Today, for the first time, we have the opportunity to present to your attention yet another Rolex legend – but one with a particularly “noble” origin. Even if we were guided only by the model’s nickname, we could understand that it is truly very special – and not only for the brand.

Rolex presented one of its most successful and most popular models in 1956 – the first wristwatch with a chronometer that was self-winding, water-resistant and provided information about both the date and the day of the week.

Very soon after that, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date “President” became an icon that transcends time and fashion. The model has undergone few changes since its debut and, to date, has already been launched in three different sizes – 36 mm, 40 mm and 41 mm.

The one presented today is from the newest generation, in 36 mm, and following Rolex’s tradition of launching a variety of dials, in 2022 the brand released a President series with so-called “Ombre dials”. This particular one features a stunning blue ombre dial, transitioning from a bright centre to deep black around the edges, enriched with high-quality diamonds and baguette-style markers at “6” and “9 o’clock”.

Rolex is one of the few watch manufacturers that produce their dials independently, and exotic treatments are their “in-house” speciality. Rolex have used materials such as meteorite, malachite, lapis, wood, porcelain and countless others, but few of them can rival the visual brilliance and depth of an Ombre dial, especially in combination with white gold and diamond indexes. And all this beauty is framed by the classic President fluted bezel with its individual character.

It is a well-known fact that Rolex is the largest manufacturer of luxury watches, with an annual production of over one million pieces, but despite this, it is a brand that not only retains its value over time better than most, but also has certain models that are almost impossible to simply buy from a distributor’s boutique. One of these models is precisely the President – and unlike other sought-after sports versions, here the fact that it is made of a precious material does not make it any easier to find. Waiting and registering on waiting lists are required for this one as well.

Of course, at the heart of the watch “beats” an in-house Rolex movement – in this case, the task is entrusted to the 3255, a generation from the last decade, with an increased power reserve of 70 hours and a seriously improved automatic winding system, in which the rotor is now mounted on a bearing and its efficiency has been increased by 15%. As for lubrication, the reversing wheels, one of the problematic areas from the point of view of friction, have a Teflon coating. The new 3255 contains 14 built-in patents and more than 90% new components, and is also twice as accurate as the requirements for an official COSC chronometer.

It is an undisputed fact that the President has long since become a fashion icon and a desirable attribute for every self-respecting watch connoisseur. Perhaps precisely for this reason, Rolex do many things in this model in such a way that the appearance and the overall impression created by the watch prevail over its functionality. The first thing that makes an impression is the sapphire – Rolex are proverbial for the fact that they do not apply anti-reflective coating to the crystals of their watches. There are several theories as to why, but the one we like the most is that Rolex do this so that the appearance of their watches does not change for a long time and generations of their owners can enjoy this consistency. The second, of course, is the fact that the manufacturer managed to create an icon more than 60 years ago and, through all these years and different models, the design has barely changed – yet another proof of the timelessness of classic designs. The third is the bezel – it is classic for the model and contributes to the attractiveness of the offer.

For the caseback of the watch, Rolex use a plain solid back, as they do in all their models – in the case of the President, it is devoid of any markings, inscriptions or other “decorations”. As we all know, Rolex can be called fanatics when it comes to the metals they use – a large part of the metallurgical processes are carried out in-house in order to guarantee consistent quality of the raw material.