BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date is, arguably, their flagship model. Sure, it’s not as complicated as the Daytona or the Sky-Dweller, but it’s been the go-to watch for the world’s most important people for decades and has looked resplendent all the while. There is a reason it’s nicknamed the ‘President’ after all. Rolex introduced some new versions this year, while the ‘Slate Ombré’ model got all the attention, naturally, I was looking the other way. Anyway, here are the other models that you might’ve missed.
Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36 ref. 128395TBR
The most bejewelled model is the one we’re starting off with today. It’s set in a 36mm 18k Everose gold case with a matching bracelet, meaning the gold case has a rosy colour to it and will continue to have it as Everose doesn’t lose its colour over time like regular rose gold. The blue-green dial (a first for the 36mm Day-Date) is elegant and set with 10 baguette-cut diamonds, matching the bezel which also goes the traditional fluting for yet more diamonds. With that said, this is still a usable piece with its 100m of water resistance and the classic day and date displays.
The price of this model is £69,950.
Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36 ref. 128238
This watch exudes pure 1990s class in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, it looks brand new, but the smaller 36mm case size with yellow gold and a ‘President’ bracelet? Sign me up! The dial has been given six layers of lacquer plus a colourless varnish to achieve a shiny and deep white colour, something that’s usually seen only on grande feu enamel dials. Inside this watch, like with all the watches here, sits the calibre 3255. It has a Parachrom blue hairspring made of a secret alloy which means it’s more accurate and less affected by magnetism than traditional metal. There’s also the patented Chronergy escapement, which is made of a nickel-phosphorous blend which is also extremely resistant to magnetism. With a self-winding rotor, the power reserve of the calibre 3255 is 70 hours.
The price is £30,700.
Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40 ref. 228239
I’ve saved my favourite until last with the reference 228239. Like the ‘Slate Ombré’ version everyone’s talking about, this too has a 40mm case. However, the case is made of white gold which I prefer. The main draw with this model, however, is its dial. It’s got baguette-cut diamonds applied to it, but the base uses something called ‘pearlised’ mother of pearl. Mother of pearl is made from a naturally-occurring material in molluscs called nacre, it is always being formed by the animal and is a natural way to protect itself within its shell. It also happens to look amazing when artisans, such as those at Rolex, are able to take the most precious disks and turn them into dials. The ‘pearlised’ mother of pearl is taken from the oldest part of an oyster’s shell and has a vivid irregularity to its reflective character, making it particularly eye-endearing to people like me. Wait, am I a magpie? They like shiny things, too.
Avian thoughts aside, this watch will cost £41,150. I’m quite glad they chose not to add a diamond bezel to this one, although I’m sure that a platinum case/bracelet will be an option in the future.
So, that wraps up our coverage of the Day-Date novelties from Rolex this year. You’ll see that there are no particularly playful pieces this year, no unexpected watches with jigsaw-patterned dials. Perhaps next year we’ll see something like that again. And, for those wondering, the price of the ‘Slate Ombré’ in its Everose gold case is £36,400. If you want my advice, go for the white gold model, I think it looks the best, as I’ve said.
