At first glance: watches that are chosen for the expressiveness of the dial
It is called first glimpse and is the instinctive force of the first impression. The 'face' of a watch is very important and must take into account concepts such as the depth of colour, the regularity of the decorative pattern, and the structure of the surface.
2' min read
2' min read
The dial of the new Perpetual 1908 perfectly illustrates just how much attention Rolex pays to its workmanship. The case in 950 platinum, 39 mm in diameter and guaranteed water resistance to a depth of 50 metres, protects an ice-blue dial with a distinctive rice-grain motif. To create it, the traditional guillochage technique was used, which consists of skilfully and artistically working the surface with a burin.
It is a steel-tipped tool, which is both an awl and a chisel, used since the second half of the 15th century. This dial, like all Rolex models, was made at the brand's dedicated production site in Chêne-Bourg, a town in the canton of Geneva. David Riboli, responsible for the brand's prototypes explains: "When designing a dial, you have to change the way you see things.
The birth of a new model is a matter of dialogue and exchange, because different concepts such as the depth of a colour, the texture of a surface or the regularity of a pattern need to be brought together. If all this is not enough, we then have to consider which watch it will be inserted into, bearing in mind what colour the case or strap will be, what the bezel will look like and at what depth the dial itself will be set. We do everything we can to make our ideas a reality. Also because whoever owns a watch must first have the pleasure of wearing it. And the eye wants its part. Riboli continues: "The dial must captivate the beholder with its design, colours and motif. To achieve this, we also make use of measuring instruments such as a spectrophotometer, which is used to assess the hue of colours, although nothing can replace a trained eye". The ice-blue dial of the new Perpetual 1908 also has the numbers 3, 9 and 12, which, like the hands, are made of white gold, while the small seconds indicator appears at 6 o'clock. The movement is the in-house self-winding calibre 7140 with a 66-hour power reserve, chronometer-certified superlative. Finally, the strap is brown alligator leather with a 950 platinum buckle.
