Why We Love It
All hail to the king!
It's true that when swimming through the sea of vintage Rolex, it can be somewhat difficult to know where we should head. At times, the divide between the tool watch models - the Submariners and Explorers - and the dressier gentlemen's pieces - Presidents, Datejusts and the like - seems incomprehensibly enormous, and it can be hard to know just what each model and execution would be perfect for you.
The Rolex's Oyster Case is probably one of the most recognizable designs in the modern era, and can be found in the simplest Oyster Perpetuals to the most sought after Explorers and Submariners. It is the silent canvas upon which every one of the brand's executions has been painted, and regardless of the movement that fills it, or the dials that adorn it, this simple and elegant case is a huge part of the brand's global success.
Built upon the sturdy foundation of a 34mm Oyster Case, the original Oyster Perpetual is one of the cleanest Rolex designs. And while recent trends have deemed these 34mm watches a bit on the small side, modern manufactures are beginning to re-focus on slimmer, simpler cases, making this svelte, classy design totally in.
This particular piece is particularly desirable with a gorgeous glossy black applied-logo Gilt dial, complete with steel markers and beautifully aged Tritium luminous elements. Perfect gloss dials are highly prized among collectors, and often command huge premiums, making this execution an incredible value proposition as well as downright beautiful.
The Story
Rolex first patented the Oyster case in 1925, but the quest for a waterproof and dust-proof case began shortly before the First World War. The cases of the Great War and the early 1920s came in two or three pieces with an inner case that shielded the movement (then a manual-wind movement) from the wet, dusty conditions of the battlefield. The Oyster case of 1925 represented the culmination of ten years of development. It gained notoriety in 1927, when Mercedes Gleitze became the first British woman to swim across the English Channel, wearing - you guessed it - a Rolex. A series of advertisements followed, featuring smiling flappers holding their Rolexes in fishtanks.
As with the Oyster case, the Perpetual movement saw many iterations before finally being perfected in the 1930s. Rolex's first automatic movement quietly debuted in 1931, without the fanfare that followed the introduction of the Oyster case. The movement was met with some consternation from purists who decried the "extreme novelty" of a self-winding watch. Nevertheless, Rolex could see that they had struck gold with the Perpetual movement. They continued to develop and improve it over the years, establishing a line of watches that would stand as an alternative to Rolex's sportier models.
The Oyster Perpetuals of the 1960s and 1970s remain some of Rolex's best-loved timepieces. Elegant, with clean lines, the watches are nevertheless sturdy, coming in stainless steel or 18k yellow or pink gold. The Perpetual, Rolex cal. 1570, movement has a straight-line lever escapement and a Breguet balance spring. Meant to be worn every day, the Oyster Perpetual Date combines elegant looks with rugged dependability.
