Rolex Perpetual Padellone: Technically Brilliant, But Has Rolex Overfilled the Dial?
Rolex has unveiled an entirely new watch, although its name is anything but new.
The Perpetual Padellone takes its inspiration from the highly collectable Rolex reference 8171 produced during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Italian collectors nicknamed that watch “Padellone”, which translates rather wonderfully as “large frying pan”.
At 38mm, the original was considered enormous for its time. Seventy years later, Rolex has increased the diameter by just one millimetre and filled the new model with some thoroughly modern watchmaking.
This is not another steel sports Rolex, nor is it an attempt to reinvent the Submariner for the hundredth time. Instead, the Perpetual Padellone joins the 1908 within Rolex’s dressier Perpetual collection, combining a complete annual calendar with a moonphase display.
Technically, it is an impressive piece of work. Aesthetically, we are not entirely convinced.
Inspired by the Reference 8171
The original reference 8171 remains one of the most important and desirable vintage Rolex watches.
Produced in relatively small numbers, it featured a triple calendar displaying the day, date and month, together with a moonphase at six o’clock. Its broad, flat case earned it the Padellone nickname, while its elegant proportions placed it some distance from the tool watches that would later define Rolex.
Rather unusually, Rolex has now adopted that collectors’ nickname as the official name of the new watch.
We cannot immediately think of another Rolex launched with a name taken directly from the nickname of its historical predecessor. The Hulk, Kermit, Batman and Pepsi names may be universally recognised, but none has ever appeared officially on a Rolex dial or product page.
The Padellone therefore represents something genuinely different.
The new case measures 39mm in diameter, 12.12mm thick and approximately 41.5mm from lug to lug. Those are remarkably restrained dimensions for a modern complicated watch and remain faithful to the character of the original.
The Perpetual Padellone is available in three configurations: reference 53505-0002 in 18 ct Everose gold with a brown alligator strap, reference 53505-0003 in Everose gold with a Settimo bracelet, and reference 53506-0002 in 950 platinum with a black alligator strap. All three offer 50 metres of water resistance. Nobody is going diving in it, but that is more than adequate for a precious metal dress watch.
The case also retains the four calendar correctors found on the vintage model. Operated using the supplied correction stylus, these allow the owner to adjust the day, date, month and moonphase individually.
Annual, Not Perpetual
Despite the word “Perpetual” appearing in its name, the Padellone uses an annual calendar rather than a perpetual calendar.
The distinction matters.
An annual calendar automatically accounts for months containing either 30 or 31 days but cannot compensate for February. It therefore requires one manual correction each year when February changes to March.
A perpetual calendar goes further, accounting for February’s shorter length and the leap year cycle. Assuming it remains running, it should not require a calendar correction until the exceptional non leap year of 2100.
Rolex describes the Padellone as an “instantaneous complete annual calendar”. Its patented Haplos system differentiates between 30 and 31 day months, while the day, date and month all change simultaneously at midnight. According to Rolex, the transition happens within a fraction of a second.
It is also only the second annual calendar wristwatch Rolex has produced. The other is the Sky Dweller, although visually the two watches could hardly be further apart.
A Lot Happening on One Dial
The day and month appear through two apertures below 12 o’clock, while a blue hand tipped with a crescent moon indicates the date around the dial’s outer edge.
At six o’clock sits the moonphase display, presented on a fully visible blue enamel disc. Both the full moon and new moon are made from meteorite, with the new moon receiving a dark blue PVD treatment. Each moon carries a small human face, echoing the celestial design found on the original reference 8171.
It is a lovely detail and brings a little personality to a watch that could otherwise have felt rather formal.
The Everose gold versions receive an intense white dial, while the platinum model uses the ice blue dial traditionally reserved for Rolex’s platinum watches. The dial combines a frosted central surface with a more restrained satin finished date track around its perimeter.
Applied hour markers and hands match the case material, with Arabic numerals at three and nine o’clock.
On paper, it all sounds beautifully balanced. In reality, we think the dial looks slightly cramped.
The Rolex coronet and branding appear squeezed into the limited space above the calendar apertures. The three and nine numerals sit close to the edge, while the twin windows below 12 o’clock seem to push everything upwards.
Perhaps this is the inevitable consequence of placing an annual calendar and moonphase inside a 39mm case. Rolex could have made the watch larger and given every element more room to breathe, but that would have moved it further away from the proportions of the original Padellone.
We understand the decision. We are simply not convinced that it produces the most harmonious dial.
The Real Story Is Inside
The aesthetics may divide opinion, but the movement deserves considerably less argument.
Inside sits the new automatic calibre 7190, developed from the calibre 7135 introduced in the Land Dweller during 2025. It runs at 5Hz, or 36,000 vibrations per hour, and provides approximately 66 hours of power reserve.
The movement incorporates Rolex’s Dynapulse escapement, which delivers impulse directly from the escape wheel to the balance. By reducing sliding friction within the escapement, the system is designed to improve efficiency and deliver a more consistent rate.
It also uses a Syloxi silicon hairspring and ceramic balance staff, with the movement visible through a sapphire caseback.
Rolex says the calibre is covered by 30 patent applications, two of which relate specifically to the Padellone. That gives some indication of how much development sits behind what initially appears to be a nostalgic dress watch.
This is where Rolex is particularly difficult to criticise.
The company produces watches in numbers that would terrify most traditional high horology manufacturers, yet its movements routinely achieve the brand’s Superlative Chronometer standard. Rolex specifies accuracy of minus two to plus two seconds per day after casing.
Some watches inevitably go wrong, but considering the scale of production, Rolex’s consistency remains remarkable.
Strap or Settimo Bracelet
The Everose gold Padellone is available on either a brown alligator leather strap or Rolex’s seven link Settimo bracelet.
Introduced to the 1908 collection in 2025, the Settimo bracelet gives the watch a far more distinctive presence. Its rows of small, curved links suit the vintage character and make the bracelet version feel rather more special than the leather option.
The platinum model is offered exclusively on a matt black alligator strap, paired with its ice blue dial.
Prices are listed at CHF 52,500 (approx. £47,560) for the Everose gold model on leather, CHF 59,000 (approx. £53,455) for the platinum version and CHF 64,800 (approx. £58,710) for Everose gold on the Settimo bracelet. The latter is undoubtedly a substantial sum, although perhaps not entirely outrageous once the precious metal construction and complication are considered.
Not outrageous by modern luxury watch standards, anyway. We appreciate that this is a fairly elastic scale.
Will It Be a Success?
That is much harder to predict.
Rolex sports watches enjoy an audience that extends well beyond traditional watch enthusiasts. The Submariner, GMT Master II, Daytona and Explorer have become cultural objects as much as watches.
The Padellone operates in a very different world.
It competes with complicated dress watches from brands more readily associated with traditional high horology. Its styling certainly leans towards the classical Patek Philippe school, while the price places it firmly into serious collector territory.
Rolex has also been here before. The Cellini collection never attracted the same attention as the brand’s sports models and was eventually discontinued, making way for the 1908.
That does not mean the Padellone is destined to suffer the same fate. The historical connection, technical sophistication and relative novelty all make it far more interesting than simply adding another dial colour to an existing collection.
However, interesting and commercially successful are not always the same thing.
Watch Brothers Thoughts
The Rolex Perpetual Padellone is an impressive watch, but it is not one we are immediately drawn towards.
That has little to do with its movement. The calibre 7190, Dynapulse escapement and instantaneous annual calendar demonstrate that Rolex can produce genuinely sophisticated watchmaking when it chooses to step away from its sports watch comfort zone.
We also applaud the restrained 39mm case. Rolex could easily have inflated the Padellone into a 42mm statement piece, but instead stayed remarkably close to the proportions of the original reference 8171.
It is the dial that gives us pause.
There is simply a lot happening within a relatively small space. The branding feels crowded, the calendar apertures sit high and the three and nine numerals appear pushed towards the edges. The moonphase is charming, but the overall composition lacks the breathing room we would expect from a classical dress watch at this price.
Perhaps it will look more convincing on the wrist. Watches with complicated dials often photograph poorly, and Rolex’s finishing can make considerably more sense in person.
For now, though, this is one we admire more than desire. Technically, we tip our hat to Rolex. Aesthetically and financially, it will not be landing on either Watch Brother’s wrist.
Still, launching a Rolex named after a large frying pan deserves some credit. Whether collectors are ready to place their orders remains to be seen.