Datejust with Destiny
Rolex’s daily-wearing reference timepiece got a major makeover this year – and especially the models for the ladies
If Rolex – a name synonymous with accuracy, precision, robustness and style – is almost certainly the best-known watch brand in the world, then several of its models are equally treasured and famous. The Submariner, for example, could well be the most instantly recognisable wristwatch on the planet, while the Cosmograph Daytona has achieved such revered status among racing drivers and enthusiasts of other sports that it regularly breaks records in auction houses as well as on the track.
Such a stellar reputation arises from the fact that the Rolex brand became a byword for excellence and precision almost as soon as it was founded in 1905, though a huge further boost in its popular estimation came in 1926 with the introduction of the Oyster, the world’s first water- and dustproof wristwatch. Those capabilities were confirmed when the English swimmer, Mercedes Gleitze, wore one during her 10-hour crossing of the English Channel in 1927. Her achievement – and the fact that the Oyster watch was still functioning perfectly when Gleitze stepped out of the water – was celebrated by a full-page advertisement placed by Rolex in Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper. Coincidentally, that announcement also served as the foundation of the brand’s Testimonee programme, which persists to this day.
Elegant yet also supremely practical, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust is loved by both men and women
More important still, the technology developed for the Oyster has served as the basis for every Rolex watch created since the 1920s, not least the Oyster Perpetual Datejust, which also deserves its honoured place in the company’s pantheon of excellence. Introduced in 1945, a year that marked Rolex’s 40th anniversary as well as the end of World War II, the Datejust has been the choice of the great and the good for seven-and-ahalf decades, a classic watch that’s established itself as the day-to-day timepiece of preference. Elegant yet also supremely practical, loved by both men and women, and a perfect complement for every outfit and occasion, it’s regularly seen on the wrists of royalty and celebrities, artists and musicians, sporting heroes and heroines – indeed the list of achievers is endless.
When the Datejust made its debut all those years ago, it was the first self-winding, waterproof chronometer to display the date in an aperture (at 3 o’clock on the dial). The latter was later updated with the magnifying “Cyclops” lens that remains a signature of the model
– and, indeed, many Rolexes – to this day. Although the watch’s timeless aesthetic has remained essentially unchanged and resistant to the whims of fashion, it’s been subject to a process of continuous improvement and refinement over the years, just as case sizes, materials and colours have varied over time.
Currently, the Datejust range spans three sizes: a more masculine 41mm, a 36mm case that can be worn by either sex and, for ladies, 31mm. New for 2020, however, are four Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31 models in white Rolesor – as Rolex terms its proprietary combination of gold and Oystersteel – with dials in a variety of colours and a choice of either index hour markers or white-gold Roman numerals. All four Rolesor models feature a white-gold bezel, with Oystersteel middle case, crown, bracelet and clasp, a combination that’s at once feminine, impactful and luxurious, yet with a subtlety that makes them eminently wearable on a daily basis.
Leading the field of these classically elegant timepieces is an impressively striking reference whose bezel set with 46 brilliant-cut diamonds is offset by a sunray-finish in lush aubergine and with a diamond-set VI hour-marker that’s reflected by the Rolex crown at 12 o’clock. The new Datejust 31 white Rolesor line-up is completed by one model with a sunray-finish mintgreen dial, another with a white-lacquer dial and a third with a sunray-finish dark-grey dial; all three feature a fluted white-gold bezel. White-gold Roman numerals feature on the white-dial version, while the two with sunray dials have hour markers.
The Datejust 31 draws its power from the Perpetual Calibre 2236, a self-winding movement developed entirely by Rolex that’s fitted with a silicon Syloxi hairspring, one of several innovations patented by the brand. The use of silicon offers up to 10 times more precision when subject to shocks than regular hairsprings; the calibre also employs a paramagnetic nickel-phosphorous escape wheel and is highly resistant to magnetic fields; it offers a power reserve of 55 hours. Equally important, the calibre’s Superlative Chronometer Certification is a guarantee of not only accuracy – with a timekeeping precision within +2/-2 seconds a day, which is twice as accurate as standard chronometer certification – but also water resistance, power reserve and self-winding capabilities.
Likewise, although perfectly at home in the elegant surrounds of a formal reception or a ball, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31 is sufficiently robust to offer 10 bar water-resistance, with a middle case that’s hewn from a solid block of corrosion-resistant Oystersteel alloy. As the name suggests, its Twinlock crown features a double-locking system that screws it down securely against the case, while the sapphire crystal is virtually scratchproof, as with all Rolexes.
Depending on the version chosen, the Datejust 31
comes with either a three-piece-link Oyster bracelet or a five-piece-link Jubilee bracelet. The former, which is featured on aubergine- or white-dial references, is attached using a folding Oysterclasp with Easylink extension that permits length adjustment by 5mm; the latter, which is supplied on mint-green- or dark-greydial version, is equipped with a folding Crownclasp.
These four new models in white Rolesor join a full line-up of Datejust 31 models, which are available in a variety of materials – Oystersteel, Oystersteel and yellow or Everose gold, or full yellow, Everose or white gold – dial finishes and jewellery options, as well as the ultra-feminine Lady-datejust, which comes in a petite, 28mm case.
With its bold and contemporary interpretation of a classic design that’s stood the test of time for three quarters of a century, it’s little wonder the Datejust 31 continues to be the natural choice of women who’ve reached the summit of their art, career or profession. Their ranks include the Swiss-bulgarian operatic soprano Sonya Yoncheva, French classical pianist Hélène Grimaud and the Beijing-born pianist Yuja Wang, all of whom are also Rolex Testimonees. They’re joined in their enthusiasm for the Datejust by the lauded and Oscar-winning American filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, another female Rolex Testimonee, though she prefers to wear hers in the larger 36mm size.
With the four new models in subtly stylish white Rolesor joining the Datejust 31 line-up, women achievers with the self-confidence to make a statement now have an even greater range of alternatives to choose from.