Worn & Wound
Reaction: Rolex Gets Silly With Colorful New Oyster Perpetual & Day-Date Dials
Rolex is always the talk of Watches & Wonders, but this year the conversation focused on an unlikely watch: an Oyster Perpetual with a “Celebration Dial,” a colorful and playful creation that seems very, well, unlike Rolex? But is it, really? It garnered a lot of attention, was immediately memed, and generated some of the most fiery takes of the show. The Worn & Wound editorial team, as you’d expect, has thoughts, so we weigh in on the new Oyster Perpetual, and a similarly colorful and offbeat Day-Date, below. Zach Kazan No matter how hard brands try to prevent them, leaks of new releases are inevitable. It happened again this year with Rolex, the biggest brand of all. And while we only had hastily shared Google search results to go off of, and no actual specs or even basic information about the watches themselves, the shuttle ride to Palexpo on Day 1 was dominated by talk of gumballs. The so-called “Celebration Dial” Oyster Perpetuals, along with the spiritually related “Jigsaw” Day-Date, are as whimsical as we’ve seen Rolex in recent years. Lefty GMT aside, this isn’t a brand known for its sense of humor. So a dial filled with colorful circles (51 is the official tally) that correspond with the colors of the most recent Oyster Perpetual refresh from about 3 years ago is bound to generate the hottest of takes. What I want to know from the haters is this: who decided Rolex can’t have fun? I guess if your version of Rolex is “luxury tool watches”...
