Stella Lacquer Dial
Day-Date 1803 — Stella Lacquer Dial
Intensely coloured, glossy lacquer dials, named after the Châtelaine/Geneva firm Stella that supplied the lacquer to Rolex’s dial makers. Colours were mixed by hand, so no two match; made in small numbers outside the catalogue, often with diamond markers. Dated 1803 examples run from 1967 to 1978.
Phillips speaks of roughly a decade of production from the 1970s; another Phillips essay gives 1960s–1990s. Lacquer Stella dials also appear on 18038, 18048, 18239 and 18248.
Identifying details
- Coloured lacquer dial
Monochrome lacquered dial (e.g. burgundy, black, blue).
- Fluted bezel
Gold bezel with fine ridges (also called reeded or coin-edge).
- Day of the week
Day of the week spelled out in a window, usually at 12 o’clock.
- “Stella” dial
Glossy, intensely coloured lacquer dial; named after the Geneva lacquer supplier Stella.
- Date
Date display.
- Cyclops
Magnifying lens over the date.
Variants of 1803
Reference overview →| Variant | Production |
|---|---|
| Standard Pie-Pan Dial | Undated |
| Stella Lacquer DialCurrent | Undated |
| Stella Lacquer Dial · Yellow | Undated |
| Stella Lacquer Dial · Coral | Undated |
Case & movement
- Reference
- 1803
- Production
- Undated
- Case diameter
- 36 mm
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Crystal
- Acrylic
- Movement
- Automatic
- Date
- Yes
- Caliber
- Rolex 1556
Dial, bezel & hands
- Dial finish
Movement
Rolex 1556
Later 1800-series Day-Date caliber, used to the end of the 1803; still no quickset for day or date. Phillips notes a hacking seconds stop on late examples.
Automatic · 26 jewels