The Perpetual Padellone Proves Rolex Still Has Tricks Up Its Sleeve

There’s a particular thrill that comes from watching a legacy brand take one of its most beloved vintage references and bring it, gloriously, into the modern era. That’s exactly what Rolex has done with the new Perpetual Padellone. After spending time with the details of this release, I can say it’s one of the most quietly ambitious watches to come out of Geneva this year.

A Nod to the Past, Built for the Future

The Padellone name isn’t new to serious collectors. It traces back to a beloved reference produced in the late 1940s and early 1950s, prized for its generous case size and old-world charm. Rolex has resurrected that spirit in a 39mm case with a domed, fluted bezel and a dial finished with a grained center and satin edge. Proportions that feel classic without veering into costume-jewellery nostalgia.

The Calendar Mechanism That Impresses

Here’s where things get genuinely interesting for anyone who nerds out on horology. The Padellone’s calendar complication does two things that are notoriously hard to pull off. First, it’s annual — a patented system called Haplos allows the watch to automatically distinguish between 30- and 31-day months, meaning owners only need to make a manual adjustment once a year, at the end of February. Second, and more impressively, it’s instantaneous: the day, date, and month all snap forward simultaneously at the stroke of midnight, rather than lazily drifting into place over several hours the way lesser calendar watches do.

The Moonphase Is A Star

The moonphase display is arguably the star of the show. Instead of the usual painted disc partially hidden behind an aperture, Rolex uses two distinct meteorite representations — one for the full moon, one for the new moon, the latter given a dark blue coating — that rotate into alignment with a fixed indicator over a 29.53-day lunar cycle. Each moon is even pad-printed with a small face, a playful callback to the vintage reference that earned the “Padellone” nickname among collectors in the first place.

Under the Hood: Calibre 7190

Powering it all is the in-house Calibre 7190, an evolution of the 7135 movement first seen in this year’s Land-Dweller. It runs at a brisk 5Hz, uses a silicon Syloxi hairspring, a ceramic balance staff, and the innovative Dynapulse escapement — tech that adds up to serious magnetic resistance and long-term reliability.

Materials and Options

The Padellone comes in three configurations: 18ct Everose gold with a white dial on either the jewelry-like Settimo bracelet or a brown alligator strap, or 950 platinum with an ice-blue dial on black alligator leather. All three carry Rolex’s Superlative Chronometer certification, recently expanded to test for magnetism resistance, long-term reliability, and sustainability.

The Verdict

As only the second model in Rolex’s Perpetual collection since its 2023 debut, the Padellone signals that this line is becoming a genuine showcase for the brand’s most forward-thinking engineering — wrapped in a case that vintage collectors will recognise instantly. It’s a watch that respects where Rolex came from while making a confident case for where mechanical watchmaking is going.

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