Collectors often don’t think about it like this, but for most of history, the vast majority of Rolex dials (and watch dials in general) have been either silver, white, black, or champagne. Blue dials started to get somewhat common in the 1970’s, but all other colors have remained relatively rare overall. Purple Rolex dials are certainly unusual, but several kinds do exist. Some came from the factory purple, and others faded that way. In this article I’ll try to cover every known type of purple Rolex dial.
Rolex Submariner Purple Dials
Some Submariner Date models with blue dials made from about 1970-2003 have ended up turning purple. The color change is likely due to a combination of sunlight and a paint defect. Most often you’ll see purple dials on 16803, 16808, 16613 and 16618 models, but even some of the first gold Submariner Date models (ref. 1680/8) turned purple as well.
The purple is most often a fairly deep color, but some dials show brighter shades of violet–particularly in sunlight.
Aubergine Dials
If you want a new purple Rolex, your only choice is an aubergine dial. Aubergine dials debuted in 2018 and are exclusive to Datejust models 36mm or smaller. Aubergine dials all have diamonds. It’s a great color, and I suspect the only reason it’s not more popular is the mandatory jumbo diamond VI on the 31mm and 36mm versions. Note that aubergine dials are not available with a smooth steel bezel. That’s because they all have diamonds, and Rolex never puts diamond dials on watches with steel bezels.
Red Grape Dials
In 2014, Rolex announced the first-ever “red grape” dial. It was only available on the 36mm Oyster Perpetual (ref. 116000) at first. But by 2015, red grape was an option for all five sizes of Oyster Perpetual offered at the time: 26mm, 31mm, 34mm, 36mm, and 39mm. Rolex added some visual cues about what size you’re looking at: The 31mm version has Roman numerals, the 34mm version has interesting pink accents at each hour marker, and the 36mm has double batons at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. All red grapes were discontinued when a new generation of Oyster Perpetuals debuted in 2020. Rolex has never offered a red grape dial on any other model.
Faded Purple Rolex Datejusts/Day-Dates
I’ve only seen a few faded purple Datejusts and Day-Dates pop up over the years, so unlike the purple Subs, these don’t seem to be the result of widespread paint defects. Most likely they’re caused by an improbable combination of moisture damage, sunlight, and/or less common paint imperfections. PnFtimes sold the most beautiful example of a faded purple Rolex Day-Date I’ve ever seen:
Lavender Datejust 1601
A handful of lavender Datejust 1601 dials have come up for sale in the past few years (like this one at Fratello), and the purple hue is so subtle that many collectors assume they were originally silver. It’s possible, but because they all seem to appear on 1601 models from about 1970, I suspect they came like that.
Lavender Jubilee Dials
From 1985-2022, Rolex offered “Jubilee dials” on several Datejust and Day-Date models. Jubilee dials have a laser-engraved ROLEXROLEXROLEX pattern and have been made in numerous colors over the years. Lavender Jubilee dials just might be the rarest color of all. Here’s one from Apr57 on an early-2000’s Day-Date.
Lavender and Lilac Striped Dials
From about 2017-2021, Rolex made some curious striped dials in five colors, two of which are shades of purple: lilac, lavender, linden, cornflower blue, and mint green (totally different than today’s mint green Datejust dials). They were only available on the 28mm Lady-Datejust, and never got much attention. These striped Lady-Datejusts are actually pretty rare Rolexes.
Purple Rolex Stella Dials
Rolex Stella dials are vibrant dials colored with lacquer pigments from a company called Stella. Stella Day-Dates were made from about 1970-1992, and today they’re very collectible (and expensive). They’ve been made in almost every color, and purple ones are among the rarest of all. Robert Maron once sold one but they’re very hard to even find pictures of.
Although Stella Day-Dates get most of the hype, there were also some ladies’ Datejusts with Stella dials–but none of those seem to be purple. There may have been a 36mm purple Stella Datejust in the late 1980’s, however. According to @jaystimezone_, Rolex made an R-series Datejust with a “special lavender color dial for the Asian market.” One was shared by @johnson167 and it certainly has that richly-colored Stella look to it.
Purple Rolex Stone Dials
Rolex stone dials have been made from a variety of minerals, three of which are purple:
- Sugilite dials are beautiful deep purple Japan-exclusive stone dials found only on 26mm Datejusts from the 1990’s.
- Rubellite dials are more of a reddish-purple, but it’s a stunning type of stone dial most often found on vintage Rolex Day-Dates.
- Carousel of Lavender Jade dials were only made for the Day-Date 36 from about 2016-2019.
That about covers it for purple Rolex dial options, past and present. Did I forget any purple Rolexes? Do you have a favorite? Let us know in the comments!
More on Rolex:
Rare Rolex Watches: A Collector’s Guide
New Rolex 2024 Models
Every Model Rolex Discontinued in 2024
2024 Rolex AD Wait Time Calculator
Breaking Down Rolex Prices: Retail vs. Actual Market for Top Models
