The most popular post on this site is my review and history of the Hamilton Jazzmaster Viewmatic. A big reason for this is probably that the watch was introduced in the early 2000’s, before the ubiquity of the watch blogs, social media, and reviews that nowadays cover every conceivable angle of a new watch release. Thus, my post provides some information that is not already available at dozens of other sites.
In the month since I bought my Rolex Cellini Danaos 4233, I’ve realized that again I have a watch introduced in early 2000’s (or slightly earlier) where I may be able to provide some notes and insights that aren’t already easily found. Because there are already places where you can learn about the history of the Cellini line, I won’t cover that history here. Instead, I’ll focus on some details about the Danaos that may be interesting to other owners and collectors or useful to anyone considering picking up a 4233. Not exactly a review, but hopefully still interesting or helpful.
The Basics
- Model: Rolex Cellini Danaos
- Reference: 4233
- Movement: 1602
- Width: 33mm
- Lug-to-Lug: 40mm
- Lug Width: 19mm to 20mm (mine measures 19.4mm)
- Case Material: white gold
- Crystal: slightly-domed sapphire
Size
The obvious first topic to address with the 4233 is its size. Listed as only 33mm, many folks might pass it over immediately on this basis. Although the watch does measure 33mm across, this doesn’t tell the whole story due to its rectangular cushion case design. I measure the case diagonally from corner-to-corner at 36mm, and as a result I feel like the watch wears like at least a 35mm on my wrist. This perception is reinforced by the relatively large dial. At 29mm, with an almost flat crystal, the dial appears the same size as the dials on my Rado Golden Horse and Black Bay 36, and larger than the dial on my Timex Marlin. For me, the Danaos wears at the perfect size for a dress watch. The 7mm thickness thanks to the thin mechanical movement (rivalling only the quartz JLC in my collection for slimness) gives it a welcome svelteness on my wrist, as well, sliding easily under my cuff until I need to check the time (or just admire it).
Caseback
The Danaos I picked up had clearly been polished, although the polishing was done well enough to allow the watch to retain its elegant lines. The model and serial numbers and hallmark on the back are still present although faded from polishing. Having seen a circular motif and Rolex logo and model name on some 4233 casebacks, I was initially concerned that the caseback on my piece had been polished to the point where there was no sign of these,
However, upon further investigation, including finding still-stickered caseback examples on Bernard Watch’s website without the additional caseback decoration, I have concluded that this likely was not present on earlier iterations of the 4233 but was added at some point probably after 2004. This could be important for collectors to know if they are trying to determine how much an earlier 4233 has been polished.
The Non-Inverted 6
I’ve seen criticism of Rolex’s decision to leave the “6” right-side-up at the bottom of the 4233 dial instead of keeping it consistent with the orientation of the other 11 numerals (bottom toward the center of the dial). Interestingly, Rolex made the opposite choice with the Air-King models that feature very similar Arabic numerals and that seem to have been introduced after the 4233.
My preference is the Danaos approach. Due to the 12 and 6 being applied metal instead of printed like the other 10 numerals, they stand out from the other numerals when taking a quick glance at the time and, as a result, I find the “6” reads as “9” on the Air-King but as “6” on the Danaos.
Strap Options
For a watch this dressy, exotic leather straps are the natural choice. Unsurprisingly, I’ve found that a wide variety of colors and types of such straps pair nicely with the warm white gold and white face of the watch.
Black, brown, and blue straps all look nice, but I’ve found that my favorite color strap to wear on the 4233 is a darker green. I have green padded and flat croc straps and a green lizard strap on its way. Given how thin the watch is, I would recommend either a flat or slightly-padded strap.
Warmer weather is still a few months away, but I’m considering adding a two-piece perlon (probably in dark green, again) to get me through the hottest weeks of the year.
Final Thoughts
The Danaos fills the dressy gold watch spot in my collection nicely and was a fitting way to bring this era of my watch collecting journey to a close. It’s been seeing frequent wear over the last month, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it settles into my wear rotation going forward. With Rolex prices at their lowest in a while, this may be a good time for you to consider adding this under-the-radar reference to your collection if you’d like a something with the crown that’s not your typical steel sports Rolex.
