Rolex has added new designs to the iconic models of its Oyster Perpetual collection, including the Submariner and Sky-dweller.
Even the most established icons can do with a rethink from time to time. Without innovating on iconic design, we’d live in a world without high-bypass plane engines; smartphones that offered more than just calls and Snakes; electric cars; and tablet computers. When done right, adding a little something new to something that’s well established can only add to its overall value, its rich heritage and yes, it’s iconic status.
Rolex has done just that, adding subtle yet effective design elements to some of its most beloved timepiece models, including the Oyster Perpetual Submariner and Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date, professional divers’ watches that contributed to the contemporary watch movement.
Bold and timeless, the new-generation Oyster Perpetual Submariner and Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date are presented with an updated design, characterized by a slightly larger 41 mm case and a bracelet with a broader centre link. True to the original model, the new Submariner – in Oystersteel – has a black dial and matching Cerachrom bezel insert, while the Submariner Date, also in Oystersteel, features a black dial and green bezel insert. A second, yellow Rolesor version of the watch (combining Oystersteel and 18 ct yellow gold) has a royal blue dial and blue bezel insert, while a third, in 18 ct white gold, boasts a black dial and blue bezel insert.
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The Oyster Perpetual Submariner is equipped with calibre 3230 movement – launched this year – while the Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date is fitted with the calibre 3235, with both movements incorporating the Chronergy escapement developed and patented by Rolex and offering a power reserve of approximately 70 hours.
The Oyster Perpetual 41, a new model joining the range comes with a silver, sunray-finish dial or a bright black, sunray-finish dial, with one version featuring retro-styled hour markers and hands in 18 ct yellow gold, and another with hands in 18 ct white gold. Both are fitted with an Oyster bracelet and Oysterclasp with the Easylink comfort extension system – a first for the Oyster Perpetual range – and are powered by the calibre 3230 movement.
For something a little different, the Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller is introduced with an Oysterflex bracelet, the first watch in the Classic category to receive this innovative, Rolex-patented touch. Presented in 18 ct yellow gold with a bright black, sunray-finish dial, the timepiece offers the high-performance elastomer bracelet with an Oysterclasp and the Rolex Glidelock extension system, which allows fine adjustment of the bracelet for optimal comfort on the wrist.
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The Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller is equipped with the calibre 9001, one of the most complex movements to be developed and manufactured by Rolex. With a blue Parachrom hairspring in an exclusive paramagnetic alloy, the movement offers a power reserve of approximately 72 hours.
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