Photos by Ariel Adams

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual serves as the backbone of the brand’s catalog, although it has only been within the last few years that it has experienced the same type of popularity that we typically associate with Rolex’s models. When the updated Oyster Perpetual collection was first unveiled in 2020, it brought with it an assortment of brightly colored dials, and these vibrant additions to the collection immediately thrust the Rolex Oyster Perpetual back into the spotlight. Collectors clamored to acquire all of the different colorways, although Rolex quietly discontinued some of the more unusual options such as the Coral Red and Yellow versions a couple of short years later in 2022. However, as part of its novelties unveiled at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023, Rolex presented the “Celebration” dial, which features an asymmetric bubble motif that consists of all the popular colors from the 2020 Oyster Perpetual lineup, and it easily represents the single most unusual dial that has ever appeared on a standard-production Rolex watch.

Although Rolex offers the current Oyster Perpetual series with an assortment of different dial colors, it was really only five specific ones that truly captured the imaginations of collections back when they first debuted in 2020: Green, Turquoise Blue, Coral Red, Yellow, and Candy Pink. While the other dial options showcased a more traditional sunray pattern, these five dials featured bright glossy lacquer surfaces that were reminiscent of the “Stella” dials found on vintage Rolex Datejust and Day-Date watches. Aside from being entirely unexpected and uncharacteristically playful for Rolex, the simple fact that these dials were fitted to Rolex’s least expensive models only fueled the public’s demand for them, and these five vibrant colors quickly became emblematic of the modern Oyster Perpetual collection. Consequently, the Rolex Celebration dial only features these five colors, and the various circles that make up its signature bubble motif appear in five different sizes to symbolize the five case diameters that are available for the modern Rolex Oyster Perpetual collection.

Although Rolex currently produces the Oyster Perpetual in five different case sizes (28mm, 31mm, 34mm, 36mm, and 41mm), the colorful Celebration dial is not available as an option for the 28mm and 34mm versions of the model. With that in mind, when Rolex first announced the colorful Oyster Perpetual dials in 2020, the brand chose to only offer them for the 31mm, 36mm, and 41mm watches, and even upon their initial launch, not all colors were available for every case size (for example, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 was never offered with the option of a Candy Pink dial). Therefore, the fact that Rolex isn’t offering the new Celebration dial for the 28mm and 34mm versions of the Oyster Perpetual isn’t really all that surprising, as these models were never actually available with these fan-favorite dial colors in the first place (despite the fact that the bubble motif depicts five different sizes).

Aside from their unique and colorful dial design, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Celebration dial watches are otherwise entirely identical to the standard models from the current-production series, and they are all crafted entirely from 904L stainless steel (which Rolex formally refers to as “Oystersteel”), and they are all fitted with smooth bezels that showcase a high-polished finish. Flat sapphire crystals protect their dials, while solid screw-down casebacks are fitted to the reverse side of the watches, and at the 3 o’clock location on the side of their cases are signed Twinlock crowns that screw down to help ensure the Oyster Perpetual collection’s 100 meters of water resistance. Realistically speaking, the trio of Celebration dial watches are essentially the exact same as the models that originally debuted in 2020, although their striking multi-colored dials immediately separate them from their siblings, and they offer a distinctly playful appearance that is unlike any other Rolex model (except maybe the off-catalog “Puzzle Piece” Day-Date watches).

Pairing a water-resistant “Oyster” case with a self-winding “Perpetual” movement, the Oyster Perpetual is the purest expression of a Rolex watch, and it serves as the foundation for all of the brand’s other models. The Oyster Perpetual has been a constant presence in Rolex’s catalog ever since the early 1930s, and it has been offered in an incredibly wide variety of different executions over the years, which span everything from humble stainless steel models to elaborate gem-set versions that are crafted entirely from solid gold. However, in more recent years, the Oyster Perpetual has assumed the position of Rolex’s entry-level model, and the brand has significantly streamlined the collection to eliminate all of the premium options such as gold fluted bezels and diamond-set dials. At the time of writing, all Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches are crafted entirely from stainless steel with smooth polished bezels, and aside from their different case sizes and the movements used to power them, the only differences separating the models are the colors and finishing of their dials.

Since the trio of Celebration dial Oyster Perpetual watches are essentially whimsical dial variations of the standard models from the collection, they also all feature stainless steel cases with smooth high-polished bezels, and like all other current-production Oyster Perpetual watches, the Celebration dial versions are exclusively fitted with Rolex’s signature three-link Oyster bracelet. From a construction standpoint, the Oyster Perpetual’s bracelet is identical to what can be found on the modern Datejust models, although rather than having high-polished center links, the bracelet fitted to the Oyster Perpetual series has completely brushed upper surfaces to match the brushed finish on the tops of its lugs. Similarly, the clasp attached to the bracelet is Rolex’s standard folding Oysterclasp that features the brand’s Easylink extension system, which is essentially an additional fold-out link that allows owners to expand or contract the bracelet by 5mm to maintain a comfortable fit as their wrists fluctuate in size throughout the day.

Due to their different case sizes, two distinct movements are used to power the three Rolex Oyster Perpetual Celebration dial watches. Both the Oyster Perpetual 36 (ref. 126000) and Oyster Perpetual 41 (ref. 124300) receive the Caliber 3230, while the smaller Oyster Perpetual 31 (ref. 277200) is fitted with the Caliber 2232. Although both are automatic-winding movements that run at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) and adhere to Rolex’s stringent “Superlative Chronometer” standards of -2/+2 seconds per day (after casing), the two most noteworthy differences that separate these two movements are their hairsprings and power reserves. The Cal. 3230 features a hairspring crafted from Rolex’s proprietary Blue Parachrom alloy and offers a power reserve of approximately 70 hours, while the hairspring inside the more compact Cal. 2232 is made from Syloxi (Rolex’s name for silicon), and due to the inherently smaller size of its mainspring, it offers a lower power reserve of 55 hours.

Rolex is generally considered to be a fairly conservative brand, and the rather sober and classical design language of its watches is a large part of the reason why so many of its models are universally considered to be timeless. As someone who owns a green palm leaf dial Datejust, I can certainly appreciate a fun and unconventional dial design; however, I can’t help but wonder if the sky-high popularity of these ultra-colorful Celebration dials is going to endure once the novelty of their unusual appearance has subsided. If Rolex chooses to only produce the Celebration dial for a handful of years, you can virtually guarantee that these Oyster Perpetual watches will continue to be highly desirable items for collectors, but if this vibrant bubble motif dial stays around for the long run and simply becomes part of the core-collection offerings, I’m not entirely sure that quite as many people will continue to choose the Celebration dial over other options that objectively offer quite a bit more aesthetic versatility.

Personally, I’m a big fan of the Rolex Celebration dial, but my appreciation for it has nothing to do with it speaking to me on a personal level like the green palm dial Datejust, but rather that it is so uncharacteristic of Rolex that I’m just happy it exists. Generally speaking, Rolex is a very serious brand that takes a highly selective approach to embracing new colors, and it’s incredibly refreshing to see the historic Swiss manufacturer let its hair down a bit, lean into its quirky side, and embrace a truly fun and playful design. To be fair, Rolex has been releasing increasingly more unexpected models over the last several years, although the Celebration dial Oyster Perpetual is easily one of the most unusual among all of the brand’s offerings. Additionally, rather than having to buy five different watches to obtain all these bright and punchy colors, collectors can now get a single Oyster Perpetual in the case size of their choice and enjoy all five colors on one single dial.

Despite its more intricate design, the Celebration dial is not accompanied by any type of price premium at a retail level, and the three Rolex Oyster Perpetual Celebration dial watches cost the exact same as their siblings of the same case sizes. Consequently, the Oyster Perpetual 31 (ref. 277200) is accompanied by an official retail price of $5,650 USD, while the Celebration dial Oyster Perpetual 36 (ref. 126000) costs $6,100 USD, and the Oyster Perpetual 41 version (ref. 124300) is the most expensive at $6,400 USD. Given these prices, the Celebration dial Oyster Perpetual represents a fairly affordable way to get your hands on one of the most unusual Rolex models available, but I simply cannot get behind the insane premiums that people are currently paying for these watches on the secondary market. Simply put, even Rolex itself believes that this is a model that should sell for around $6k when purchased brand new, and (at least in my opinion) there is really no way to justify a five-figure price for the Celebration dial Oyster Perpetual, despite the fact that it is an incredibly fun and unique watch. For more information on the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Celebration Dial watches, please visit the brand’s website.