Whale of a Different Color

“I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote,” wrote Herman Melville in his masterpiece novel Moby Dick. “I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts.”

Rolex’s relationship with the ocean and the planet is well documented. Since its inception more than 100 years ago, the brand has demonstrated an everlasting itch to explore and perpetuate our planet from the profound depths of our oceans to the extreme peaks of our mountain ranges. Through both the design and craftsmanship of its timepieces and its deeply engrained philanthropic spirit, Rolex has dedicated itself to navigating and preserving Melville’s forbidden seas and barbarous coasts. It has not often been concerned with whimsy—except for a brief moment more than 40 years ago when it debuted the colorful Stella dials on the Day-Date.

Made in the 1970s and early 1980s in very small numbers and available on precious metal and gem-set pieces only, these dials were lacquered with exceptionally bright colors mixed by hand and then applied in layers, creating a deep rich gloss. Though rumors abound that the line was named in honor of Frank Stella, an iconic American painter of the postwar minimalist movement noted for his use of geometric shapes and vivid colors, watch historians say Rolex named the dials Stella after the company in Geneva that supplied the lacquer.

In any case, these dials represented a considerable departure from Rolex’s pragmatic tool watch identity. Though made to the same exacting standards as all Rolex watches, consumers of the era preferred the more conservative Day-Date, so production on the Stella dials was halted, which is why they are so rare today. With time, of course, comes appreciation for creative departures, and today’s collectors and aficionados regard the Rolex Day-Date with a Stella dial as something of a white whale—or more accurately an oxblood, red, orange, blue, green, turquoise, peach, salmon, pink, yellow or purple whale, depending on the rarity of the find.

If, however, an epic Melvillian quest does not fit your plans, but the vibrant beauty and rare whimsy of a Rolex Stella dial combined with the legendary precision and reliability of a Rolex fits your style, then consider Rolex’s recently revised Oyster Perpetual collection. It includes a choice of vibrant dials reminiscent of the Stella line as well as more traditional colorways in sizes ranging from 28-millimeter to 41-millimeter. Offered in Oystersteel and with a clean, modern design, the new Oyster Perpetual boasts lacquer dials in candy pink, turquoise blue, yellow, coral red and green in addition to sunray-finished dials in silver, black and blue. All sizes and colorways have Chromalight displays in which the hands and hour markers are coated or filled with a luminescent material that emits a long-lasting blue glow in dark conditions. These watches are not only strikingly beautiful, but in keeping with Rolex’s exacting standards, highly functional and durable as well.

The new versions are equipped with the new caliber 3230 movement, a self-winding mechanical movement launched by Rolex at the end of 2020. In addition to being insensitive to magnetic fields, the 3230 is fitted

AUTHOR HERMAN MELVILLE WAS BORN TOO EARLY TO WEAR THE ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL, BUT HE WOULD HAVE ENJOYED ITS SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE. By Christen Fisher

with an optimized blue Parachrom hairspring that makes it up to 10 times more precise than a traditional hairspring in case of shocks. Thanks to its barrel architecture and the escapement’s exceptional efficiency, all models have a power reserve of approximately 70 hours.

Guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 meters (330 feet), the piece has a middle case crafted from a solid block of Oystersteel. The case back, edged with fine fluting, is hermetically screwed down, and the Twinlock winding crown, fitted with a double-waterproofness system, screws down securely against the case. The crystal is made of virtually scratchproof sapphire.

While the waterproof Oyster case provides optimal protection for the watch’s movement, the oyster bracelet assures additional beauty and comfort for the wearer. In Oystersteel with satinfinished top links and polished sides, the Oyster Perpetual is fitted with a folding Oysterclasp and, for the first time, the Easylink comfort extension link which allows the wearer easily to adjust the bracelet length by approximately 5 millimeters.

Whether you are tormented by an everlasting itch for things remote or for things more vibrant, the exceptional craftsmanship, reliability and whimsical color range of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual wristwatch are sure to satisfy you. Beginning at $5,100 USD.

The new generation of Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual watches brings a new model to the range, the Oyster Perpetual 41, shown here with a silver sunray-finish dial, as well as versions of the Oyster Perpetual 36. The latter displays dials in vivid colors such as yellow, green, coral red, turquoise blue and candy pink, not pictured.