What is a Rolex Spider Dial?

Last night, I attended my regular monthly RedBar meetup. A friend and local watchmaker brought a number of vintage Rolexes, at least two of which with cracked gloss dials, commonly referred to as “spider dials”. I found myself staring at them for an inordinate amount of time. Because they held my attention for so long in a room full of fascinating watches, I figured they must be worth sharing with you.

Before taking a look at the Rolex GMT-Master 16750 and Day-Date 18038 that I saw last night, I’d like to cover the basics of spider dials: why they exist, where you’ll find them, and if they’re valued differently than their uncracked counterparts.

What is a Rolex Spider Dial?

Image Source: Ticking Way

The term “spider dial” – not exclusive to Rolex – describes a watch dial with cracks on the surface, commonly fine fissures or “crazing” on a lacquer finish. These cracks often resemble a spider web.

In the vintage Rolex world, spider dials are commonly found within transitional references from the 1980s. Rolex’s earlier gloss dials (within this 1980s transition – not mid-century gloss dials) used a lacquer mixture that was later swapped out due to its intolerance of UV exposure and temperature variation. These early gloss dials tended to crack and craze, resulting in often-collectible spider dials.

Again, spider dials are not exclusive to vintage Rolex. Plenty of brands offered lacquer dials and plenty of those lacquer mixtures were flawed, cracking under extended UV exposure/temperature change. Furthermore, watch brands share manufacturers; this imperfection is born at the production level, trickling down to multiple brands.

Like most types of watch patina, a spider dial stands to increase or decrease the value of a watch depending on its form. Ultimately, this is all subjective, but collectors point to the density, consistency, and thickness of dial cracks as reasons for or against an increase in value. If you’re interested in the value of spider dial Rolexes, I'd look at completed listings or auction results of spider dial watches, comparing prices to non-spidered examples of the same reference (and preferably the same dial variation). 

Two Examples of Rolex Spider Dials 

Rolex GMT-Master ref. 16750 with Spider Dial

The first spider dial watch I saw last night was this Rolex GMT-Master ref. 16750. Rolex produced the 16750 for eight years starting in 1979. Earlier examples have matte dials with lume painted directly onto the dial (no surrounds). Later examples (including service replacements for those matte dials) have a glossy lacquer finish and applied white gold hour indices. This stylistic transition from matte to gloss is one of many that define Rolex’s “transitional” references (along with sapphire crystals, ratcheting bezels, updated case proportions, and so on).

This particular example must have been an earlier gloss dial coated in the aforementioned flawed lacquer mixture. It features very fine fissures with consistent density but no real pattern. Because this watch sports its original well-loved acrylic crystal, the dial cracks are a bit harder to see than the next watch.

Rolex Day-Date 18038 with Black Diamond Spider Dial

The next spider dial Rolex I saw was this Day-Date 18038. Released in 1977, this reference was not only the first Day-Date with a quickset date function (a pretty big deal), it was the first to feature a sapphire crystal: a perfect window to view this example’s spider dial.

This watch comes from the same general era as the previous ref. 16750, and as you can tell, suffers from the same flawed lacquer process. Unlike the last example, these fissures are thick with significant separation, showing the slightly-lighter matte surface underneath. With such dense and consistent cracking, this is the type of spider dial that I suspect would bring a premium in front of the right collector.

Final Thoughts

As vintage watch patina goes, dial crazing and "spidering" is one of the more polarizing forms. Its appeal is obviously subject to the viewer's taste, but also to the pattern and consistency of the cracks. After last night, I have more appreciation for these spider dials than ever. I also love that both of these watches belong to a watchmaker. If these watches were sent to Rolex, the dials would be replaced in a second.

What do you think about spider dials? Let us know in the comments below, and if you're looking to customize your Rolex (with or without a spider dial), check out our selection of integrated rubber straps for particular references.