Hands-On with the Newest Rolex - The Perpetual Padellone

So when Rolex released the 1908 in 2023, it immediately stood out as this elegant collection from the crown, especially with the outgoing Cellini. And with that release, there was a lot of questions and maybe some speculation on whether, would there be more complications in the future? But Rolex doesn't really show their hand. So it was only speculation to this point, but now we have our answer because there are new members of the Perpetual Collection. And I mentioned the Perpetual Collection because that is important, because these will be alongside the 1908, but not technically a 1908. What we're looking at today is a Perpetual Patalone. So this new model brings with it a patented annual calendar system with a moon phase, a new five Hertz movement featuring the Dynapulse escapement, different case materials to top off the package, and a lot more. And on top of all of this, I was fortunate enough to get a sneak preview of what is new with this Patalone collection. Some new models we were able to get hands on with. We're gonna go through everything you need to know. So one thing I wanna talk about very quickly at the beginning is how Rolex is describing this collection. If you look at it at the surface, you might be thinking this is a 1908. It's part of the same collection. This is now the second watch to be part of what Rolex is calling the Perpetual Collection. And when the 1908 was released in 2023, many, myself included, interpreted that as the collection under which more watches would eventually fall. Instead, the 1908 language will describe the three-hand time-only models we have come to know, whereas this watch will be its own subcategory underneath the Perpetual Series. So we've talked about the 1908 connection, but beyond that, really where these watches come from, where does this Patalone name come from? The mid 20th century, specifically with a reference, the 8171 from the late 1940s going into the early 1950s. This reference was affectionately known as the Patalone, which translates from Italian as large frying pan. What that is alluding to is the large case for its day. It had a snap-back case measuring 38 millimeters and housed the Rolex A295 automatic chronometer movement. Produced in gold as well as steel, the 8171 was one of the two most important Rolex automatic triple calendar references from this period. However, from the name of this model, Rolex leaves little up to speculation about where this new release draws primarily from, as the Patalone name and styling conventions are front and center. Now talking about the different case options and just in general, the different watches that are made available with this new collection, you have two in Everose gold, and those are going to differ based off of the strap choice or the bracelet choice. And then you also have a platinum version coming with the strap. Specifically, the Everose gold will come on either a brown alligator strap or the Setimo bracelet, and then the platinum with a matte black alligator strap. Now unlike the time-only 1908s, the Patalone offers no white or yellow gold options, but it marks the first appearance of rose gold in the perpetual collection. The diameter sits at 39 millimeters with an increased case height of 12.2 millimeters coming from the additional complications, a not insignificant jump up from the time-only 1908s. That said, the lug-to-lug sits at a nice accommodating 44.6 millimeter lug-to-lug, making these wear exceptionally well on the wrist. I would say they wear like a 39 true to size, if not a little bit smaller. The dome fluted bezel carries over the established design language of the perpetual series seen previously with the 1908, being topped off with this array of flutes. Water resistance is 50 meters, which is a step up from 30 meters commonly found on traditional dress watches, which I would say this probably falls in that arena, especially considering that this is gonna be of the calendar variety with exposed correctors. The signed push-pull crown retains its distinctive flared shape and fluted texture, while the clean lines of the case remain uninterrupted thanks to the four recessed correctors, two on either side preserving the refined silhouette. Domed AR treatment sapphire crystals protect both the dial and the movement sides, and the fully polished case with its smooth flowing contours stays firmly in line with the now familiar 1908 design, or should we should call the perpetual lineup design. Now for these straps, they are genre appropriate. They fit the mold of what we're looking at here. So you have that brown alligator leather for that Everose variant and the black alligator for the platinum, and are both going to be equipped with the Rolex dual clasp and matching precious metal. The Everose version is also going to offer an optional SETIMO seven link Everose bracelet, similar to the bracelets on the time only yellow gold model, featuring a patented attachment system and hidden crown clasp. This is probably one of my favorite bracelets of the last decade in all of watchmaking, and it has this middle ground where you have this fine linked structure that looks back to the past of traditional Rolex and also watches of the period, but almost feels jewelry like in the way that it's able to just flow across the wrist. Now, given that we have some new complications here, we should probably talk about the dial. So the first detail you're going to notice is actually the deeply grained finish on these. It's rendered in this intense white for the Everose case model, and in the typical ice blue color for the platinum. The layout calls back to the format of the vintage models that inspired it, featuring a pair of beveled apertures showing the day and month below the applied Rolex coronet and printed word mark below 12. The perimeter features a printed date and minute track. Further in are the applied 18 karat gold indices featuring Arabic numerals marking the three and nine with faceted pointed batons in between. Above six is a stunning blue enameled moon phase display set with stars, crowned with the superlative chronometer designation in circular texts with a faceted triangular indicator splitting the text. Within the sub dial, the twin moons are made from meteorite, each showing the whimsical man in the moon in both a positive and negative display with the dark and blue moon being treated with a dark blue PVD coating. You have that striking handset that was appearing on the 1908 with a faceted design in matching tones of 18 karat gold here. And the hour hand features a hollowed circle as a distinct twist on the lollipop hand. The central seconds hand is also crafted in gold with a simple stick design offset by a circular counterweight. Then you have the pointer date hand, which is in addition to this lineup, it's going to have the tip be a crescent moon design to cradle the appropriate date at the outskirts and offers great contrast with its blue finish complementing both the white and the ice blue dial colors. So basically what you're seeing with this movement is a combination of two ideas that we previously have seen from Rolex in the last several years. One is going to be what happened with the 1908. With those calibers, you saw an exposed movement that was on display, the use of Siloxy material, but then also getting something that was slimmed down in the process. But then also with this movement, we're seeing something from last year with the Landweller, specifically the Dynapulse escapement. What do you do when you combine both of these together? That brings us to the caliber that we're going to be looking at here today within the Patalone. So the caliber specifically is going to be known as the 7190. It's a proper annual calendar movement that only needs adjustment once a year in February with a patented instantaneous calendar change at midnight. Now this is all possible with a new calendar system that Rolex is calling its haplo system. It is comprised of two primary components coupled to the date mechanism, which is going to include what Rolex calls a carrier finger and an annual lever. So basically what this is going to allow it to do is have the proper sequence of 30 and 31 day months, and it's going to be reset each year and is kept in that proper sequence. The caliber also relies on the five Hertz Dynapulse escapement, which is a fundamental departure from the traditional Swiss lever escapements replacing the conventional sliding interaction with a more efficient rolling transfer of energy. The key difference from a traditional Swiss lever lies in its components. A Swiss lever uses a single escape wheel and pallet fork with the escape wheels teeth sliding across the pallet stones to deliver energy to the balance. Where Dynapulse is going to differ is it replaces this architecture with a transmission wheel, two sequential distribution wheels, and an impulse rocker using lightweight silicon components throughout. Rather than relying primarily on sliding contact, these components are engineered around rolling interaction, reducing friction losses and allowing energy to be transferred to the balance more efficiently. On top of this, the caliber features Rolex's silicon-based hairspring known as Siloxi, designed to minimize the effects of temperature fluctuations and magnetism that can negatively impact a movement's accuracy. The balance staff also follows in the theme of adding robustness as it is made of ceramic, improving magnetic resistance and reducing friction at the pivot point. This watch is also labeled as a superlative chronometer, meaning that the caliber is first certified as a chronometer by COSC, after which it is then cased up and tested again by Rolex as a complete watch across a variety of performance criteria. That includes precision, you have power reserve here, water resistance, and more. Now, the stated accuracy requirement for this finished watch is gonna be minus two to plus two seconds a day. And even a decade, more than a decade after, because this superlative chronometer rating was first established in 2015, still is at the cutting edge of a standard for accuracy to this day in 2026. And beyond all of this, the 7190 is a pretty nice looking movement. When we were taking photos of this and just seeing the finishing on the bridges and some of the other detailing, it was a really attractive thing to look at. It showcases an 18 karat gold oscillating weight in a skeletonized design. It has neatly framed jewels recessed into the bridges and then has Rolex Cote de Genève finish. And you might be asking, what is Rolex Cote de Genève finish? Well, it's a variation of Cote de Genève with a twist, where it adds a more distinctive groove between each stripe band of the finish. In summary, this movement operates at five hertz, 36,000 vibrations per hour. It features hacking and hand winding, hacking stopped in the seconds when you pull the crown to the farthest position. It has a 66 hour power reserve, thanks to the design barrel architecture and the escapement's efficiency. All right, so now that is the general summation of the watches. So what are my general thoughts on these pieces? So I just saw these watches about three hours ago and just wanted to rush the camera, get in front of you guys and kind of just share all of this detail, but also just share what I think of these pieces. So I'll talk about the 1908, because when I first saw these watches, I'm like, oh, this is a 1908. And then was reminded that this is part of a new collection known as Perpetual Collection. And I've always been a fan of the 1908. And when they added the SETIMO bracelet later on, I even became more of a fan. But make no mistake, the 1908 in this Perpetual series, it's not the typical type of Rolex watch. It's not going to supplant the lineage of sports pieces that people come to expect from the crown. These are watches, especially in this Perpetual series, they're gonna occupy a lane from Rolex that they've explored at various points throughout their history. But this is something that's centered more on elegant watchmaking while still carrying the fundamental Wilsdorf spirit. Now, Rolex has made attempts at more complicated watches before, even in more recent history. You can look at something like the Yacht-Master II, the Sky-Dweller with its annual calendar, but those are different watches. They aren't necessarily what I would say fall in line with what we're talking about here with the Pabellone, which I would classify as more of a traditional fine watchmaking path explored by the brand more towards that mid 20th century with their calendar watches. And speaking about this period, I think it's important to, just as an exercise of recognizing what this watch is and what it represents, is to think back to that late 1940s and 1950s. It's easy to think that Rolex has always been this sports watch brand, but there was once a point where they had to make a determination. Do we continue with classical watchmaking, more elegant watchmaking? At the time, you had models like the Datejust that were pushing forward. This predates the Submariner, the Explorer, the Daytona, the GMT-Master. All of these watches had yet to be created. And at the time you had models like this Pabellone, vintage models like the 8171. And then you also had the 6062 to go along with it. This was just as much part of the brand or more so part of the brand than the sports watches that we affiliate with them today. Rolex was effectively approaching a crossroads at this time. One possible path was to continue increasing sophisticated complications as we saw with watches like the 8171. The other was to push forward into a new direction, a new frontier of robust, purpose-built professional timepieces. Now with the benefit of hindsight, we know what path Rolex decided to go down. And with all of the ability to look back and see what the brand has become, I think they made the right decision. As over the following decades, Rolex pioneered some of the most endearing watch designs ever created, most of which remain central to the brand today. But something we don't talk about is the consequence of success, especially when it comes to this side of Rolex's catalog. As Rolex became increasingly defined by its professional and sports watches, its pursuit of more traditional complications and elegant fine watchmaking received comparatively less attention. And again, Rolex made the right decision when going down the avenue of sports watches, but it does leave some questions of what could have been? What if Rolex did decide to go a different path and pursue more traditional high watchmaking rather than robust professional watches? And now we don't have the opportunity to see what Rolex would have done decade after decade, but with these new Perpetual Pataloni models, we do get a sense of what Rolex would do today. And with it, you get a sophisticated calendar watch with a distinctly Rolex interpretation rooted in the brand's history, but executed through the technology and watchmaking of the modern crown. And I could see this being an intriguing model to continue to look at and a collection to continue to look at. Before this point, I don't know if Rolex would have ever pursued some more high complications, but now with this release being here, it has me questioning what could be next for the brand in this regard. But all right, guys, that's my take and look at the Rolex Perpetual Pataloni models. What do you think of this new release? Not the typical Rolex release. I mean, yes, it does share some characteristics of things that we've seen before in the past, but if you really think about what this means for Rolex, a modern five Hertz movement calendar watch in precious metal from the brand, this is something they have not done in the contemporary collection. So this is a new development for what Rolex is about in the 21st century. But leave a comment down below. What do you think of this new Rolex model? If you enjoyed the video, please give it a thumbs up, subscribe, hit the bell icon. Really do appreciate that as well. And also check out our website. We're gonna have more content about this piece written up. I know our team is actively working on that right now and I know they're sharing their take there and we'll have additional photography. But guys, thank you again so much for watching. Be well and I'll see you all very soon.