A shiny Rolex Christmas
From platinum to diamonds and Oystersteel, there’s something to brighten up every wrist this festive season
IT’S THAT HAPPY TIME OF the year when spirits are high and Christmas is merry and bright. When thoughts turn to fulfilling your loved ones’ wish list, there’s no doubt that Rolex is right up there. To help you choose, we’ve picked out six timepieces that are absolute gems for the men and women in your life.
Perpetual 1908
This dress watch for men flaunts a 39 mm-wide case with a vibrant luminosity that can only come from the noblest of metals – rare and precious platinum. The case is made of 950 alloy, which is virtually pure and flawless platinum.
The slim case, given a polished finish, is crowned with a bezel that is both domed and finely fluted. The case frames an ice blue dial with a guilloche rice-grain motif. The rosette-like design showcases a three-dimensional, repeating geometric pattern that extends across the dial. The exclusive dial colour is found only on the Day-Date, Cosmograph Daytona and 1908 models.
The dial displays the same Arabic numerals 3, 9 and 12, faceted markers and hands as that of the 18 ct gold versions of the watch.
The 1908 in 950 platinum is powered by a Rolex self-winding movement with 66 hours of power reserve. It is paired with an elegant matt brown alligator strap fitted with a double folding platinum clasp that always sits centred on the wrist. A green calfskin lines the underside of the strap with tone-on-tone stitching.
Price: S$44,500
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Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40
One of the brand’s most prestigious models comes only in precious metals and the President bracelet. Another dress watch for men, this 40 mm timepiece in full 18 ct white gold also sparkles with diamonds – 10 baguette-cuts – on a white mother-of-pearl dial.
The beautiful mother-of-pearl is unadulterated. Depending on its origin, mother-of-pearl can be pink, white, black or yellow. It differs in colour, intensity and structure according to the part of the shell from which it is extracted. At Rolex, mother-of-pearl is never artificially coloured. A particular know-how and skill are devoted to simply highlighting its natural beauty and preserving the original hues.
As all mother-of-pearl dials are unique, an identical dial will never be found on another wrist.
Price: S$71,300
Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea
Rolex’s divers’ watches are usually available in Oystersteel. This model is fully wrapped in 18 ct gold, including the Oyster bracelet. It also features a Cerachrom (Rolex’s version of ceramic) bezel insert in blue ceramic, with a matching blue lacquer dial bearing the name “DEEPSEA” in powdered yellow.
Divers can rely on the 60-minute graduated, unidirectional rotatable bezel to precisely and safely track their dive and decompression times. The simple forms of the hour markers – triangles, circles and rectangles – and the hands, which are clearly differentiated in size and shape, are filled or coated with a luminescent material emitting a long-lasting blue glow – for up to two times longer than traditional phosphorescent materials.
The graduation on the bezel is overlaid via PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) with a thin layer of yellow gold. PVD coatings are superior in terms of durability and they are resistant to wear, tarnishing and corrosion.
The 44 mm Oyster case, which is waterproof to 3,900 metres (12,800 feet) and fitted with a helium escapement valve, houses a Rolex high-performance automatic movement with a power reserve of approximately 70 hours.
Price: S$79,400
Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona
Perhaps the most iconic sports watch, this legendary chronograph re-imagined with adornments comes in 18 ct white gold and features a bezel fitted with 36 brilliant-cut diamonds.
The diamonds embellish the watch’s emblematic tachymetric scale, which crowns a black and white mother-of-pearl dial graced with eight diamonds and three Chromalight hour markers. Chromalight is a luminescent material developed by Rolex that glows blue in the dark.
The chronograph, which tells time as well as measures time intervals and average speeds, is powered by a high-performance mechanical movement, waterproofed to 100 metres (330 feet). The movement, certified by Rolex and COSC, has a power reserve of approximately 72 hours.
Price: S$106,900
Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master 37
Originally rolled out at 40 mm and 42 mm, this sailing watch has been downsized to fit a smaller wrist. The 37 mm model is encased in 18 ct Everose gold and its dial is decorated with the finest diamonds.
Like the larger models, the case is crowned with a bidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated bezel with matt black Cerachrom insert in ceramic. A key component in the Yacht-Master’s distinctive visual identity, this functional bezel allows the calculation, for instance, of the sailing time between two buoys.
The watch is worn on a high-performance black elastomer strap developed by Rolex specially for the model. The Oysterflex bracelet is fitted with an Oysterlock safety clasp and features the Rolex Glidelock extension system, which allows the bracelet to be adjusted by some 15 mm in increments of about 2.5 mm – without the use of tools.
Price: S$61,950
Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36
This timepiece from the most prestigious of Rolex’s collections is dressed to the hilt in 18 ct white gold, decked with a pink, diamond-set dial, diamond-set bezel and a President bracelet.
Ten baguette-cut diamonds on the dial, which has a sunray finish, serve as the hour markers (along with the Rolex crown and date window). A representation of the ultimate form of refinement and comfort, the watch is fitted with a President bracelet that was created in 1956 for the launch of the Day-Date.
The 36 mm case houses a mechanical self-winding movement with approximately 70 hours of power reserve.
Price: S$121,500
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