Rolex turns the color with the Oyster Perpetual Celebration
Three years ago, Rolex managed to start a color trend when it released a variety of brightly colored dial variations in its Rolex Oyster Perpetual collection. Many brands followed suit, from giants like Omega with its latest Aqua Terra collection to smaller brands like NOMOS and Sinn. However, none of them have created the same hype as Rolex, especially the infamous “Tiffany Blue” variant.
Available on the Oyster Perpetual 31, 36 and 41, the new dial decoration – named “Celebration” – adds different-sized bubbles to the crown’s most popular dial color, “Tiffany Blue”. Or, as Rolex officially calls it, turquoise blue. The bubbles come with a black border and feature the colors of the previously released Oyster Perpetual dial – candy pink, turquoise blue, yellow, coral red and green. That’s it. If you need more than the new dial colors to excite you about a watch, there’s nothing to see here.
However, looking at the huge impact of the colors added to the Oyster Perpetual in 2020, we shouldn’t underestimate the fact that Rolex can set trends with seemingly simple new dial accents. Looking at the solid specifications of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual, one might also say that no improvements are needed to enjoy this watch.
Thinking about all the watches inspired by the colorful Oyster Perpetual mechanism upon its release in 2020, one wonders: will bubbles catch on? Back in 2020, this pop of color seemed like the perfect choice for Instagram. It stood out. It’s the ideal match for the age of social media hype. Other brands took notice. Within months, rival colored models began to appear. Three years later, having a collection with a colorful dial similar to Rolex’s no longer seems to be the exception but the norm.
On the other hand, not everything Rolex does is appealing. And there’s a reason for that. Take, for example, the palm motif that copy Rolex introduced two years ago. If brands were to follow suit, this would feel wrong. On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with having a solid-colored dial – there’s nothing wrong with that. Just because it’s not the first doesn’t mean it’s in bad taste. The palm motif is just too specific. The same applies to the bubble on the “Celebration” dial. It’s so unique.
