Rolex has opened an entirely new chapter with the Perpetual Padellone. In this special video from Milan, Wei Koh and Constant Kwong look at the clues that pointed toward Rolex’s return to complicated watchmaking, before taking a first hands-on look at the watch itself.

The Perpetual Padellone takes its name and much of its visual inspiration from the legendary Ref. 8171 “Padellone” of 1949, reviving its distinctive configuration of day and month apertures at 12 o’clock, a centrally mounted pointer date and a moonphase at six. Underneath, however, is one of Rolex’s most significant modern movements.

The new automatic Calibre 7190 runs at 5Hz and incorporates Rolex’s DynaPulse escapement and the new Haplos instantaneous annual calendar. The system distinguishes between 30- and 31-day months, requiring correction only once a year at the end of February, with the date, day and month indications changing instantaneously at midnight.

The 39mm case draws from the Perpetual 1908, and the grained dial surface is created through laser engraving. At six o’clock, the moonphase combines a blue grand feu enamel disc with two meteorite moons: one left untreated for the full moon, and the other finished in dark blue PVD for the new moon.

At launch, the Perpetual Padellone is offered in three executions: Everose gold on an alligator strap, Everose gold on the Settimo bracelet, and platinum with an ice-blue dial on black alligator.