The watch industry loves a good anniversary and this year Rolex marks at least two important ones. It is 70 years since the Rolex Day‑Date – also known as the President and only ever made in gold or platinum – first appeared on the wrist of the plutocracy. Yet the anniversary the Crown has chosen to foreground is the centennial of the Rolex Oyster.
This is Rolex’s simplest timepiece – just hours and minutes – yet it is one of the most important wristwatches ever made. Its significance lies not simply in being waterproof (there were waterproof watches as early as 1851), but in being what the Swiss call fiable: durable enough to withstand years of real-life use. With the Oyster, Rolex became Rolex.
© Rolex
Rolex gold Oyster Perpetual 28, 2026
Rolex Oystersteel Oyster Perpetual 36, 2026
