Rolex Lady-Datejust 79173 White Dial on Oyster 2000

The Ref. 79173 sits at the center of the Lady-Datejust's two-tone era — a 26mm Rolex in gold and steel that defined how the line balanced sport and dress sensibility through the late 1990s and into the 2000s. Powered by an automatic movement with quickset date, the 79173 brought practical daily utility to a case that had long been associated with formal wear. The fluted bezel in yellow gold, the Oyster bracelet, the screw-down crown, and the sapphire crystal together form a specification that has aged without compromise.

This example pairs the white dial with stick indices — the cleaner of the two common configurations, where applied baton markers let the dial read without interruption. Against a two-tone case, a white dial with gold indices holds its own in a way that a more decorative dial cannot: the restraint is the point. Warranted in 2000 and carrying an A-series serial, this watch falls squarely within the production window when the reference was at its most refined. In hand, the gold and steel transition across the case mid catches light differently than any photograph suggests.

Offered in very good condition throughout — case, bracelet, bezel, and crystal all showing only faint signs of wear — with original Rolex papers. Watch and papers only; no box.