A massive year for Rolex

Perpetual 1908 (S$30,800) In one fell swoop, Rolex replaced its Cellini line of classic timepieces with the new Perpetual 1908, a reference to the year the Rolex trademark was birthed. Imagine a classic vinyl record remastered for a digital era – that’s the vibe we are talking about. While the case is a contemporary 39 mm in diameter, stylistic nods to an earlier era abound: a fluted bezel, a railroad minute track, subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock; and a hollow Mercedes hour hand. 

Flip the watch over, and you get front-row seats to the new calibre 7140 through the transparent case-back. Relish the inner workings of this Superlative Chronometer with its open-worked rotor and finely decorated plates and bridges. The 18K white-gold editions are paired with black alligator straps; the18K yellow-gold versions come with brown alligator straps. Uniquely, the undersides of the straps are coloured Rolex green. 

Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master 42 (S$19,600) The new Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master 42 is a declaration of independence for your wrist, tailor-made for the high-octane world of competitive sailing. Crafted from RLX titanium, this alloy is like the secret sauce that makes it feather-light (around a third of its equivalent in steel) yet incredibly tough. Fun fact: It’s Rolex’s second rendezvous with RLX titanium after the 2022’s Oyster Perpetual Deep-sea Challenge. 

RLX titanium is not an easy medium to work with, given its mechanical strength. The fact that Rolex has forged the Yacht-Master 42’s case and bracelet with it, and given it different finishes, just goes to show the Crown’s mastery over the material. The polished crown guard gleams like the sun on the waves, the lugs wear a suave high-sheen lustre, and the technical satin finish adds a touch of understated sophistication. 

Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller (from S$21,850) Now that international travel is well and truly back, frequent fliers may want to add this new generation of Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller to their list of must-haves. Already a firm favourite because of its dual time zone capability and annual calendar function, this year’s edition boasts an engine upgrade and sleek suite of new dial colours.  

What ticks inside: Calibre 9002, which replaces the original 9001 that has served the line so well ever since its inception in 2012. Like all of Rolex’s revamped movements, the 9002 comes with a proprietary Chronergy escapement, Paraflex shock absorbers and a new oscillating weight with an optimised ball bearing. 

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On the aesthetic front, alluring new dial colours – mint green and blue-green – are being introduced. Our favourite combination? The reference in Everose gold with a blue-green dial. Simply scintillating.

Oyster Perpetual (from S$7,900) Once in a while, Rolex throws us a curveball with unexpectedly whimsical outings. In 2023, that honour goes to the Oyster Perpetual and the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36 (more on that later). With every glance at your wrist, you’re treated to a burst of positivity, a splash of vitality, and a reminder of the magic that happens when watchmaking meets art. 

Across the 31 mm, 36 mm and 41 mm versions of the Oyster Perpetual, colourful bubbles animate the dial. If you find the kaleidoscope familiar, that’s because the five colours – candy pink, turquoise blue, yellow, coral red and green – were introduced to it in 2020. But that is not all. This year’s Oyster Perpetual is also forged in Oystersteel, a Rolex alloy in the same family as industrial-grade 904L steel. 

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Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36 (Price upon enquiry) Colour also makes its presence strongly felt on the stone-dialled Day-Date 36. The natural beauty of carnelian, green aventurine and turquoise is accentuated by the precious metals of the cases and bracelets, as well as the sparkle of brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezels and hour markers. 

But the most whimsical of all has to be the Day-Date 36 with the jigsaw puzzle design on its dial, baguette-cut sapphires as hour markers, inspirational keywords in the 12 o’clock aperture, and emojis in the date window. The jigsaw puzzle motif is rendered using the painstaking technique of champleve enamelling. 

Thanks to Calibre 3255, the watch displays a different keyword – Happy, Eternity, Gratitude, Peace, Faith, Love and Hope – each day of the week, as well as a different emoji every day. 

So far, two American celebrities are known to own the Day-Date Jigsaw: singer/songwriter and noted watch collector John Mayer has a white-gold version with a turquoise dial, while American football player Tom Brady went for the Everose-gold model with an orange dial.