Rolex Day-Date Chocolate

Why the Chocolate Dial Works on the Presidential Day-Date

Chocolate is Rolex's own name for this dial, and it is a far more active colour than a photograph suggests. Most chocolate Day-Date dials carry a sunray finish: brushed outward from the centre in fine radial lines so that light travels across the surface as the wrist moves. Held toward a window, the dial reads as a bright, almost amber caramel. Turned away, it deepens into near-black espresso. That range is the reason the chocolate dial photographs poorly and sells in person. A chocolate dial set inside an Everose case and President bracelet keeps the entire watch inside one warm tonal family — no cold contrast, no competing colour. It is the same logic that makes a champagne dial work in yellow gold, executed with more depth. Rolex has also issued the dial in a brown ombré treatment, graduating from light brown at the centre to a dark border. Both finishes are catalogued as chocolate in the market and both appear in this collection, so it is worth checking the dial description on each listing. The hour markers change the character again: Roman numerals give the most traditional reading, applied indexes the most contemporary, and factory diamond markers the most overtly dressed.

Rolex Day-Date Chocolate Dial Reference Guide

Five references account for nearly every chocolate dial Day-Date on the secondary market. The reference tells you the generation, the case size, and the metal; the four-digit suffix after the dash tells you the dial and bezel combination.

Reference	Case size and metal	Dial configuration
228235	Day-Date 40, 40mm 18k Everose gold, fluted bezel, President bracelet	Chocolate sunray with Roman numerals (228235-0002), applied indexes, or factory diamond hour markers (228235-0003, 228235-0053)
228345RBR	Day-Date 40, 40mm 18k Everose gold, diamond-set bezel, President bracelet	Chocolate with Roman numerals (228345RBR-0009) or chocolate diamond dial (228345RBR-0006)
128235	Day-Date 36, 36mm 18k Everose gold, fluted bezel, President bracelet	Chocolate and brown ombré with Roman numerals (128235-0075)
218235	Day-Date II, 41mm 18k Everose gold, President bracelet	Chocolate with Roman numerals — discontinued in 2015
118135	Day-Date 36 previous generation, 36mm 18k Everose gold, fluted bezel, leather strap	Chocolate with index hour markers

The current-production references are the 228235 and 228345RBR in 40mm and the 128235 in 36mm, all running Rolex's latest movements — calibre 3255 in the 40mm and calibre 3235 in the 36mm, both with a 70-hour power reserve and Superlative Chronometer certification to within −2/+2 seconds a day. The 218235 Day-Date II and the 118135 are discontinued, run the earlier calibres 3156 and 3155 with a 48-hour reserve, and are only available pre-owned.

Rolex Day Date Chocolate Price:

The cost of a chocolate Rolex Day-Date can vary depending on the model, case material, and dial configuration. On average, a Rolex Day-Date 40 with a chocolate dial in Everose gold—such as reference 228235—typically ranges from $45,000 to over $70,000, especially if it features diamond hour markers, a fluted bezel, or other premium elements. Pre-owned options may offer more accessible pricing.

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