Is the Platinum Rolex Perpetual 1908 with a Guilloché Dial Really That Good?

When it was unveiled last year, the Rolex Perpetual 1908 made quite a strong impression. I know that the brand doesn’t want to call it the successor to the Cellini line but the reality is that it is an Mk2 Cellini. The inaugural models were surprisingly appealing despite their minimalist, almost empty dials. Rolex isn’t really associated with the dress watch category – the dressiest reference would otherwise be a Day-Date. Still, with 1908, the brand has made a resounding entrance in the game, proving as refined and sophisticated as some of the usual suspects (VC, PP et al.). This year, the brand added a touch of traditional craftsmanship, an area of the industry where the brand is not necessarily overly present (spoiler: they are, more than one would think) by introducing this beauty: the Rolex Perpetual 1908 in platinum with a truly stunning ice-blue guilloché dial. Time for us to give our verdict. 

A reference to the year founder Hans Wilsdorf created the brand name Rolex, the very name of the Rolex Perpetual 1908 immediately communicated its intentions. It is a watch that pays tribute to the brand’s origins, to its past, to traditional watchmaking. It is, without a doubt, the brand’s vision of a classic dress watch, using most of the codes of the genre. Even though Rolex doesn’t really want to talk about it, the new Perpetual 1908 collection was designed to replace the Cellini range (discontinued entirely in early 2023) with a sleeker look but, on the other hand, quite a lot to talk about regarding its technical execution. There was even an open caseback (in the world of Rolex, considered a revolution). The initial collection comprised four models, in white or yellow gold, with matte black or white dials. Discreet editions that were perfect to set the basis of the collection.

Now, the brand gives it a twist with a piece that’s more luxurious, more striking visually, subtly coloured and with a dial that has much more to tell… And it’s been done in a rather unexpected manner, with a guilloché dial.

The ice-blue rice-grain engine-turned dial

Let’s talk about the important element in this context: the dial and its execution. First of all, we tend to overlook Rolex as a dial maker. Sure, the dials of many watches – specifically within the professional range – are relatively simple, being lacquered with applied markers in precious metals. Don’t get me wrong, Rolex does great dials and the level of precision and refinement is there. It’s just that there’s nothing exceptional in this context. However, Rolex has genuine expertise in dial-making and has worked for decades in the field of rare materials (MoP, meteorites, natural stones) and gem-setting. And remember last year, the puzzling Day-Date 36 with a jigsaw dial? Well, that was made using a champlevé enamelling technique.

This year, with its Rolex Perpetual 1908 Platinum, the brand introduces yet another traditional decorative craft to the equation, engine-turning. As we explained in this Technical Perspective article, there are multiple ways to create a so-called guilloché dial – traditionally on a rose engine or a straight-line machine controlled by the hand of a skilled engraver, in a slightly more industrial way on a replicating machine with a mechanical lathe, and then in fully-industrialized ways via CNC machining or stamping.

What about the ice-blue dial of the Rolex Perpetual 1908 Platinum? Well, as often with the brand, Rolex remains pretty discreet about the processes, but we’ve been told that it was done “the traditional way” using traditional guilloché engine-turning equipment and techniques. While I certainly don’t see a brand of the scale of Rolex manufacturing dials in the way specialized artisans do, the dial of this 1908 is done on hand-operated machines employing traditional methods. A closer inspection reveals a texture that has the traits of classic guilloché with visible marks of a cutting tool.

This striking, unexpected yet highly appealing dial comprises two distinct textures: a rice-grain motif covering most of the dial, with its rosette-like design and repeated pattern radiating from the centre of the small seconds counter and a double filet sauté with a crimped pattern framing the minutes track on the periphery of the dial. Some “industrial” techniques are, however, visible still in some areas. For instance, the recesses surrounding the logo, chronometer mention and small seconds are undoubtedly the result of a milling technique and not a traditional guilloché process.

in real life, the pattern appears far more delicate and appealing than in the brand’s official images. A close inspection reveals almost no visible flaws, while it is common for artisan-made, hand-guilloché dials to sport flaws (specifically on the borders of the textures), making some think that the 1908’s dial was the result of CNC machining – which it isn’t. The result is refined, precisely executed and particularly appealing, making for a watch that doesn’t necessarily look Rolex but feels Rolex when looking at the technical side of things. When the crown does something, it usually does it right.

What’s clearly Rolex is the colour. The ice-blue tone chosen for this watch is not just a pretty colour; it is completely in line with other sought-after platinum watches from the brand, such as the Daytona reference 126506 or the Day-Date 40 reference 228236. What makes this 1908 different is the addition of a texture to this colour, resulting in a dial with more depth and more playfulness, as well as bringing the feeling of being a modern take on the traditional guilloché technique. The dial is, however, quite shiny, and the small seconds would have felt more “integrated” if it had its own much thinner texture too.

For the rest, we have the same design elements as last year’s versions, with a printed railroad minutes track, applied white gold markers combining faceted batons and numerals at 3, 9 and 12, and faceted polished white gold hands with a distinctive hour hand, connecting this watch to the rest of the collection – which could do, in my opinion, with a slightly different design.

An elegant dress watch with Rolex hallmarks

For the rest, this Rolex Perpetual 1908 Platinum reference 52506 remains in line with the inaugural models of last year. We have an elegant, restrained case of 39mm in diameter, 9.50mm in thickness and about 47mm in length. What sets it apart is the use of 950 platinum, which doesn’t make it look much different from a white gold version but does give it a reassuring, high-quality heft on the wrist – platinum is about 25% denser than 18k gold. It is, without a doubt, a modern vision of a dress watch that plays on the larger side of the category, but the slim, pointy lugs and the use of a fine fluted pattern on the bezel add a touch of retro refinement that tones down its contemporary proportions – and, as a side note, the fluted pattern of the bezel echoes the dial’s filet sauté pattern, which in my eyes looks particularly appealing and consistent.

The Perpetual 1908, and particularly this new platinum version, is a watch of great elegance despite having a slightly frenetic use of textures. It all blends well when viewed from a certain distance – understand the standard eye-wrist distance. What you see here in the photos amplifies the patterns. It’s far more subtle and discreet in real life, even though this version appears more striking and polarizing than its gold counterparts. Like the dial, the case is superbly executed, with great attention to the finishing and assembly – nothing to be surprised at here; it’s a Rolex, after all.

Under the sapphire crystal back is the same calibre 7140 used inside the gold editions. Developed specifically for this collection, this automatic movement combines modernity and classism. Classic in its architecture, with a central rotor, a thin profile, and a visible ratchet wheel and barrel, it does, however, use the brand’s latest technologies. It is wound by a solid 18k rotor mounted on a ball bearing, and it incorporates the patented Chronergy escapement made of anti-magnetic nickel­-phosphorus as well as a much rarer technical solution, the Syloxi hairspring, produced by Rolex from silicon with a patented geometry (and not the blue Parachrom hairspring found on most other watches). The regulating organ, with a variable inertia balance wheel regulated via two gold Microstella nuts, is held in place under a traversing balance bridge. The power reserve is comfortable, rated at 66 hours.

Having a sapphire back, Rolex made an effort regarding the decoration of the calibre 7140, giving it a more traditional and warmer appeal than that found on a calibre 32xx. It includes Rolex Côtes de Genève – a decoration that differs from traditional Côtes de Genève because of the thin polished groove between each band – a snailed barrel ratchet wheel, diamond-cut chamfers and faux-gold chatons around the rubies, which are milled directly on the bridges and then gilded. As expected, the movement is Superlative Chronometer and COSC certified (-2/+2 seconds/day).

The Rolex Perpetual 1908 Platinum is offered with a choice of a matte brown or matte black alligator strap with a green calfskin lining. It is closed by a Dualclasp (double folding clasp) in 950 platinum, which is fairly compact and looks good once closed.

Thoughts and price

The Rolex Perpetual 1908 Platinum Guilloche Dial is undoubtedly a visual success. The combination of an elegant, modern dress watch in platinum and this beautifully executed guilloché dial is impactful, elegant and adds a layer of traditional horological content to a brand that’s mostly regarded for its impeccable industrial execution. More than the visual appeal of this edition, it’s the strategic decision to engage in traditional craftsmanship that surprises me – in a good way. This collection was presented as “a tribute to the classic art of watchmaking”, and this latest edition does exactly that…

The watch could be improved in some aspects, but that’s more down to my own tastes rather than objective flaws (texture of the small seconds, different hour hand…). What’s real is that it wears almost perfectly and is both impactful, striking and characterful yet with an undeniable elegance and refinement.

My last comment concerns the price, a topic that my colleagues Frank and Robin covered in their recap of Watches and Wonders 2024. I know that 30k euros or dollars is, objectively, an enormous amount of money for “just a watch”. However, from a competitive point of view, I think that it is actually a fair price for a watch made of platinum with a traditionally executed guilloché dial bearing the name Rolex on the dial.

The Rolex Perpetual 1908 Platinum reference 52506 is part of the permanent collection and priced at EUR 31,300, USD 30,900, CHF 29,600 or GBP 26,600. For more details, please visit www.rolex.com.