Hands-On With The Majestic Everose Gold Rolex Day-Date 36 With An Olive Green Dial

There is just something inherently different about a Rolex Day-Date. Putting the brand’s top-of-the-line model on your wrist isn’t quite like wearing a gold Daytona or GMT-Master. Why? The obvious answer would be that it’s not a sports watch like the other two. But that’s too easy. The true answer has more to do with the aura of the Day-Date. From the moment it was introduced until this day, the Day-Date has always been the brand’s top-of-the-line model. The watch has been spotted on the wrist of a long list of famous historical figures. Combine the two, creating an aspirational aura that you feel once you put it on your wrist. This year, Rolex added a new Day-Date 36 ref. 128235 to the lineup with an olive green dial. Does it still have that same aura as the classic Day-Dates? I had a chance to find out.

When it comes to the Rolex Day-Date, I guess I am somewhat of a purist. My ultimate version would be a yellow gold model with a gold dial with regular markers. That’s the watch that best carries that special aura. How best to explain it? It’s the end-all watch for me as a sign of personal accomplishment. When all is said and done in my professional life, that is the watch I would spend my money on. I would put it on my wrist, sit back, and relax in a rocking chair, taking it easy. That said, I do not turn away from other versions of the Day-Date. There are so many great dial variations that I also love and would not say “no” to.

The new Everose Rolex Day-Date 36 Olive Green ref. 128235

What I have always admired about Rolex in general and the Day-Date in particular is how little it has changed over time. Putting a current Day-Date on your wrist still gives me the same majestic feel as putting a ref. 18238 on the wrist from the 1990s. Sure, the overall production quality has improved tremendously, but that magical feeling is still the same. So when the kind people at Rolex in Brussels presented the new Olive Green dial version, I knew I would be in for a treat. It was the perfect cherry on top of a brilliant string of new releases, including the whole series of gold Daytonas, a new Sky-Dweller, and the stunning full gold 1908.

But as I said, putting a Day-Date on your wrist is different. Oh, and to clarify, it’s all about the 36mm Day-Date for me. Despite its modest size, it has tremendous wrist presence. It makes the 40mm version too loud and big for me. That’s why I was happy to see the new olive green dial version for the 36mm Everose version. First off, Everose and yellow gold give off inherently different vibes. I do not always prefer one over the other; it depends on the watch.

First impressions last with the Day-Date in Everose gold

For some watches, Everose gold works better. An example is the 40 mm Everose gold Yacht-Master compared to the 42 mm yellow gold version. Regarding the Daytona, I have favorites in both Everose and yellow gold. The GMT Master? I much prefer the full yellow gold GMT-Master over the Everose gold version. While I generally also prefer yellow gold for the Day-Date, I was intrigued by this new version and ready to be swooned. And that’s precisely what happened.

After I closed the hidden clasp with a nice, firm click and gave the watch the obligatory wrist roll to admire the dial, I was genuinely impressed by the combination of materials and colors. That new olive green sunray dial is an absolute doozy, especially in combination with the Everose gold elements. It creates an almost soft and friendly presence that is easy on the eye and therefore effortless to get used to. That was my immediate take-out once I had put it on my wrist.

A second thing that stood out was just how well the watch wears. The 36mm case is 12mm thick and measures 43.4mm from lug to lug. It’s modest in size but, as I already said, has grandeur in its presence. Wearing a Day-Date is at least as impressive thanks to the brilliant President bracelet. I probably don’t have to go over what makes that bracelet such a stunner. It is my favorite Rolex bracelet and definitely one of my three favorite bracelets ever created. All in all, wearing the new Day-Date is an absolute joy!

The olive green dial of the new Day-Date 36

Which brings us to the new olive green dial. Overall, I must admit that I’m not the biggest fan of sunray dials. But leave it up to Rolex to do a sunray dial well. First, the tone of the dial is gorgeous. It’s a rich but not too intense green color. Additionally, the sunray pattern is subtle and plays with the shade of green and the brilliance of its presence. In a year when we were treated to a string of new Rolex dial colors, this new olive green dial fits in perfectly.

Accompanying the beautiful green dial is a set of Everose gold Roman-style markers. As you can see, it’s not a complete set of numerals. The even hours get a Roman numeral except for the marker at 12 o’clock (because of the day window). The uneven hours get regular baton markers to switch things up nicely. The finishing of the faceted markers is flawless. It’s an absolute joy to explore the dial with a loupe to see the little intricacies, only to see the effect when the light hits them. Located outside the dial is a gold-colored minute track interrupted at 6 o’clock by the “Swiss Made” text with the Rolex coronet in the middle.

The dial of the Day-Date 36 is really impressive

As you can see, the day window is placed neatly inside the minute track at 12 o’clock. A large Everose coronet sits right underneath, and the lines of text on the upper and lower halves complete the dial’s aesthetic. The day and date disks use the same white backdrop with black numerals. The latter is magnified by the signature Rolex cyclops. The white contrasts nicely with the green dial, but it is never harsh, because the overall presence feels friendly and surprisingly toned down for a Day-Date.

Hiding behind the beautifully brushed case back is the Rolex caliber 3255. The automatic movement offers 70 hours of power reserve and an accuracy of -2/+2 seconds per day. It has been the power train for the Day-Date ever since the current generation Day-Date was introduced in 2019.

Final thoughts on the new Everose Rolex Day-Date 36 Olive Green

In a stream of great new Rolex releases, this Everose version of the Day-Date 36 with the new olive green dial stood out immediately. It has a brilliant overall presence and is much less in-your-face than the average Day-Date. But I love that about this new olive green version of the Everose Day-Date. The main reason is the shade of green, which works miracles with the Everose tone. If you can put that label on any Day-Date, it creates an almost modest presence. The trick is to reduce the contrast between the Everose gold and the olive green. The result is one of the most surprising Day Dates I have ever worn.

The Everose Rolex Day-Date with the olive green dial swooned me with its presence, but not in the way a Rolex Day-Date usually would. Will it replace the much-desired yellow gold Day-Date to make it the watch to wear in that rocking chair? The fair answer is that it won’t. I still prefer a yellow gold model with a dial featuring baton markers. But I have to say that I love this new perspective on the Day-Date tremendously. As it turns out, one of the most understated models is one of the most eye-catching in the current collection, and it can be yours for €43.900. Almost seven decades after its introduction, I love that the Rolex Day-Date is still able to surprise me. The unexpected charm of this one made it hard to take the watch off my wrist once I had to.