Everything You Need to Know About the New Rolex Oyster Perpetual Line

A delightful albeit polarizing new addition to the 2020 Rolex lineup is the robust new Oyster Perpetual line. The bright candy colors almost seem out of place for Rolex, like when the queen of England wears a neon yellow outfit against the backdrop of the historically rooted, highly sophisticated and neutral colored Royal Palace. When asked why the queen always wears bright colors, she remarked that she wants and needs to be seen by the general public. In a sea of thousands of spectators, she wants people to say, “I saw the Queen!” 

Perhaps Rolex is feeling the same way. In a sea of so many fantastic watches, they want to stand out and be seen, and just like the queen, people will allow it because after all, Rolex is watch royalty. Often referred to as “The Crown,” Rolex is certainly making a bold statement with their new OP line, but (wise) people generally don’t dare question the design choices of royalty.

A famous quote from the Queen is, “I have to be seen to be believed” and the new OP line is no different. In fact, shockingly, according to our A.D. and several others, these new Rolexes are harder to get than the Submariners, and the waitlists are much, much longer. What was initially criticized in the instagram comments section by many watch enthusiasts is now, arguably the most popular and highly sought-after Rolex line on the market. Many of them have yet to be physically seen by A.D.s and longing customers (myself included). However, the people that do have them say you have to see them to believe the true color of the dial. 

Sigh. Keep Calm and Carry On, my fellow wait-listers.

ABOUT THE 2020 ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL LINE - COLORS, DIAL, BRACELET AND INDICES

The Rolex OP line now comes in an array of 9 different dial colorations, and it ranges in size from a dainty 28mm all the way to a robust 41mm size. Of course we all know now that the ever-popular 39mm size is missing from the lineup, which makes Rolex watches in that size much more valuable now on the second-hand market. 

Image Courtesy of Tide and Time

The dial color choices on this stainless steel watch are coral red (which looks a bit more deep orange than red), yellow (mustard-like), a kelly green, bright navy blue, turquoise blue (Tiffany-like), two shades of pink (regular pink and candy pink-which are almost indistinguishable other than slight differences in sunray effect), and for more conservative watch-wearers a classic silver/champagne, and black. At night, the watch will light up with Rolex’s bright blue Chromalight lume, which is applied to the hands and hour markers. 

A fun fact we have recently discovered is that the stainless steel bracelet on the new OP 41, seems to have the same bracelet connection as the Datejust 41. This is a cool fact, because that may mean that the bracelets are interchangeable (with the right tool kit of course)! We have seen a few people on the gram rocking an OP41 on a jubilee bracelet, which makes the watch even more bold and flashy.

The double-indices at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock markers are hallmarks of this design as well. A little lesser known fact: there is only one size that doesn’t have a double indice and that is the 34mm size (Ref 124200), which is available in only 4 colors: pink, black, silver, and dark blue. This iteration also has sneaky little roman numerals where the other iterations do not. We are unsure why Rolex made the dial on this size slightly different than the others, but nonetheless we noticed it. 

It is important to note that you cannot get every color in every size. The 31mm size is the only size that is offered in all 9 colors. Instead of going back and forth with the Rolex configurator tool, and finding yourself confused, you can check out our handy dandy chart here. 

2020 ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL LINE UP

With this new release, Rolex also released a new in-house movement, the Calibre 3230 which can be found in the 36 and 41mm iterations of this watch. It is the same ever-impressive movement that is inside the new 41mm Submariner (time only) 124060. 

ABOUT THE 2020 ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL LINE - THE NEW MOVEMENT

It has a patented chronergy escapement, is automatic and self-winding of course, and is fitted with a paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring. This movement is said to be more absorbent to shock as it has built in Paraflex shock absorbers. The watch boasts an impressive 70 hour power reserve. 

The smaller versions of the watch include a similarly impressive movement, the 2232, with the biggest difference being a Syloxi hairspring instead of Parachrom. Of course all of the OPs are water resistant to about 330 feet. At the price point of $5,100-$5,900 these watches are considered entry level pricing for Rolex and more financially attainable than some of the other watches in the collection.

What are your thoughts about the new Rolex Oyster Perpetual line? Although bright colors on watches can be polarizing at times, you have to hand it to Rolex for being brave enough to make a bold statement, especially during a global pandemic when new products are almost nonexistent, and risk-taking is certainly limited. 

As more and more people start to get their hands on these watches, the conversation among watch folk is shifting. Haters are starting to come around and beginning to begrudgingly admire these timepieces for their uniqueness and unexpected popularity. Clearly, we are big fans here at Everest, but what do you think?

Are you also sitting patiently awaiting your new OP, all while trying to keep calm and carry on? In the meantime check out some Everest watch accessories fit for the crown, or adorn your existing Rolex with a new Swiss-made leather, brightly colored rubber, or sleek nylon strap. If bright colors are good with the Queen of England, and also with the King of Watches, they’re good with us, too!