The Rolex Day-Date 40 228238-0004 black baguette is the highest-contrast dial Rolex puts in a yellow gold Day-Date 40: a bright black sunray ground, ten baguette-cut stone-set hour markers and a fluted 18k yellow gold bezel framing it. The suffix matters on this one, because -0004 is specifically the black baguette dial – the plain black and the Roman black dials in the same 228238 case carry different endings. Against a dial that absorbs most of the light reaching it, the flat stones and the gold case become the only bright surfaces on the watch.

Rolex Day-Date 40 228238-0004 Black Baguette Specifications

• Reference: 228238-0004
• Case diameter: 40 mm
• Case material: 18k yellow gold
• Bezel: fluted yellow gold
• Dial: bright black sunray with ten baguette-cut stone-set hour markers
• Day display: full day-of-week window at 12 o’clock
• Date display: Cyclops-magnified at 3 o’clock
• Crystal: sapphire with anti-reflective coating
• Bracelet: President three-piece link in yellow gold, concealed Crownclasp
• Movement: clone Cal. 3255 automatic (super clone) or Japanese automatic (A-grade)
• Power reserve: 70 hours (clone Cal. 3255)
• Water resistance: 100 m

Stock runs at two levels: the A-grade on a Japanese automatic movement for $349, and the super clone with the clone Cal. 3255 for $849.

Fluted Bezel, Stone-Set Dial

The same black baguette dial also exists in our catalogue with a fully stone-set bezel, so the ring around the crystal is the one thing to check before ordering: this card is the fluted version, where the gold grooves do the reflecting and the stones stay on the dial. Both bezel versions are listed in the Day-Date catalogue. Keeping the bezel plain also keeps the count honest – ten baguettes, one at every hour except 12 and 3, where the day and date windows sit – a count two near-identical photographs will not show.

Movement and Calendar

Both calendar discs snap over at midnight instead of drifting, the behaviour that defines the model. In the super clone a clone Cal. 3255 handles it with a 70-hour power reserve, the figure Rolex publishes for the genuine calibre, and the President bracelet closes on a concealed Crownclasp. The EW versus BP Day-Date breakdown on our blog explains how the two factories build that movement and finish the gold.

Rolex Day-Date 40 228238-0004 Black Baguette Replica FAQ

What does the suffix -0004 mean on the 228238 black dial?

It identifies the exact dial. 228238 is the 40 mm yellow gold Day-Date case, and the four digits after it name the dial and marker combination, so -0004 is the bright black dial with baguette-set markers rather than the black dial with batons or Roman numerals. Searching the full reference is the fastest way to land on the right card instead of a near-identical sibling.

Rolex Day-Date 228238-0004: real versus fake, which details give a copy away?

Dial printing, marker setting and the calendar jump are where the differences show. On a genuine piece the chronometer text is razor-sharp under a loupe, each baguette sits dead level in its channel and both discs flip in the same instant at midnight; the Rolex Day-Date 40 228238-0004 black baguette super clone matches the case proportions, the dial layout and the instant jump, and runs a clone of Cal. 3255 rather than Rolex’s own movement – which is what a service centre would identify first.

Other versions of this model in stock: Rolex Day-Date 40 228238 silver dial, Rolex Day-Date 40 228238-0006 champagne Roman and Rolex Day-Date 40 228238-0042 white Roman.