*Unpolished* 1981 Rolex Day-Date 18K YG (Ref. 18038) Burlwood Dial

On an extremely limited basis, Rolex manufactured timepieces featuring exotic materials. Such as dials made from various minerals, woods, and stone including; black onyx, burl wood, lapis lazuli, birch, fossil, coral, aventurine, and ferrite, among others… These exotic variants are always strikingly vivid with a minimalist design and each exotic variant was produced in very limited numbers. With rarity varying between materials, the more rare the material was, the less Rolex produced.

In 1977 Rolex updated the iconic Day-Date model aka the "President" with the ref. 18038, or 18039 for white gold, which featured some major changes to the Day-Date line of watches. The first of the major updates was the introduction of a sapphire crystal, but the biggest improvement was the introduction of the Cal. 3055 movement. This new and improved movement features a quick-set date function within the second position of the winding crown, landing this era with the nickname the "Single-Quick" Day-Date.

Good examples of these exotic Rolex Day-Date references have become exponentially harder to find because of a cult following surrounding them, and a lack of circulation due to the coveted value each unique dial retains. In other words, collectors love these watches and rarely sell them, so when they come up for sale it’s always special.