Rolex Oyster Perpetual

With more than 90 years of history, the Oyster Perpetual from Rolex is an iconic model. Basically, it is the base model of every Rolex ever made. With the Oyster Perpetual 26 or 31 it’s the perfect watch for women and unisex. The larger models, which measure 39 and 41mm will suit men or unisex as well. The Rolex Oyster Perpetual has its Oyster Case made of 904L stainless-steel while the vintage Oyster Perpetual was sometimes made of yellow gold. Rolex redesigned the collection back in 2020, adding a lot of new colors to the dials but also introducing different sizes.

The simple and timeless design is what attracts most people to the Rolex Oyster Perpetual in different sizes, perfect for every occasion. It has the Twinlock-screw-down crown which can also be found on the GMT-Master II and the Explorer collection. The Oyster Perpetual is water resistant to 10 bar (100 meters) and is featured sapphire crystal with a smooth polished bezel.

Back when the Oyster Perpetual was launched, the Rolex case was measured 36mm, just like the vintage Rolex Datejust or Day-Date. Rolex produced a number of sizes on the Oyster Perpetual (date), like the 26mm, 28mm, 31mm or 34mm. Later on, Rolex produced the Oyster Perpetual 39 and 41. 

If you’re in the market for a pre-owned or vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual, you can opt for the 34mm reference 124200 which sells for around €7.000 on Wristler. For the smaller models, which measure 26, 28 or 31mm you can search for different dial colors on Wristler for around €5.000.

When you’re an enthusiast or a collector, you might want to look for the vintage or pre-owned Rolex Oyster Perpetual reference 6634: this model has a thick gold plating and is called the ‘Golden Egg’. This Golden Egg Rolex Oyster Perpetual is measured 34mm with a white or gold dial. The caliber is the same as the early Submariner models (reference 6538) which is the 1030 caliber.

For ladies, there is a vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual as well, called the reference 6719 which Rolex produced between 1970s and 1990s. 

You can find a watch from 18-karat gold, two-tone (Rolesor) or stainless-steel editions with a yellow or white gold bezel. These watches measure 24 or 26mm and the dial comes in white, black, blue, gold or champagne depending on the bracelet. The caliber in these watches is the 2030, which was later replaced by Rolex for the 2130: you can find this caliber in the Lady-Datejust as well.

Measuring 41mm, Rolex launched the biggest Oyster Perpetual in history back in 2020. These editions are available with a black, red, blue, turquoise, green, yellow or silver dial. Some people call these brighter colors the summer-edition of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual (Date). 

Even the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 was launched in the ‘Tiffany’-colored dial, which now sells for around €24.000 while the list price was close to €6.000 at your local authorized dealer. The green dial Oyster Perpetual 41 is popular amongst collectors as well: because the dial color is really clean it is the perfect watch to wear every day.

Prices of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual can be found on Wristler starting at around €2.500 up to €24.000. The most expensive Rolex Oyster Perpetual is the ‘Tiffany’-dial, which features a bright blue dial and a stainless-steel case with the smooth polished bezel. The cheapest Oyster Perpetual is the reference 6634 which is the Vintage model from the Rolex Collection. 

In between these prices, you can find a lot of different watches, like the 36mm reference 11600 for around €7.500, or the 41mm Oyster Perpetual reference 124300 for €15.000. Prices don’t differ that much from a Rolex Datejust or a vintage Submariner, but collector always seem to find a way around the Oyster Perpetual because of the long history it has.