Those – like us at NWC magazine – who have said the Oyster Perpetual Datejust was something of a Honda Jazz, in that it didn’t really change its style in 20 years, have to pipe down as new dial options appear for 2021. Including a palm, or rainforest green effect. It’s great to embrace something new, but we wonder if this palm frond dial will stand the test of time. Perhaps a more conventional Datejust will prove to be a watch for all seasons.
Here’s the word from Rolex;
Rolex is introducing four new versions of its Oyster Perpetual Datejust 36 featuring new ‘palm’ and ‘fluted’ dial motifs. The palm motif evokes lush, vibrant tropical forests, while the fluted motif showcases the pattern found on a range of Rolex bezels that has become one of the brand’s signature aesthetic styles.
The palm motif can be seen on three of the new watches. On the first, in Oystersteel and equipped with an Oyster bracelet, the pattern is present on an olive green dial. It also decorates the golden dial of the second watch, a yellow Rolesor version (combining Oystersteel and 18 ct yellow gold) fitted with an Oyster bracelet, and the silver dial of the third watch, an Everose Rolesor version (combining Oystersteel and 18 ct Everose gold) on a Jubilee bracelet.
The fluted motif is found on the golden dial of the final watch – another yellow Rolesor version – this time with a Jubilee bracelet. The new versions of the Datejust 36 are equipped with calibre 3235, a movement at the forefront of watchmaking technology. Like all Rolex watches, the Oyster Perpetual Datejust 36 carries the Superlative Chronometer certification, which ensures excellent performance on the wrist.
Rolex’s Datejust is the archetype of the classic watch thanks to functions and aesthetics that never go out of fashion. Launched in 1945, it was the first self-winding waterproof chronometer wristwatch to display the date in a window at 3 o’clock on the dial, and consolidated all the major innovations that the brand had contributed to the modern wristwatch until then. The Datejust has spanned eras while retaining the enduring aesthetic characteristics that make it so instantly recognizable.
HOW ABOUT THE MOVEMENT?
