Rolex Vault › All references › Datejust
Datejust · 1977 to 1988 · Discontinued · Vintage
“Engine-Turned Quickset”
Graded on the vintage scale: rank #11 of 26 rated vintage references
Market range: the middle half of 195 recorded eBay sales in the last 12 months. Vintage sales include serviced and redialed examples, so the best original pieces can sell above it.
Median recorded eBay sale price for each quarter with 3 or more sales. Dashed line marks the 1982 retail price.
First-generation quickset Datejust with the all-steel engine-turned bezel nobody makes anymore.
Painted Roman 'Buckley' dials from this era became a collecting niche of their own.
The engine-turned bezel 16030 is the middle path of the transitional Datejusts: more interesting than smooth, cheaper than fluted white gold, with the machined bezel pattern Rolex has since abandoned entirely.
Abandoned details are collector magnets, and engine-turned bezels are on the shortlist. Still priced like a commodity five-digit Datejust; likely not forever.
Our verdict: Underrated transitional. Vintage face, usable mechanics, and a bezel style with no modern equivalent.
| Sizes | 36mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet | Oystersteel (stainless) |
| Factory bracelet | Jubilee or Oyster (Jubilee most common) |
| Factory bezels | Engine-turned steel; Smooth (16000) |
| Notable dials | Silver; Blue; Buckley dials (premium) |
| Caliber | 3035 |
| Production | 1977 to 1988 (discontinued) |
| Sold | Example | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $4,000 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $3,650 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $4,350 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $5,300 |
| Oct 14, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $2,100 |
| Oct 14, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $5,990 |
Recorded eBay completed sales, logged at our last data refresh.
Recorded eBay sales from the last 12 months put the typical Rolex Datejust 36 16030 at $4,500, with the middle half selling between $4,100 and $5,100 (190 sales). Condition, box and papers move the price within that range.
The Crown Index grades it B- (73/100) from real resale data, and today's call is hold. Solid resale, with limited room to grow from today's price. Past prices are not a forecast.