Rolex Datejust 1601 ‘Matte Blue’ — Oystersteel & White Gold, Circa 1968
Blue dials on vintage Datejusts have always attracted attention, but the matte blue is something else entirely. Where the later gloss lacquer dials shout, the matte version absorbs the light and holds it. It is a deeper, more complex blue, closer to midnight than to sky, and on the ref. 1601 it creates a combination that is genuinely hard to walk away from. This example is one of the sharper ones you will find.
The case is in outstanding condition. The lug profiles are crisp and well-defined, the brushed surfaces have retained their texture, and the transitions between the polished and satin-finished flanks are clean throughout. There is no softening of the edges that typically betrays a polished watch, and none of the corner rounding that accumulates over decades of wear. What you see is the original geometry, intact. The fluted white gold bezel sits precisely, its vertical cuts sharp and evenly spaced, catching the light in the way only an unpolished original bezel can.
The matte blue dial carries applied gold baton indices that glow warmly against the dark ground. The matching gold sword hands sweep across the dial with exactly the kind of understated elegance that makes this configuration so sought after. The “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” text is crisp and fully legible, and the date aperture at three o’clock sits cleanly behind the cyclops magnifier. The acrylic crystal has a pleasing domed profile that is entirely characteristic of the period.
The Jubilee bracelet is a strong match for the case. The links are solid, with minimal stretch, and the signed folding clasp closes with authority. The bracelet’s brushed and polished surfaces are in proportion with the overall condition of the watch, presenting as a coherent, unworked piece throughout.
Inside runs the calibre 1570, Rolex’s proven self-winding movement with quickset date, Glucydur balance and Microstella regulation. Decades of reliable service and still going.
The matte blue 1601 is not a common watch. Most blue Datejusts you will encounter carry the later gloss dial. The matte version predates it, and in this condition, with a case and bezel this sharp, it represents exactly the kind of vintage Rolex that serious buyers move quickly on.
Specifications
- Reference: 1601
- Year: Circa 1968
- Case material: Oystersteel
- Bezel: Fluted 18k white gold
- Case diameter: 36mm
- Case thickness: Approx. 11.5mm
- Dial: Matte blue, applied gold baton indices, gold sword hands
- Crystal: Acrylic with cyclops date magnifier
- Movement: Calibre 1570, self-winding, quickset date
- Bracelet: Jubilee, Oystersteel, signed folding clasp
- Water resistance: 100m
- Condition: Very good, sharp unpolished case, bezel and bracelet
- Warranty: One year, Lorièn Watches
