Marking the centenary of its signature Oyster case, Rolex has introduced a new polychrome ‘Jubilee’ dial for the Oyster Perpetual 36. An appealing new variant of a tangibly excellent product, the Jubilee dial will likely appeal to both experienced Rolex collectors as well as those who have historically found the brand’s designs too sedate.

Initial thoughts

Rolex is a brand that takes itself seriously. At times, the brand’s product development cycle seems to move at a glacial pace, but this is part of the discipline that has made Rolex the most successful maker of luxury watches by some margin — collectors have learned they can trust Rolex to keep a good thing going.

So when the brand decides to have a little fun, it’s almost shocking. The brightly coloured Jubilee dial motif — built up of 10 layers of coloured lacquer — is certainly fun, and reminiscent of the ‘Celebration’ dial launched in 2023 in both 36 mm and 41 mm sizes. The Jubilee model pictured is the 36 mm size, but the design is also available in 41 mm (ref. 134300) and 31 mm (ref. 277200).

The ‘Celebration’ dial was launched in 2023 in both 41 mm (left) and 36 mm sizes.

The Oyster Perpetual 36 case keeps its nearly ideal proportions — small and sleek enough to disappear under a shirt cuff but chunky enough to hold its own with short sleeves. Substantively, it could make a proverbial ‘one-watch collection’ but given its exuberant dial will probably appeal most to seasoned collectors.

The vibrant dial gives the otherwise unassuming Oyster Perpetual design an instantly recognisable look that should prove popular both on and offline. For better or worse, the Jubilee is priced attractively, which might make it difficult to obtain at retail.

While Rolex has a reputation for making expensive watches and is almost synonymous with wealth and success in the public consciousness, the brand’s entry level watches are value leaders in their respective categories. That’s true of the Oyster Perpetual 36, which is priced at just US$6,750 but features the same base calibre — with numerous proprietary innovations — that powers the brand’s flagship collections like the Day-Date.

The quality of construction is apparent on the outside as well. The fit and finish of the bracelet — especially where it meets the case between the lugs — is the envy of rival brands that still haven’t quite figured this out.

A century of the Oyster

The introduction of the Rolex Oyster case, with its the screw-down crown, case back, and bezel, was a watershed moment in the development of the wristwatch. The final piece of this puzzle — the screw-down crown — was actually patented by Paul Perregaux and Georges Perret in 1925, and Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf acquired the patent a year later.

The simple and robust screw-locked crown gave consumers more confidence in the wristwatch, a format that hadn’t yet caught up with pocket watches in terms of total production. The Oyster case was a major coup for Rolex, but it helped change the perception of wristwatches in general, accelerating adoption.

The Oyster Perpetual name didn’t crop up until 1950, but since then it has formed the basis of the Rolex portfolio. Today, the Oyster Perpetual is among the highest quality ‘entry level’ watches in the industry, with a category-leading calibre and a high level of fit and finish from the case to the bracelet.

The Jubilee dial

Naturally, the Jubilee model is distinguished by its colourful namesake dial — it is otherwise identical to other models in the Oyster Perpetual 36 collection and carries the same ref. 126000 prefix. It also carries the same price tag as its more monochrome siblings.

This aspect makes it an appealing value, since it offers a more distinct and elaborate dial. The Jubilee motif refers to the repeating ‘Rolex’ pattern on the dial. The brand has used this formula since the late 1970s, but never in such vivid colour.

The Jubilee motif itself is strongly evocative of the work of Italian artist Alighiero Boetti. The influence feels even stronger in this case given the vibrant colours used, but Rolex has made the design its own with its unique font — the stylised ‘O’ in particular gives the design a look all its own.

The dial is comprised of 10 different colours, printed one colour at a time. This process is no-doubt industrialised — Rolex doesn’t do anything that can’t be executed at scale — but the approach is similar in concept that used to create the vivid enamel bezel of the Louis Vuitton Escale Worldtime Tourbillon, which is painted and fired colour by colour.

Despite the difficulty of printing 10 layers perfectly atop one another, the pattern is impressively precise up close, with minimal bleed at the edges between the squares.

Class-leading calibre

While Rolex has recently signalled its interest in moving away from metallic hairsprings and lever escapements, the Oyster Perpetual is still powered by the cal. 3230, concealed behind a solid case back. Though a generation behind the 5 Hz Dynapulse-equipped cal. 7135, the cal. 3230 remains class-leading in the sub-US$10,000 segment and is the cornerstone of the brand’s time-only watches.

This praise is rooted in several tangible characteristics. For one thing, it’s one of the only movements in this segment — along with Grand Seiko’s cal. 9SA5 — to feature an overcoil hairspring, which is one of the factors that helps the cal. 3230 perform to Superlative Chronometer standards — Rolex’s in-house testing regime that certifies each cased-up movement to run within +/- 2 seconds per day.

The movement also features Rolex’s proprietary version of the lever escapement, which it calls the Chronergy escapement. With revised geometry that makes it more efficient than an ordinary Swiss lever, the Chronergy system helps the cal. 3230 run for up to 70 hours from a single mainspring barrel.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 Jubilee
Ref. 126000

Diameter: 36 mm
Height: 11.6 mm
Material: Steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: Cal. 3230
Features: Hours, minutes, and seconds
Frequency:  28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: 70 hours

Strap: Oyster bracelet

Limited edition: No
Availability: Available at Rolex authorised dealers
Price: US$6,750 excluding taxes

For more, visit Rolex.com.