Rolex
Day-Date 40
228236
Platinum authority — the Day-Date 40 in glacial ice blue.
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Overview
The Rolex Day-Date 40 reference 228236 represents the marque's flagship dress watch rendered in its most prestigious metal: solid platinum. Paired with an ice blue dial — a shade long associated with Rolex's platinum cases — and driven by the in-house Calibre 3255, it sits at the apex of the Day-Date lineage. The 40 mm case diameter, introduced to modernise the collection, gives the reference a commanding yet refined presence on the wrist.
History
The Day-Date has occupied the summit of Rolex's catalogue since its introduction in 1956, distinguished as the first wristwatch to display both the date and the full day of the week spelled out. The 40 mm generation succeeded the long-running 36 mm references, broadening the case proportions while preserving the President bracelet and fluted-bezel vocabulary that define the line. Reference 228236 entered production in 2022, bringing the Calibre 3255 — Rolex's high-precision, in-house movement featuring a Chronergy escapement and 70-hour power reserve — to the platinum Day-Date 40 family. Its ice blue dial continues a chromatic tradition closely tied to Rolex's use of platinum, a pairing that collectors have come to regard as canonical.
Notable points
- Solid platinum construction: the 228236 uses 950 platinum for the case, a material Rolex reserves exclusively for the Day-Date.
- Calibre 3255 movement: the manufacture movement offers approximately 70 hours of power reserve and carries a Superlative Chronometer certification, denoting ±2 seconds per day accuracy.
- Ice blue dial: the distinctive pale blue hue is produced specifically for platinum-cased Rolex references and is not used on gold variants of the Day-Date.
- Day-Date 40 lineage: the 40 mm case generation modernised the proportions of a collection that has been in continuous production since 1956.
- President bracelet: the reference is fitted with Rolex's iconic five-piece-link President bracelet, an element introduced alongside the original Day-Date and inseparable from its identity.
