First launched last year in two gold references with an intense black or white satin-finished dial, the Perpetual 1908 was inspired by one of the first Rolex watches fitted with the Perpetual rotor. Uniting the time-honoured principles of traditional watchmaking style with the manufacture’s know-how and aesthetic heritage, the timepiece was named in honour of the year when founder Hans Wilsdorf registered the brand Rolex in Switzerland.
Distinguished by a minimalist design, which conveys the full strength of the watch’s character in the simplicity of the display and exquisite details, the 1908 encapsulates the spirit of the Perpetual collection.
This year, Rolex presents a new version of the Perpetual 1908. Swathed in 950 platinum, it boasts an ice blue dial adorned with a guilloché rice-grain motif. This rosette-like design stands out with its mesmerising 3D repeating geometric pattern that spans the dial’s surface beginning from the small seconds counter at 6 o’clock.
As light bounces off the raised pattern with every movement of the wrist, it instantly captivates with its dazzling reflections. Encircling the minute track is an intricate filet sauté with a crimped pattern, also beautifully executed via guilloché.
By introducing a dial created via guilloché, or engine-turning—an age-old decorative technique that uses a turning tool to engrave a precise, intricate, and repetitive pattern onto a surface—Rolex is pursuing the course it has set for the Perpetual collection as a tribute to the classic art of watchmaking infused with its expertise and creativity.
The exclusive dial bears the same Arabic numerals 3, 9, and 12 as well as faceted hour markers and hands of its gold predecessors.
The new 1908 flaunts graceful lines and an exhibition caseback that allows the refined aesthetics of the movement and pivoting oscillating weight to be admired. The curve of the middle case lugs is highlighted, thanks to gentle chamfering on their top edges, while the intricate bezel features a lower part that is embellished with elegant fluting and a domed upper part.
Made of virtually scratchproof sapphire, the domed crystal as well as the transparent caseback benefit from an anti-reflective coating. Guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 50 metres, the case provides optimal protection for the movement housed within.
The 39mm watch is powered by the calibre 7140, a movement developed and manufactured entirely by Rolex that was released in 2023 with the launch of the 1908, which it exclusively equips. This self-winding mechanical movement delivers outstanding performance, particularly in terms of precision, power reserve, convenience, and reliability.
Calibre 7140 features carefully finished aesthetics, notably on the bridges, which showcase the Rolex Côtes de Genève—a decoration that differs from traditional Côtes de Genève as it features a slight polished groove between each band.
Calibre 7140 also incorporates the patented Chronergy escapement that combines high energy efficiency with great dependability. Made of nickel-phosphorus, this escapement is resistant to strong magnetic fields. To ensure the calibre’s regularity in any position, the movement includes the patented Syloxi hairspring produced by Rolex.
The oscillator is mounted on the patented high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers—also designed by Rolex—that enhance the movement’s shock resistance.
The oscillating weight, crafted in yellow gold and cut out, is fitted with an optimised ball bearing. The movement is equipped with a self-winding system via a Perpetual rotor and, thanks to the barrel architecture and escapement’s superior efficiency, its power reserve has been extended to about 66 hours.
The refined timepiece is fitted on a matte brown alligator leather strap with a distinctive green calfskin lining and chic tone-on-tone stitching. Courtesy of a carefully designed shape, the double-folding Dualclasp in 950 platinum ensures the watch always sits centred on the wrist.
Like all Rolex watches, the 1908 is backed by the Superlative Chronometer certification redefined by Rolex in 2015. This confirms that each watch leaving the brand’s workshops has successfully passed a series of stringent tests conducted by Rolex in its laboratories according to its own criteria, following the official certification of the movements by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).
The in-house certification tests apply to the fully assembled and cased watch, guaranteeing superlative performance on the wrist in terms of precision, power reserve, waterproofness, and self-winding. The precision of a Rolex Superlative Chronometer is −2/+2 seconds per day, a rate deviation significantly smaller than that accepted by COSC for the certification of the movement alone. The Superlative Chronometer status is represented by the green seal that accompanies every Rolex watch and is coupled with a five-year international guarantee.
