Let me clarify this title by saying that I have no issues with Jean-Frederic Dufour, the CEO of Rolex.  I do have a problem with some of the Rolex “President” movements.

The Day-Date or “President” as the model came to be popularly known, debuted in 1956 with calibre 1055 beneath the dial. The President is the watch made famous by Lyndon Johnson.

Early rolex day/date movement. There is no quick set on either day or date on this model.

The “quick set” feature on the Day-Date, allowing rapid setting of the date, debuted with caliber in the late 1970s. The “double quick set” calibre 3155 was introduced in 1988. The 3155 allowed rapid setting of both the day and the date by turning the crown clock-wise or counter-clockwise while in position 2.

The Rolex president is one of the most iconic watches ever made. It has been worn by presidents and kings and is one of the most collectable watches in the world.   I have worked on many of these watches and the Rolex 3055 Day/Date is by far my least favorite movement to work on.   Listed below are a few of the reasons why this one constantly gives me a hard time.

Arrows shot far right date quick set, center arrows show Day indicator springs. No adjustments can be made to these in order for the day to change easier or to adjust tension.
Day and Date Discs
Lower date ring installed
Upper Day disc installed

Here is the problem and the reason that I dislike this model.  Everything is finished, dial is on, you start to set the time to install the hands and the date does not “snap: over properly and you are left with a partial Day showing and No date.  The day ring will cover up the date in the window.  Now you take the dial off, remove the day and date discs and try to figure out the problem.  Normally you re- oil everything, check the tension on the center springs and start over.  On average it takes 3-4 times as long to install the hands on this one as it does on any other Rolex model.  This is why I have no Love for the Rolex President 3055 movement.

Dial installed and calendar advanced. As you can see, the day and date did not advance properly and what you see is part of the Day and no date. This is the Nightmare….
30 minutes later, the date is finally working properly and hands are installed. Every watch is a test!

I have listed below some of my earlier blog posts on the Rolex President

History Of The Rolex President

Rolex Day Date President Part 1: History of Rolex’s Flagship Watch

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Rolex Day Date President Part 2: Addition of Quick Set & Onwards