cashdRolex Day-Date
Used resale value · updated Oct 16
$15,748 – $22,537
Typical $18,995▼ 8.7% · 35d
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Middle 50% of 59 used listings on eBay US. Asking prices; sales usually land 10–20% lower.
Which one do you have?
- Day-Date 40 (228238, 228239, 228235, 228206)The current 40mm; yellow, white, Everose gold, and platinum respectively.
- Day-Date 36 (128238 etc., and 118238 / 18238 older)The classic size across several generations; 1990s–2000s references are the value buys.
- Vintage 1803 / 1802 / 18071960s–70s Presidents with 'pie-pan' dials; valued on originality and condition.
- Diamond and special dialsFactory-set diamond dials and bezels, Stella colours, and green dials carry premiums — aftermarket diamonds sharply reduce value.
What moves the price
- 01
Metal is the base — platinum and white gold above yellow gold; Everose in between — and gold price movements filter into used Day-Date prices.
- 02
Factory vs. aftermarket: an aftermarket diamond dial or bezel is a serious deduction; a factory-set one is a premium. Papers help prove which.
- 03
Dial: unusual factory dials (green, Stella, meteorite, baguette markers) are where the Day-Date's collector premiums live.
- 04
Bracelet condition: President bracelets stretch and the hidden clasp wears; a tight, original bracelet matters to price.
- 05
Size preference has shifted — 36mm has come back into fashion, narrowing the gap with the 40.
- 06
Box and papers add a premium, and a service history from Rolex matters more on a gold watch whose case wear can't be 'fixed' by polishing without removing metal.
Listed now on eBay
- Rolex Day-Date 18038 President 18K Yellow Gold Champagne Dial Auto Men's 36MM$18,995
- Vintage 1987 Rolex Day-Date President 36MM 18KT Yellow Gold Ref. 18038$18,995
- Rolex Day-Date 36mm President Solid 18kt Yellow Gold Factory Diamond Dial 18038$18,950
- 1979 Rolex Day-Date President 18048 Black Roman 36mm 18K Gold Fluted Watch$18,534
- Rolex Day-Date 18238 Mens President 18k Gold Tapestry Dial 36mm Watch w/ Box$18,499
The full story
The Day-Date — the 'President', after its bracelet — is only made in precious metals, which changes the resale math entirely: a Day-Date's price is anchored by its gold or platinum content and its retail price, not by the scarcity premium that drives steel sports models. Most Day-Dates resell below retail, sometimes well below for common configurations, and a used one is often the best value in the Rolex catalogue.
The variables are metal (yellow gold is the classic and most plentiful; white gold, Everose, and platinum price higher), size (36mm is the historic size, 40mm the modern one since 2015), dial (from plain to diamond-set, with specific factory dials like the green, the 'Stella' colours, and the baguette-diamond variants commanding premiums), and era — the 118238/118239 (2000s) and 18238/18239 (1990s) are the affordable modern Presidents, and 1803s from the 1960s–70s are the vintage entry.
Used (eBay listings): the Rolex Day-Date averaged $20,816 on Sep 11 and $18,995 on Oct 16, so prices fell 8.7% over 36 days of tracking. The lowest daily median was $18,995 (Oct 16) and the highest $21,321 (Oct 4).
Show prices by date ↓Hide prices by date ↑
| Date | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 11 | $20,816 | $17,038–$23,075 |
| Sep 16 | $21,000 | $16,816–$22,936 |
| Sep 21 | $20,500 | $16,633–$24,000 |
| Sep 26 | $20,000 | $16,152–$22,363 |
| Oct 1 | $20,273 | $16,239–$22,658 |
| Oct 6 | $20,394 | $16,313–$22,363 |
| Oct 11 | $19,750 | $16,118–$23,000 |
| Oct 16 | $18,995 | $15,748–$22,537 |
Questions
Why does a Day-Date resell below retail when a Submariner resells above it?
Supply: Rolex makes Day-Dates in every metal and dial combination and they're much easier to buy new. The Submariner premium comes from scarcity; the Day-Date's price comes from metal and retail, so it depreciates like most luxury watches.
Are older gold Presidents a good value?
Often the best value in the Rolex lineup — a 1990s or 2000s yellow-gold 36mm President in good condition sells for a fraction of a new Day-Date 40 and is the same watch in spirit. Condition and originality decide the price.
Do diamonds add value on a Day-Date?
Only factory-set ones, documented on the papers. Aftermarket diamonds — very common on older Presidents — reduce the price to knowledgeable buyers, sometimes below the same watch with a plain dial.
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