400 USD.

The Rolex Datejust 1601 has performed quite positively overall in terms of investment, but a wide range can be observed. Stainless steel models, for example, are more common, and as such only saw an increase in value of about 5% between February 2021 and February 2023. Gold watches and models with rare dials, on the other hand, appreciated by some 60% during the same period.