Please help me choose a Rolex dial...

[bem3231]

Hello everyone...

Thanks in part to all of your very helpful feedback and advice, I think that I have finally decided on a watch to get for my 40th - a 31mm 18 kt yellow gold datejust with President bracelet.

Originally I was considering a white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond markers for whatever watch I chose. While I would definitely still go with this dial in a two-tone, I'm beginning to wonder if it's maybe a bit 'much' in an all gold watch given that an all gold watch is naturally a little blingier? I am looking to wear the watch daily.

Please help me to choose a dial! The options that I'm considering are:

- white dial with gold roman numerals
- silver dial with gold roman numerals and a pave 'VI'
- silver dial with diamond markers
- white mother-of-pearl dial with gold roman numerals
- white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond markers

I am wanting a dial that will complement the watch, but that will also complement my platinum and diamond wedding set, and that might tie in with silver-toned jewelery on the occasions that I choose to wear it. For this reason, I am not interested in gold / champagne colored dials. I also have a strong preference for light colored dials as I find them easier to read. Basically, I am hoping to achieve something of a two-tone look in an all gold watch by way of my dial choice.

I am going to try to attach photos from a website that demonstrate the various choices (albeit on watches other than the one I'm considering). It is difficult to pick up the variations in the dials by photographs alone, but hopefully the photos will help.

I appreciate your feedback! Thanks very much...

 

[bem3231]

Here are some real life photos of the white mother-of-pears with diamond markers (on the exact model of watch that I am interested in), as well as a real life photo of the silver dial with the pave 'VI', as the stock photo makes it look pretty flat!

 

[charleston1]

First choice for me is silver with diamond markers, second choice is mother of pearl with diamond markers (although it is very close and usually I would go for the mother of pearl but in this case with the gold, i think the silver is more practical in tying in your plat and silver jewelery and gives more of the two tone look without being two tone).

 

[Autumnovember]

I like either the silver with diamond markers or mother of pearl with diamond markers. Always really liked Rolex's diamond markers, they're a must in my opinion. I do love mother of pearl so that is the one I voted for!

 

[decodelighted]

I don't like any of the roman numeral options. Not a fan generally -- some Cartier designs are a'igt but the proportions on Rolex's version always look so busy & crowded to me. MUCH prefer the diamond markers (or alternate sport designs.)

As to Silver dial vs. MOP -- silver's going to be easier to read ... but it's hard to pass up the Luxe-iousness of MOP. For a forever watch ... go for the MOP. (You could always switch out later if you really ended up thinking it's "too much" or hard to read. --- or can you? I know you can go plain to MOP ... but can you go the other way? Anyone?)


ETA: The diamond markers are a so much CLEANER look. When you get the Rolex name & the date & the numerals & the wording underneath ALL together it's SO MANY SYMBOLS/LETTERS etc. Cluttered!

 

[MissGotRocks]

I'm not a fan of the roman numerals either - not as elegant IMO. I voted for the silver with diamond markers. I think it will help 'blend' in your platinum ring and be easier to see (I've had both). I think the MOP is also dressier and not sure if you want to pair the gold and MOP for every day wear.

They're both beautiful though so it's just really a matter of personal preference!

 

[bem3231]

Thanks for your feedback everyone - please keep it coming as I'd like to make a decision in this asap so that I can get the watch ordered (I'm told up to a three month wait! ). Your comments have helped me already - I had almost discounted diamond markers and I'm now leaning that way again!

 

[Dancing Fire]

i like the silver with diamond markers but i'm biased...

 

[bem3231]

Thanks for all of the feedback everyone! I flew to Calgary for the day yesterday just to have a look one more time, and based on my experiences I think that I'm leaning towards silver with diamond markers!

I really love the mother-of-pearl, but in a solid gold watch with diamond markers I'm just worried that it might be a little too 'busy'. Also, this will have to be a special order, and special ordering mother-of-pearl makes me a little bit nervous. Most of the examples of mop dials that I've seen have been wonderful, however I have seen some that are not. For instance, I have seen a few that, although very beautiful, are SO busy and colorful that it distracts a bit from the watch, and also makes it more difficult to tell time. I have also seen a couple that are so flat that they don't really look like mop at all. For instance in one of the AD's yesterday they had a pink mop watch, and the mop was totally flat with so 'gleam' to it at all. They actually said that it was brought in for another store for someone who then decided to pass on it due to the look of that particular piece of mop.

The dealer did say that if I ordered the mop and was not happy with it that they would do their best to accommodate me and have it switched out, however that would take more time, etc. I can upgrade to a diamond mop dial in the future if I wish, so that makes me feel a little better.

As several of you have mentioned, I also found that the silver dial is much easier to read than the mop dial. While this is not my main consideration, I think that it's worth bearing in mind.

I took a few photos of the various silver dials that I saw yesterday, although none are of the same model as I'm looking for. I am going to attach them to see what you think? Do you think that the silver will tie in with my e-ring ok?

Thanks again to all who have taken the time to read and respond to this thread - so very much appreciated!

 

[bem3231]

Here's one last photo of a silver diamond dial on a 36mm two-tone. So many have urged me to consider going up to a 36mm, which I know is very 'in fashion' right now. Despite the fact that I love this look on others, I just think that the 36mm looks ridiculously huge on me!! But the silver diamond dial is showcased nicely in this pic...

 

[decodelighted]

At first glance, I was liking the "dash" markers and the silver face -- but in the shot w/your ring it might veer too casual. It's hard to see for sure but do all of the diamond markers have yellow gold bezels? I think I'd prefer WHITE metal bezels with the silver face & yellow bracelet/bezel -- when it comes to complementing your e-ring the most. If it's all yellow -- I really am leaning more toward MOP because it's flashes of color & luminescenese would help tie the white metal ering/pastel diamond flashes etc into the whole yellow gold package.

 

[bem3231]

At first glance, I was liking the "dash" markers and the silver face -- but in the shot w/your ring it might veer too casual. It's hard to see for sure but do all of the diamond markers have yellow gold bezels? I think I'd prefer WHITE metal bezels with the silver face & yellow bracelet/bezel -- when it comes to complementing your e-ring the most. If it's all yellow -- I really am leaning more toward MOP because it's flashes of color & luminescenese would help tie the white metal ering/pastel diamond flashes etc into the whole yellow gold package.

Hi deco...

Yes, the dial for the yellow gold watch would have yellow gold bezels.

Hmmm... your observation is now making me second guess myself again! I appreciate your feedback, though...

Back to my deliberations...

 

[VRBeauty]

The MOP faces seem to be so flashy that they take center stage - this was especially apparent in your previous thread. I voted for the silver face because it seems to provide a visually more balanced watch - I see the whole watch rather than just the face. But my opinion is based just on your pictures. The visual impact in real life is probably very different! Good luck with your choice!

 

[bem3231]

The MOP faces seem to be so flashy that they take center stage - this was especially apparent in your previous thread. I voted for the silver face because it seems to provide a visually more balanced watch - I see the whole watch rather than just the face. But my opinion is based just on your pictures. The visual impact in real life is probably very different! Good luck with your choice!

Hi VRB -

Thanks for your feedback. I think that your observation is pretty astute, and while the effect may be slightly less in-real-life (and depending on how 'busy' the particular piece of mop is that ends up on the dial), the mop dial does detract away from the watch as a whole, I think. As much as I love the mop, this is a big part of the reason why I now feel swayed towards the silver.

 

[MissGotRocks]

In real life, the yellow in the yellow gold bezels doesn't seem as prominent as it does in the picture of the 36 mm two tone watch. The yellow gold in that picture looks really yellow - more subtle in real life IMO. The diamonds in the markers are supposed to be D, VVS quality and what you really see are just little flashes of diamond goodness - not a screaming yellow gold bezel.

 

[bem3231]

In real life, the yellow in the yellow gold bezels doesn't seem as prominent as it does in the picture of the 36 mm two tone watch. The yellow gold in that picture looks really yellow - more subtle in real life IMO. The diamonds in the markers are supposed to be D, VVS quality and what you really see are just little flashes of diamond goodness - not a screaming yellow gold bezel.

I'm glad to hear this - thanks very much MGR!

I found some photos online of a solid 18 kt gold day-date with a silver diamond dial. I think that the photos are much better than my iphone pics, so they hopefully give a better sense of the real life look of the dial as a total package on an all gold watch. Again, this is a different model than I'm considering, but I think that the overall effect would be quite similar...

http://www.watchchest.com/mens-rolex/rolex-day-date/rolex-mens-president-silver-diamond-18238-18k-yellow-gold.html

 

[iheartscience]

I don't like any of the roman numeral options. Not a fan generally -- some Cartier designs are a'igt but the proportions on Rolex's version always look so busy & crowded to me. MUCH prefer the diamond markers (or alternate sport designs.)

As to Silver dial vs. MOP -- silver's going to be easier to read ... but it's hard to pass up the Luxe-iousness of MOP. For a forever watch ... go for the MOP. (You could always switch out later if you really ended up thinking it's "too much" or hard to read. --- or can you? I know you can go plain to MOP ... but can you go the other way? Anyone?)


ETA: The diamond markers are a so much CLEANER look. When you get the Rolex name & the date & the numerals & the wording underneath ALL together it's SO MANY SYMBOLS/LETTERS etc. Cluttered!

Ditto all this! I voted MOP with diamond markers. I am really not feeling the roman numerals!

ETA just finished reading and it sounds like silver is better IRL. I liked silver with diamond markers too-that was my next choice! I can't wait to see it when you get it!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I also voted MOP with diamond markers and my second choice is the silver dial with diamond markers. I just think MOP goes with a solid 18k gold watch best. It is a luxurious combination to me. I love the silver dial with silver bezel diamond markers with the all white metal watches, though.

 

[Dancing Fire]

silver dial with diamonds..

 

[bem3231]

silver dial with diamonds..

WOW DF -those are tdf!! The day-date is silver diamond and the datejust is champagne diamond, right? I adore that day-date in particular. I love how it looks on other women but it just doesn't look right on my wrist in my opinion. Do you have any wrist shots?

Thanks for sharing!! Your photos are keeping me planted in the silver diamond camp despite the breakaway of mop diamond in the poll!

 

[Dancing Fire]

silver dial with diamonds..

WOW DF -those are tdf!! The day-date is silver diamond and the datejust is champagne diamond, right? I adore that day-date in particular. I love how it looks on other women but it just doesn't look right on my wrist in my opinion. Do you have any wrist shots?

Thanks for sharing!! Your photos are keeping me planted in the silver diamond camp despite the breakaway of mop diamond in the poll!

 

[Dancing Fire]

i'm not too crazy about the diamond bezel on a gent's watch. i'm gonna switch back to the original 18K bezel which i kept when i had it change to a diamond bezel.

btw; i am selling the watch for $9500...

 

[MissGotRocks]

I had a diamond bezel on another Rolex; it was very beautiful but made the watch almost feel silly to me for every day wear.

Bem I think the last picture you posted is a much more realistic look at the markers. The yellow gold is rich but not gawdy or overdone.

I know what you are saying about the MOP - because it is a natural substance, you can never guarantee how ripply(is this a word?) or how colorful it is. If you could handpick one you'd be in good shape but unfortunately, you take them as they come. If they're not relatively smooth they can be problematic. If they have a lot of orange or pink in them, they throw off the look of the watch. Mind you these are just my observations but they are coming from someone who had these things on a watch and stared at them for a long time - ha! Because of it's size, a Rolex can be a large watch. Adorning them with other things sometimes makes them too much of a showpiece. It really is a matter of personal preference though. Can't wait to see what you choose!

 

[Dancing Fire]

silver dial with diamonds..

WOW DF -those are tdf!! The day-date is silver diamond and the datejust is champagne diamond, right? I adore that day-date in particular. I love how it looks on other women but it just doesn't look right on my wrist in my opinion. Do you have any wrist shots?

Thanks for sharing!! Your photos are keeping me planted in the silver diamond camp despite the breakaway of mop diamond in the poll!

Bem..keep in mind that you can change the dial in the future ,so even if you brought a MOP dial today then in the future you decided you would like a different dial you can always have a watch maker to switch the dial for you. a watchmaker told me that he can change a Rolex dial in about 45 min.

 

[bem3231]

Bem..keep in mind that you can change the dial in the future ,so even if you brought a MOP dial today then in the future you decided you would like a different dial you can always have a watch maker to switch the dial for you. a watchmaker told me that he can change a Rolex dial in about 45 min.

Hi DF... yes, I have inquired about the dial switching thing, and I know that it is possible. One consideration, however, is that from what I understand you are credited for the dial that you are switching out, so to switch from a more expensive to a less expensive dial is not really worthwhile. For instance, the silver 10 diamond dial is an extra $2000.00, and the white mop 10 diamond dial is an extra $4550.00. So, from what I understand, if I were to go from the silver to the mop I would just be paying the difference (ie: an extra
$2550.00 without factoring in inevitable price increases). However, if I were to downgrade from the mop dial to the silver one, I wouldn't be paying anything, but I would be forfeiting the extra $2550.00 that I would have paid for the mop dial. I'm sure there would be service charges on top of that.

I am glad that swapping out dials is an option, but I wouldn't want to lose money doing it, which is another pro in favor of the silver dial, I guess.

That said, I am being offered 25% off of MSRP for this watch, so it would be in my best interest to get the dial that I think that I want now, as I would save the 25% off of the extra dial costs, too. From what I understand, if I were do to a dial swap after the fact there is no discount offered. So, in effect, if I thought that the mop diamond dial was what I ultimately wanted, I would save at least $1137.00 by ordering it now rather than later...

Deco brought up a good question previously as to whether they will do a dial switch on a mop dial given how delicate it is. I asked and yes, they will, however they factor an 'extra' $1000.00 into the price of mop dials for this very reason - because so many of them break, particularly when being diamond set.

For everyone's information, on this watch the various dial cost add-ons are as follows:

Mother-of-pearl roman +1550.00
Silver gem-set VI +1550
Silver 10 diamond +2000
Mother-of-pearl 10 diamond +4550

 

[Dancing Fire]

Bem...you don't need to trade in the old dial just buy another original Rolex dial ( E-bay) then have a watchmaker to change the dial for you,so in reality you can buy all different styles that you do prefer.

 

[decodelighted]

I'm back looking at these shots of the MOP face, 31mm all gold actually on you & I just love it! There's something a tiny bit more feminine about the MOP & more "alive" ... (though I'll agree that it's also a tiny bit more dressy). It just looks so nice on you. The silver face in that size *is* a close 2nd for me. Hard call!

Have you seen Traveling Gal's Zenith (? - brain fart) watch with a MOP face. It is SCRUMPTIOUS! (I guess it is a bit of a c***pshoot about what piece of MOP you get though).

 

[bem3231]

Bem...you don't need to trade in the old dial just buy another original Rolex dial ( E-bay) then have a watchmaker to change the dial for you,so in reality you can buy all different styles that you do prefer.

Oh... I didn't realize that! Very good to know. How do you know an authentic after-market Rolex dial from a fake one? This is what scares me...

 

[bem3231]

I'm back looking at these shots of the MOP face, 31mm all gold actually on you & I just love it! There's something a tiny bit more feminine about the MOP & more "alive" ... (though I'll agree that it's also a tiny bit more dressy). It just looks so nice on you. The silver face in that size *is* a close 2nd for me. Hard call!

Have you seen Traveling Gal's Zenith (? - brain fart) watch with a MOP face. It is SCRUMPTIOUS! (I guess it is a bit of a c***pshoot about what piece of MOP you get though).

Oh, deco - now you have me second guessing myself again! No, I have not seen Traveling Gal's but am going to try to find it now... Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Bem...you don't need to trade in the old dial just buy another original Rolex dial ( E-bay) then have a watchmaker to change the dial for you,so in reality you can buy all different styles that you do prefer.

Oh... I didn't realize that! Very good to know. How do you know an authentic after-market Rolex dial from a fake one? This is what scares me...

pick the style that you love now if in future you chose to change the dial then i'd buy from a reputable seller on Timezone.com