Top 13 Facts About Rolex Oyster Perpetual – Interesting Things to Know
The Oyster Perpetual is Rolex’s most simple entry-level watch. It is also Rolex’s most affordable timepiece in its collection as it is today only manufactured in stainless steel and does not have any added functions or complications in addition to the time.
Some people are not aware of the fact that the Oyster Perpetual is actually its own unique model. This is because all Rolex watches today have the text “Oyster Perpetual” printed on the dial. If you want to learn what the term Oyster Perpetual means in detail, you can refer to this article, but in essence, “Oyster” means that the watch has an Oyster case and “Perpetual” means that it has a perpetual (automatic) movement. All watches in Rolex’s collections with the exception of the Cellini are therefore Oyster Perpetuals.
However, Rolex also has a model that is named Oyster Perpetual and this is Rolex’s most simple, basic timepiece. It displays nothing more than time and is meant to be simple, versatile, and practical.
If you’re curious about learning more about the Oyster Perpetual, you have come to the right place. In this article, we are taking a look at the most interesting facts about the Oyster Perpetual.
Interesting facts about the Oyster Perpetual
1. The Oyster Perpetual has not only been made in stainless steel
Today, the Oyster Perpetual is exclusively made in stainless steel and has been so for a number of years. However, that has not always been the case. As a matter of fact, Rolex has made Oyster Perpetual watches with white gold fluted bezels, steel, and yellow gold, rose gold, yellow gold, white gold, 14ct pink gold, 14ct yellow gold, 18ct plated gold, 14ct plated pink gold, and 14ct plated yellow gold.
The point is that there have been considerably more configurations of the Oyster Perpetual than most people realize due to the fact that many of these versions are rare and have been produced in low numbers.
2. The Oyster Perpetual is Rolex’s first waterproof watch
Did you know that the Oyster Perpetual is actually Rolex’s first waterproof watch? Did you also know that it originally didn’t start out as a “Perpetual” watch?
Rolex launched the Oyster in 1926 which became the first water-and-dust proof wristwatch. The case was hermetically sealed which protected the movement from dust and after. But because Rolex hadn’t yet introduced the automatic “Perpetual” movement yet, it was powered by a hand-wound movement and thus not an Oyster Perpetual. At the same time, you could say that this is essentially the very first Oyster Perpetual as this was the model that laid the foundation for what would eventually become the Oyster Perpetual once Rolex invented the Perceptual movement.
Regardless, once Rolex did in fact invent the perpetual movement and fitted into the Oyster, it became Rolex’s first waterproof wristwatch with an automatic movement.
3. All of Rolex’s watches (except the Cellini) are technically Oyster Perpetual watches
The reason why there is a lot of confusion regarding Rolex’s term “Oyster Perpetual” and the actual model line is that all Rolex watches are Oyster Perpetual watches with the exception of the Cellini.
If you look closer at the dial of any modern Rolex watch, you’ll find the text “Oyster Perpetual” printed on it. This just describes two things: it has an Oyster case and it has a perpetual movement (which all modern Rolex watches have except the Cellini).
However, the Oyster Perpetual collection is also a model which includes time-only timepieces that are meant to be versatile, simple, and minimalistic.
In a sense, you could say that the Oyster Perpetual laid the foundation for all Rolex watches to come as they all use the technology that was first integrated into the Oyster Perpetual.
4. The Oyster Perpetual was Rolex’s first automatic watch
When Rolex invented the perpetual movement, they fitted it into the Oyster. This led to the birth of the name “Oyster Perpetual”.
5. The Oyster Perpetual was the first watch to reach the summit of Mount Everest
The history of the Rolex Explorer is well documented and rather well-known. In 1953, Sir Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first humans to ever reach the summit of the world’s tallest mountain – Mount Everest. This would lead to the creation of the Rolex Explorer but because the Explorer model was not invented yet, they actually wore Oyster Perpetual watches on their mission.
6. The Oyster Perpetual has been made in more sizes than any other Rolex model
Over the years, the Oyster Perpetual has been made in a large number of different sizes. Some sizes have been discontinued over the years whilst others have been introduced.
The Oyster Perpetual has been made in the following sizes: 26, 28, 31, 34, 36, 39, and 41mm.
With that said, the Oyster Perpetual did, at least at the beginning of the 2000s, mostly appeal to women as the largest size was 36mm in a time when the trend amongst men was to wear larger watches. But in 2015, Rolex released the 39mm Oyster Perpetual and in 2020, they discontinued the 39mm in favor of the 41mm version.
7. The Oyster Perpetual is Rolex’s most affordable watch
In terms of the recommended retail price, the Oyster Perpetual is Rolex’s most affordable watch. This is because it is a watch that is exclusively made in stainless steel and does not have any additional complications other than time. As a result, it is Rolex’s entry-level watch.
The most affordable Rolex watch in terms of the recommended retail price is the Oyster Perpetual 26mm (as it is the smallest), followed by the larger sizes that are slightly more expensive due to their larger sizes.
8. The Oyster Primarily appealed to women for a long time
As mentioned, the largest size for the Oyster Perpetual was 36mm up until 2015 which is actually very late considering the long history of the Oyster Perpetual. In the early days of the Oyster Perpetual, the model had the perfect size of 34mm but over time, the preferred watch sizes increased as the trend amongst men was to wear large watches. Therefore, the Oyster Perpetual became less and less relevant for a lot of men. It wasn’t until 2015 with the release of the 39mm Oyster Perpetual that Rolex could make the model more appealing to men again.
Because of the smaller sizes of the Oyster perpetual, the Oyster Perpetual primarily appealed to women for a long time. Of course, some men appreciate the classic size of 36mm or even the vintage-inspired size of 34mm, but the vast majority of men are looking for something that is larger than 36mm when they are looking for a watch.
9. Rolex patented the self-winding watch movement
Rolex patented the self-winding watch movement, known as the “Perpetual” movement in 1931. This was an important year for the history of the Oyster Perpetual as this was ultimately the starting point for the birth of the term Oyster Perpetual and a new model line that slowly but surely evolved into the Oyster Perpetual model line.
10. The first official Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch was launched in 1950
Whilst the Perpetual movement was first patented in 1931, it would take until 1950 that the Oyster Perpetual name was officially introduced to Rolex watches. The first Oyster Perpetual watches were powered by the Rolex calibers 645 and the caliber 1030.
11. By 1959, all Oyster watches featured automatic movements
Prior to 1959, some Oyster watches were still powered by hand-wound, manual movements. But by 1959, Rolex had phased out the manual movements in favor of the superior perpetual movements. As a result, all watches that had previously only been “Oysters” now became Oyster Perpetual watches.
12. The Oyster Perpetual was always 34 and 36mm in size up until the 1960s
As discussed earlier, the Oyster Perpetual has been made in a number of different sizes. The most common size for the Oyster Perpetual watches during the early years was 34mm and 36mm. But in the 1960s, Rolex introduced another size to the Oyster Perpetual collection. This also saw the first lady-specific Oyster Perpetual watch with a smaller, lady-dedicated size.
It was in 1964 that Rolex released the Oyster Perpetual with caliber 1130 which measured 24.6mm in diameter.
13. The Oyster Perpetual has not only been made with an Oyster bracelet
Today, all Oyster Perpetual watches are fitted with Oyster bracelets and have been for quite some time. But the fact is that Rolex also, for some time, fitted the Oyster Perpetual with the President bracelet for the solid gold versions. Although, these versions are rare and the Oyster bracelets is still the most common bracelt option for the Oyster Perpetual. Some versions were even sold exclusively on a leather strap. There have also been certain rare bracelet options for a few Oyster Perpetual models such as the 1013/9 in white gold which was offered on a bracelet that is now discontinued.
