NAVIGATING THROUGH TIME
An indispensable guide thanks to its precise time indications, and a watchmaking icon for almost 70 years, the Geneva-based company’s prestigious watch has added three new variations to its extensive range.
After the birth of the revolutionary Oyster in 1926, which became Perpetual five years later thanks to the innovative rotor of its movement, the company founded by Hans Wilsdorf (1881-1960) continued its watchmaking adventure with the Oyster Perpetual Datejust version in 1945, followed by a more “complete” model in terms of time indications in 1956: the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date. Nicknamed “the presidents’ watch”, proof of its success with leading personalities, this all-18-carat gold or 950 platinum reference has the advantage of displaying, in addition to the date, the day of the week in black on a light background and in full letters, with a choice of 26 languages. In 2024, Rolex is expanding this prestigious collection with a trio of new models in 40mm diameter.
This set, topped by a thin fluted bezel, combines three metal colors – yellow gold, white gold or Everose gold, a brighter, more durable alloy than the traditional one – with three dial variants – slate ombré, a hue that oscillates between steel and chocolate, lacquered white or mother-of-pearl with delicately bluish reflections depending on the light –. The latter is enhanced by baguette-cut diamonds, while a mix of applied Roman numerals and baton-type hour markers appear on the other two. At 3 o’clock, a window topped by a Cyclops magnifying glass reveals the date, and the day appears in a fan-shaped aperture stretching from 11 o’clock to 1 o’clock. A double-disk system integrated into the caliber 3255, a 4hz automatic movement that also drives the trio of central hour, minute and seconds hands and provides 70 hours of power reserve, enables synchronized changeover and instantaneous passage of this calendar information.
