Rolex SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker. The company and its subsidiary Montres Tudor SA design, manufacture, distribute and service wristwatches sold under the Rolex and Tudor brands.

Rolex introduced the first Datejust model in 1945 as a men’s watch with a 36mm Oyster case. This was later followed by the first Lady-Datejust in 1957 with a 26mm Oyster case. Finally, the Rolex midsize Datejust joined in the 1960s, offering a size option in between the men’s and the ladies’ Datejust.It’s no secret that Rolex watches evolve slowly over the years. Rolex collections do not undergo revolutionary design changes but rather small, yet vital, improvements. And this is a big part of the appeal of Rolex watches—they maintain their signature looks. At first glance, there’s not much difference between a Datejust from the 1970s and a Datejust made today. Of course, if you take a closer look, there are important—mostly technical—differences between Rolex watches from different eras. Today, we delve into the stainless steel midsize Datejust to uncover what improvements have taken place over the last 50 years.

While the stainless steel midsize Datejust is instantly recognizable thanks to some design hallmarks, there is certainly plenty of variety within the collection too. For instance, bracelet options include a dressy five-link Jubilee bracelet or a sporty three-link Oyster bracelet. There’s also a choice between a sleek smooth bezel, a more formal fluted bezel, and in some cases, a precious diamond bezel. Dials come in an assortment of colors, patterns, and materials and finally, indexes can be Roman numerals, Arabic numerals, baton style, or even diamond-set.