Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Rolex · Day-Date
Rolex Day-Date 43 mm Ice Sapphire
Reference 42080OR.80
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Rolex
- Collection
- Day-Date
- Model
- Rolex Day-Date 43 mm Ice Sapphire
- Reference number
- 42080OR.80
- Year / era
- 1990 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Moon phase
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Ice blue
- Strap / bracelet
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 43 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Ice blue
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 78C — In-house manual-winding
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Moon phase
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1990 – 2003
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
In-house design studio
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Rolex Day-Date 43 mm Ice Sapphire sits within Rolex's Day-Date line, introduced in 1990. It carries the house codes established since 1905 — sapphire crystal case case, ice blue dial and in-house manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Rolex
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1905
- Founder
- Hans Wilsdorf
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Submariner, Daytona, GMT-Master II, Datejust, Day-Date, Yacht-Master, Sky-Dweller, Explorer, Oyster Perpetual, Sea-Dweller, Air-King, 1908, Milgauss
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Composite and ceramic case materials
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house manual-winding
- Notable watches
- Rolex Submariner 44 mm Skeletonised Platinum (1978) · Rolex Submariner 36 mm Ice 18k (1981) · Rolex Submariner 42 mm Meteorite Quartz (1982) · Rolex Submariner 38 mm Silvered 18k (1989)
Brand history
Rolex has spent more than 121 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Submariner, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Hans Wilsdorf established Rolex in 1905, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Rolex calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1905
Hans Wilsdorf founds Rolex in Switzerland.
1969
The quartz era forces Rolex to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Rolex enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Rolex continues to produce Submariner, Daytona, GMT-Master II and other icons in limited numbers.