Rolex Datejust 1601 'Malachite'

We had been in Tokyo for about a week. Moving from meeting to meeting, seeing watches, speaking to dealers. It was good, interesting even, but not particularly productive. Prices were high, often too high to make sense. One of those trips where you come back with more conversations than watches.

That said, Japan itself was everything you hope for. We made our way through all the familiar spots in Tokyo. Nakano Broadway, visiting dealers, seeing what was out there. We spent our evenings the right way, omakase dinners, sake, long conversations and having fun. We picked up a pair of Momotaro jeans, a few Japanese knives and we visited a national park a few hours away in Nikko. We even stopped by our friends at Private Eyes, who have a truly beautiful boutique with a very considered selection.

The experience was there. The watches, less so. It was our final day. And then, as it often does in this business, everything changed at the very end.

Omakase, Final Day
I had lunch planned with a friend on our final day in Tokyo. Someone I had dealt with before, and someone who understands watches.

A few years earlier, I had sold him a Bloodstone Rolex Day-Date. A beautiful piece. Yellow gold, green dial, but entirely different from what I was about to see.

He had chosen a traditional omakase restaurant. The kind of place where everything is precise and quiet. We were seated in a private room. He was clearly a regular as the staff knew him. Good food, good setting.

We started talking and eating. And then I noticed it. On his wrist, under his cuff.

I asked to see it. The moment it was in my hands, it was clear. It had been a long time since I had held a Malachite dial. In fact, I couldn’t even remember if I had ever seen a Malachite Datejust in person before. It was beautiful and flawless!

Up until that moment, I hadn’t even considered the possibility that he would let it go, but then, surprisingly, he did.

Green Hills
The dial was exactly what you hope for, but rarely find. Deep green, shifting into lighter tones, even turquoise and sea foam depending on the light. The pattern was calm, almost hypnotic. Soft, wavy lines running through the stone, like looking at hills or distant landscapes. No hour markers, no cracks, no hairlines, no distractions. Just pure Malachite at its best. It was, without question, the most beautiful example I had ever seen.

And then the rest of the watch. A Rolex Datejust 1601, from the 1970s, in yellow gold, fitted on a rivet Oyster bracelet. Stone dial Datejusts are most often seen on Jubilee or President bracelets. The rivet Oyster introduces something else entirely. A slightly more sporting, almost unexpected direction for a watch that is otherwise quite refined.

Impulse Decision
There was no real discussion because I knew I had to have it.

It was an impulsive decision, something I rarely allow myself. I paid strong money and agreed to his price without negotiating. Normally, there is always a conversation, a back and forth. But this is exactly why you travel, why you put yourself in these situations.

Sometimes you just know. At the same time, I already had someone in mind.

About an hour after leaving the restaurant, I took a photo and sent it to him. He was travelling, as he often is, somewhere remote on one of his expeditions. Always somewhere between destinations.

I kept it simple. I explained the dial, the condition, and most importantly, how perfectly it would fit into his collection. He already owned two stone dial Datejusts from the same era, both sourced through us. A Lapis Lazuli with an almost electric blue, unlike anything I had seen before, and a Red Jasper with a deep, warm red tone. Each fitted on a different bracelet, the blue one on President, the other on Jubilee. This vivid green Malachite on rivet Oyster bracelet completed the picture.

The Deal
His response came quickly:

“Top. It’s f*cking green. Thanks for thinking of me. It’s a perfect fit.”

Just like that, the watch was placed, roughly an hour after I had acquired it.

The watch went to a close friend and client, someone who has been part of our journey from early on. Nikita, better known as Nikibrah, has built an impressive collection in a relatively short period of time, focused and increasingly difficult to match. More importantly, over the years of doing business together he has become someone I am proud to call a good friend. Or simply, my "Brah'.

It Made the Entire Trip
A week that, from a watch perspective, didn’t deliver much. But one that was still full of experiences, people, and places that matter. And then to close it like this, on the final day, in Tokyo.

Looking back, it made the entire trip.