History of the Roulette Date:
The Rolex “Roulette Date” was found on the first Datejust model back in 1945. It gets its name from the alternating red and black numbers, similar to the casino game. Originally, even number were red and odd were black. The modern version is reverse of that: odd dates are red and even dates are black.
Official Rolex Name:
Rolex doesn’t officially refer to this style of date wheel as a Roulette date wheel. Instead, they simply call it a “two-colour date display.”
Which References Have a Roulette Wheel Date?
You can get the Roulette style date on Rolex Datejust 36 models with the following reference numbers: 116200 / 116201 / 116203 / 116231 / 116233 / 116234 / 116238 / 116243 / 116244
Dial Color/Hour Markers Matter:
Getting a Datejust 36 with a Roulette Date may seem like luck of the draw, but Rolex isn’t the gambling type. Whether or not you get the red & black date has to do with the dial color of the watch. Here are your options:
Dials with white gold hour markers:
- Black (stick markers)
- Blue (stick markers)
- White (stick markers)
- Black Arabic Concentric (Arabic markers)
Dials with yellow gold hour markers:
- Black (stick markers)
- White (stick markers)
- Bronze Arabic (Arabic markers)
Dials with pink gold hour markers:
- Black (stick markers)
- Black Arabic Concentric (Arabic markers)
Note: the roulette dial is not offered as a stock option on dials with Roman markers, diamond markers, floral motif, etc. Only on stick/baton dials and some Arabic dials.
Other Models:
The Roulette Date wheel is only available on the Datejust models with the dial options mentioned above, however, since the Datejust is powered by the Rolex caliber 3135 you can have it custom installed in other watches with the same movement. It makes for a fun mod on a Yacht-Master, Submariner, Sea-Dweller or Deepsea – it will also work on a GMT-Master II (Ref: 16710 caliber 3185/3186) which would look amazing with a Coke bezel!
The Roulette Datewheel can also be found in some 1950s vintage Rolex Oysterdate Precision watches such as reference 6294, 6494, 6694, etc. As well as some Oyster Perpetual Date models 6534, etc.
Interesting note: Some vintage Tudor Prince-Oysterdate watches also have Roulette style calendar wheels (for example 7965, 7966, etc).
Part Number:
The official reference number or part number for the Roulette Datewheel is: 3135-16206. The “3135” prefix is because it is a part for the caliber 3135. Unrelated, but if you happen to be looking for the all red datewheel (found on Turn-O-Graph models) the part number is: 3135-16205. Just like the Roulette style datewheel, the all red will work on the other models listed above as well. It is also an exchange only part, so it’s not easy to find!
Packaging:
UPDATE: We were able to get our hands on a brand new unopened Roulette Datewheel that came directly from Rolex! It is for a special project that will be updated here later when complete.
Here is what the packaging looks like when it is shipped to the Rolex AD:
The Roulette Datewheel is in a sealed in a Rolex signed plastic baggy with a yellow sticker that has the part number and quantity.
Inside the baggy, the datewheel is in a wax paper envelope.
Here is the unboxing!
As with genuine Rolex aluminum bezel inserts, the Roulette Datewheel is not signed anywhere. Therefore, when purchasing a datewheel as a spare part, it may not be easy to determine the authenticity.
As for so-called Rolex perfection as a means to determine authenticity, look closely at the 7 in the video above. That example was from an authentic Datejust that had never been opened. Never use “Rolex perfection” as a gauge for authenticity in either direction.
The back of the datewheel is a brushed metal finish.
Here are some close-ups of the edges:
Wondering how big a datewheel from a caliber 3135 is? Here is the roulette date next to a quarter!
Price:
The cost of a Roulette Date when ordered from the Rolex parts department is around $65.00 USD. Because of scarcity, this part is often sold for between $200-300 USD.
Good Luck!
This of course is if you can get your hands on one… it is not possible for an AD with an official Rolex parts account to simply order a new Roulette calendar wheel from the factory. To get the part itself, one would have to send in an original part for swap.
The watch featured in the video above is a Z serial Rolex Datejust 116203 with with a black dial, 18K gold smooth bezel, and a two tone Oyster bracelet.
We hope this information was useful to you. If so, share this post on your favorite social site or forum! And please consider buying your next timepiece from our watch shop 🙂
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