By the close of the Second World War, Rolex had been producing its famous waterproof Oyster case for close to 20 years, and its Perpetual automatic movements for nearly 15 years. The potent combination of these two important horological developments led to the Oyster Perpetual, a series of highly water resistant, automatically-wound Swiss made replica watches UK that would be adopted into all manner of famous tool watch collections in the intervening decades.
In addition to marking the close of the bloodiest conflict in human history, 1945 also signified 40 years since the founding of Hans Wilsdorf’s famous watch company. To celebrate four decades of innovation and achievement, the brand released special solid-gold best fake Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches, the 36 mm 4467, with a date complication and a multi-link bracelet that it dubbed “Jubilee.” While it may be taken for granted now, this reference represented the world’s first automatic, waterproof chronometer wristwatch with a date function. Soon—and following some important changes—it would come to be known as the Datejust.
While for many, the word “Rolex” immediately calls to mind the Submariner, GMT-Master, and Cosmograph Daytona models, it’s in fact the Datejust that has been the best-selling Rolex collection for much of its history and it is, therefore, the most widely recognized high quality copy watches from the brand. Less expensive in certain configurations than its Professional-collection cousins, the Datejust offers elegant looks, a handy date complication, myriad dial and metal configurations, and the choice of Jubilee, Oyster, or President bracelets.
Considered by many to be a “dress watch” despite its heavy metal bracelet and thicker case, it’s able to carefully bridge the gap between everyday and more formal timepieces. Available since nearly the beginning of its long history in two-tone steel and gold, it’s also perhaps the watch most associated with that particular aesthetic. Bringing together numerous Rolex innovations, the Datejust was, in the eyes of company founder Hans Wilsdorf, a type of ultimate Rolex. Indeed, numerous world leaders and celebrities of the mid-20th century were gifted or wore the luxury replica watches: Winston Churchill, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Martin Luther King were all seen with one on their wrists. (Churchill was in fact presented with Rolex’s 100,000th Certified Chronometer—which happened to be a Datejust.)
Delving into every possible configuration of the Datejust would be a nigh-impossible undertaking—delineating numerous important references and their key attributes, however, is eminently doable, and offers an instructive illustration as to why this classic cheap super clone watches have so admirably stood the test of time. While other models and model families have come and gone, the Datejust remains steady, predating every other Rolex collection with the exception of the Oyster Perpetual itself, of which it is a variation. In a world in which products are introduced and retired at alarming speed, the Datejust—which turns 80 in 2025—has exhibited remarkable longevity. There’s little doubt that it will continue to do so.
NOTE: AAA fake Rolex watches production dates are approximate due to overlapping production of various reference numbers. Rolex production during the mid-20th century was an iterative process that often saw countless minute changes to dials, cases, and parts within a single reference, thus making it exceptionally difficult to catalog each and every change.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 4467 (~1945-1959)
Introduced by Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf at the Hôtel des Bergues in Geneva (now the Four Seasons), the perfect replica Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches ref. 4467 did not in fact say “Datejust” anywhere on the dial—that would come later. Available in yellow or rose gold and measuring 36 mm in diameter, its cal. A295 automatic chronometer-certified movement necessitated a protruding caseback that collectors would subsequently name “Ovettone” or “Big Bubbleback.” The early innovations, however—a date display, a milled bezel that allows Rolex engineers to easily screw it down onto the case, and the new Jubilee bracelet—were present and accounted for. Dial, index, and date wheel colors differed throughout the reference’s run.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 5030/5031 (~1948-1950)
Produced for a short time around 1949/1950, the references 5030 (smooth bezel) and 5031 (engine-turned bezel) introduced the option of a two-tone steel and gold Rolesor case to the Datejust collection—an option that remains an important aspect of the model today. Available also in rose or yellow gold, it still featured the protruding caseback of the top fake Rolex watches ref. 4467 due to the presence of the A295 automatic movement. And like the ref. 4467, it could be had in a cream or black dial. Some late-production references appear with the word “Datejust” on the dial, though scholarship seems to agree that it was the later 6105 that first featured this distinction.