Rolex Day-Date 118205
The Rolex Day-Date ref. 118205 is the 36 mm President in 18 kt rose gold with a smooth, domed bezel. Rolex introduced it in 2000 with the 118xxx generation of the Day-Date, powered by the calibre 3155, and made it on either the President bracelet or a three-link Oyster bracelet. Watches made before 2005 are in Rolex’s earlier pink gold; from 2005 the case is Everose. Explore our curated collection of Rolex Day-Date 118205 for sale.
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Rolex 118205 Specifications
| Reference | 118205 |
| Introduced | 2000, with the 118xxx generation of the Day-Date 36 |
| Case | Oyster, 36 mm, 18 kt rose gold (pink gold before 2005, Everose from 2005) |
| Bezel | Smooth, domed, 18 kt rose gold |
| Crown | Screw-down, Twinlock |
| Crystal | Sapphire, with a Cyclops lens over the date |
| Water resistance | 100 m (330 ft) |
| Movement | Rolex calibre 3155, self-winding: 31 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour, about 48 hours of power reserve |
| Display | Day of the week spelled out in full at 12 o’clock, date at 3 o’clock |
| Bracelet | President (semicircular three-piece links) or Oyster (flat three-piece links), in 18 kt rose gold |
Pink Gold or Everose?
Rolex brought rose gold back to the Day-Date in 2000 with two references: the 118205, with a smooth bezel, and the 118235, with a fluted bezel. For the first few years the case was a conventional 18 kt pink gold. In 2005 Rolex switched to Everose, its own rose gold alloy, made to keep its color. Older pink gold can fade over the years toward a paler, more yellow tone, which is easiest to see when a 2001 watch sits next to a 2010 one.
The reference number did not change, so the date on the warranty papers is what tells you which alloy a 118205 has. Neither is a fault: an early pink gold 118205 is simply an older watch, and it should be priced as one.
Rolex 118205 vs Other 118xxx Day-Dates
In the 118xxx Day-Date 36, the last digit of the reference gives the metal and the digit before it gives the bezel: 0 for smooth, 3 for fluted. The 118205 is the rose gold watch with the smooth bezel.
| Reference | Metal | Bezel |
| 118205 | Rose gold | Smooth, domed |
| 118235 | Rose gold | Fluted |
| 118208 | Yellow gold | Smooth, domed |
| 118238 | Yellow gold | Fluted |
| 118209 | White gold | Smooth, domed |
| 118239 | White gold | Fluted |
| 118206 | Platinum | Smooth, domed |
The smooth bezel is the quieter of the two: a plain polished dome, where the fluted bezel catches the light along its ridges. On a rose gold case it makes the 118205 one of the most understated Day-Dates.
In 2019 Rolex replaced the 118xxx generation with the 128xxx Day-Date 36 and the calibre 3255, which has about 70 hours of power reserve. In Everose, the current Day-Date 36 comes with a fluted bezel, as the Rolex Day-Date 128235, or with a diamond-set bezel, as the 128345RBR.
Rolex 118205 Dials
Rolex made the 118205 with a wide range of dials. Plain dials in pink, champagne, white, rhodium and black came with Roman numerals or baton hour markers, and the gem-set versions used diamond hour markers, some combined with baguette-cut rubies. The chocolate dial on the 118205 we have in stock carries eight diamond hour markers and two ruby baguettes, at 6 and 9 o’clock.
Rolex 118205 Price
The 118205 is no longer made, so there is no Rolex list price to compare against: what a watch is worth depends on the watch itself. The main factors are the dial (a factory gem-set dial costs more than a plain one), whether the case is early pink gold or Everose, its condition and how much it has been polished, whether the box and papers are present, and when it was last serviced.
Watches marked “Price on request” are in stock: contact us for a current figure. We also buy the Rolex Day-Date 118205 and take it in trade.