Over the last years the Rolex Datejust "Obsidian" dial has become the hottest Rolex 'stone dial'. However, as enchanting as their appearance is, the story of these dials has been far from sorted out. We add new evidence in form of the Missing Link finally coming to a verdict on its nature: The term "Obsidian" is a collector's term and the best description is Patinated Onyx.
December 31, 2024
The Rolex Datejust "Obsidian" - What's the Real Deal?!
Marcus Siems @siemswatches
Collector, Author, Data Analyst
When it comes to collecting watches a few individuals quickly escalate into stratospheres most of us mere mortals can only view from afar. There are indeed many unreachable unicorns out there and often they are as beautiful as they are mysterious.
Over the last couple of years the Rolex Datejust with "Obsidian" dial has become one of these 'grail level' Rolex watches. It is a watch as rare as they come and might have been the hottest Rolex 'stone dials' of the last two years. However, as enchanting as their appearance is, the story of these dials has been far from sorted out.
What is this Rolex Datejust ref. 1601? Is it an Obsidian or "Obsidian" dial? Photo from Goldammer Archives.
1) What about Obsidian in Watches?
Obsidian is actually volcanic glass that develops when molten lava cools off very quickly. In nature this glass is most often found somewhat black and somewhat translucent. As the Obsidian is mounted on brass dial base-plates the background shimmers through where the glass is more see-through, which gives each dial a unique pattern and look.
Figure 1. Example Rolex Datejust ref. 16xx from the 1970s appearing over the last years. Photos Courtesy of Phillips, Antiquorum, Menta Watches, Momentum Dubai, Amsterdam Vintage Watches, John Goldberger, & Johnson167.
Over the last 5 years more and more of these "Obsidian" called dials appeared in early Rolex Datejust models (1970-77; four-digit reference range). I've been counting about 10-12 pieces appearing recently (Up to 14 sales). Of those 9 are ref. 1601, 2 ref. 1600, 1 ref. 1611. Most are yellow gold (10), and only two in white gold and two YG feature the Omani Khanjar on the dial at 6 and were retailed through Asprey. The earliest sales date I could identify is the ref. 1611 sold at Phillips in November 2020:
The ref. 1611 from 1977 - sold at Phillips in November 2020 - is one of the first "Obsidian" appearing to market in recent history. Photo Courtesy of Phillips.
2) The Doubting
But the more of these pieces surfaced, the stronger the doubt about the nature of the dials. The patterns you see are a little too 'smooth' for what you'd find as natural Obsidian. If you take a second look at Figure 1 you'll notice that most of the translucent area is close to the edge, particularly left-sided, the date-window, the Rolex coronet and the central pinion. In other words, areas surrounded by 'non-glass'.
Moreover, what we don't see (/haven’t seen yet) is catalogue prove that Datejusts at the time were indeed equipped with Obsidian dials. Interestingly, stone dials were first fitted to Datejusts before they became a hallmark of the Day-Date collection in 1978. One can find these catalogue excerpts for the Day-Date but not for the earlier four-digit Datejust references:
Catalogue excerpt for the Day-Date (stone-)dial configurations and a 1990s Rolex Day-Date ref. 18238 with Obsidian dial. Photos Courtesy of Italian Watch Spotter & Tropical Watch (WatchAnd).
3) How Obsidian Typically Looks in Watches
The doubting of these dials being actual Obsidian can only be increased when we take a look at how Obsidian typically shows itself on watch dials. As you can see from the example ref. 18238 Day-Date above the pattern is a lot more veiny, a lot less smooth. And it's not just this one example. You can find Obsidian dials also in 1970s Cellini ref. 5071 or Universal Geneve Golden Shadows. And to make things worse... it's also extremely difficult to tell Obsidian apart from Tiger Iron*, which by itself is very different to the "Obsidian" DJ examples.
Two other (potential) Obsidian dials from Rolex (ref. 5071; left) and Universal Geneve (ref. 166140; right). Photos Courtesy of Amsterdam Watch Company & Subdial.
4) So, What is it?
If we consider all this evidence, what do we have in front of us?
Theory 1: The first explanation that came up was that the Datejust dials are indeed Obsidian. Hereby, the glass would have been varnished and glued to the base-plate. Over the time the dial might have been 'lifted' and the adhesive material could have reacted to make the affected areas translucent or 'tanned' ([source]). This might explain why the patterns start from the edges and central pinion. However, what we don’t see is that larger reacting areas look like Obsidian.
Theory 2: A very trivial possibility could be that these dials were never actually Rolex dials but plain fakes. However, this theory can be somewhat debunked by an example that sold through LoupeThis in 2021. It is a piece with watertight provenance - an Omani Khanjar example coming from the Royal family. Eric Ku himself, Co-Founder of LoupeThis, assessed every aspect of the watch and assured its originality, including the font and paint on the dial. The dials are thus original Rolex dials from the era (1970s).
The Rolex Datejust 1601 "Obsidian" with the Royal Omani Khanjar sold late 2021. Photo Courtesy of LoupeThis.
Theory 3: And this is the leading theory at the moment. It agrees with Theory 1 that the 'tanned' areas are patinated parts of the original dial. Yet, it is not Obsidian but Onyx. Onyx is a mineral, not glass(!), that in nature isn't fully jet black as it appears on Rolex dials but dyed to become darker and more even. According to Eric Ku this is also common practice in jewelry making. On top, since 2021 Ku also came across another Patek Philippe with Onyx dial (confirmed through the extract) that displayed the very same dial degradation ([source]).
5) The Missing Link
The degraded Onyx theory is right now the accepted theory in the field. It was brought forward by two vintage watch experts - Eric Ku and Erik Gustafson (@HairspringWatches) - but what has been missing is the intermediate step. So far we've seen quite some heavily patinated dials (Fig. 1) and on the other hand 'clean' Onyx dials... but what has happened between the blacker-than-black Onyx dial leaving the factory and the recent "Obsidian" dials hitting the market.
Let me introduce you to - The Missing Link:
The Missing Link: A 1969 Rolex Datejust ref. 1601 with Onyx dial and just a hunch of the beginning patina. At first glance you'd hardly see the spots around 6o'clock and the degradation to the left edge. Photo Goldammer Archives.
This stunner is a Rolex Datejust reference 1601 with an Onyx dial that at first glance is a 'common' jet black stone dial. It takes the right light and angle to see that it is actually more than this. The left edge of the dial just starts to shimmer slightly translucent and dots appear around the signature at 6o'clock and at 10o'clock. This example for some reason simply hasn't degraded as much as others over time.
A galaxy at your wrist... The Missing Link Onyx-to-"Obsidian" example is one of a kind. Photo Goldammer Archives.
The reason for this is hard to pin down. My interpretation is that it is an early example and the applied adhesive/varnish/dye might simply be different to the later executions. The pieces we've seen hitting the market have been predominantly from between 1972 to 1977. Our example is from around 1969**.
I have of course also reached out Eric & Erik to hear their thoughts on this example.
"What a strange looking one. Wow. Might be a very early change starting, effectively the start of that patina" - Erik Gustafson, Founder of Hairspring Watches -
And Eric Ku going further:
"This is exactly what I would call proof that they are just degraded onyx dials." - Eric Ku, Co-Founder of LoupeThis -
6) Conclusion
Over the last years the elusive Rolex Datejust „Obsidian“ emerged as one of the hottest vintage stone dials out there. It was just taking its seat among the all-time greats on the Mt. Olympus of vintage Rolex. However, the exact nature of these dials has always been rather mysterious awaiting a final verdict.
Not Obsidian but Onyx ... yet still a lovely example of an already super-rare vintage watch. Photo from Goldammer Archives.
Until now... Through the extensive work and curiosity of Eric Ku and Erik Gustafson along with additional evidence punctuating their theory with the missing link, we can conclude that the "Obsidian" Datejust is rather a collector's term. The correct description is patinated or degraded Onyx!
I think this doesn't necessarily impede the overall collectability of these pieces. It is still a rare pattern on already super-rare stone-dial examples. And you can't argue aesthetics ... Our example in particular is a stunning black and gold Rolex Datejust from the late 1960s that shows a jet black Onyx dial with just a hunch of an early „Obsidian“ patina in a mesmerizing Galaxy pattern. It is an important watch, a unique sight, a field study of genuine aging and - above all - an impressively beautiful watch!
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Eric Ku (Co-Founder of LoupeThis) and Erik Gustafson (Founder Hairspring Watches) for their input and the groundbreaking research leading up to this article. There probably still wouldn't be much clarity on the topic without them.
Footnotes
* Please have mercy with me if I don't make the right call on each piece and whether it's Tiger Iron or truly Obsidian.
** Only one other white gold piece from 1970 has surfaced with slightly similar patina patterns at Bachmann & Scheer.
All rights on text and graphics reserved to the Author.
