If you had asked me a few years ago whether I’d ever own a Rolex Datejust, I probably would have had a laugh and told you to keep walking. Fast forward to today, and I’m the happy owner of this Rolex Datejust 41 reference 126300 – being the oystersteel variant with smooth bezel. This particular piece came on the oyster bracelet, and I bought it in excellent used condition which helped me shave a fair chunk off the current retail price of $10,800.

Why this? Well, I found myself needing something a bit more “under the radar” which I could wear as an EDC piece around the office. I started off collecting larger and somewhat louder pieces and they tend to draw some unwanted attention at times. In the process I’d missed out on a “basic” wear everywhere, do anything sort of watch. My criteria were pretty simple: 40-41 mm, 3 hander auto, date, thin, black dial. I wasn’t looking at Rolex in particular, but I caught Emkwan’s review of his DJ 41 some years ago and the smooth bezel version struck me as being a great modern EDC piece. After about a year of thinking about it, this piece popped up on a sales forum at a great price, so I decided to give it a go.

After a few months of wear, I can say that this DJ 41 really is a great piece – perhaps one of the top picks for daily business / office duty I reckon. The case is the real star – 41mm of buttery smooth 904L steel which floats on the wrist and slides under cuffs easily due to its smooth curves, low profile and sloped bezel. The black dial is great too – it’s a real Jekyll and Hyde character that transitions from deep matte black indoors into a sunburst of charcoal and deep chocolate in direct sunlight. I think it nails the brief perfectly – the only minor issue being the amount of high polish which makes it a bit of a scratch magnet. Given that, the Rolex Datejust 41 reference 126300 is the (almost) perfect EDC watch.