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Stella for the People: The 2020 Rolex Oyster Perpetual
No, I’m not talking about the impressive new Submariner family with its slimmed down, recontoured more elegant case, with a more open and visible dial and hands, and for the first time in 67 years, a 21mm in width bracelet. No. I’m taking about the other watch that was launched. A watch that I’m calling the Stella for the People. But unlike the 1970’s when the Stella was created as an exuberantly extroverted timepiece, targeted at an elite demographic, Rolex has taken the chromatic vibrancy and cult collectability behind the Stellas, created a range of dials that are both uplifting amid what has been a year of unremitting gloom, and placed them inside of what is one of their most accessibly priced timepieces. The watch in question is made in five sizes, 28mm, 31mm, 34mm, 36mm and, lastly, 41mm (replacing the 39mm model) and is known to collectors by the minimalistic acronym “OP.”
Yes, that’s right I speak of the Oyster Perpetual, the most paired backed, simplistic, pure, reductionist Rolex around. Rolex themselves, have described this watch as, the Quintessential Oyster. It is devoid of date. But does all a Rolex should do, which is to work with charming perfection. And at a hair over four thousand Sterling, five thousand US dollars and seven thousand Singapore dollars, they are amongst the best horological values around. Don’t get me wrong I know in the context of reality and, in particular 2020, that’s a hell of a lot of money. But my point is that at this price range the OP pretty much beats out all of its competition.
No Corners Cut
How did Rolex come to use 904L steel? Since inception the tradition at Rolex is to always research the way their watches wear over time. And they found that with hard use, their sports watches like others made from traditional stainless steel would experience corrosion in the threads of the caseback, and the caseback itself because of the buildup of sweat and moisture.
So, 904L was selected for a new steel because of its resistance to acids. Further, its greater surface hardness not only improved the resistance of the cases but enabled them to be polished to a greater luster. In addition, 904L is received by Rolex and then scanned with an electron microscope for any imperfections, including any structural or surface defect. After inspection the steel is re-melted in a vacuum, to purify it and remove inclusions that would compromise its corrosion resistance. Because Rolex’s focus is on creating watches that endure forever. Why do other brands not use 904L, because it is much harder to machine and requires special tools to do so. By 2003 all Rolex steel watches were using 904L based Oystersteel.
Third, I know it will continue to tell time faultlessly, as long as I am stuck on said island, such is Rolex’s well-earned reputation for accuracy. That’s even if I use my OP to bash open clam shells and thump marsupials or the head with for my dinner. I know it will shrug off all inclemency and continue ticking with total bad ass equanimity, and flawless chronometry, as long as I am still alive. And all of this comes down to Rolex’s focus on perfecting the most reliable, shock resistant and accurate movements in the world.
The hairsprings are fixed to balance wheels, which are free sprung, meaning that they are not adjusted by an index but rather have “Microstella” adjusters on their rim to alter their inertia — a much more reliable and stable system for regulation. These balance wheels are friction fitted onto staffs, which are mounted onto full traversing balance bridges that are secured on both sides for better stability. This bridge even has a special gold screw to micro adjust the height of the balance relative to the escapement for ideal engagement between these two vital components. It should be noted that the balance staff is retained on either side by jewels fitted with Paraflex shock absorbers that bisect the jewels diagonally and retain it with a rectangular frame. These shock absorbers were designed and patented by Rolex in 2005 and aid in increasing shock resistance by an incredible 50 percent. They are also much easier to service.
Rolex has also increased the power reserve of the new movements first through the gain in 15 percent efficiency thanks to the new Chronergy escapement. And second, because Rolex reduced the thickness of the barrel walls by 50 percent meaning the mainspring could be longer and hold 10 more hours of charge for a total of 70 hours.
Finally, each Oyster Perpetual undergoes Rolex’s in-house Superlative Chronometer test. As opposed to other test such as COSC (Control Officiel Suisse de Chronometres), which used to only tests movements (the criteria has changed recently) Rolex prefers to test entire watches. Further, while COSC certification requires movements to test within -4/+6 seconds maximum deviation per day, Rolex’s criteria is much stricter at -2/+2 seconds. Which means every OP has its movement tested first at COSC for 15 days, in three positions and 4 temperature variations. These movements are hence first COSC certified. They are then sent back to Rolex and retested inside complete watches and certified for a second time before they come to the consumer. Rolex does this with every single watch it makes.
The Stellar Details
Still not completely blown away by the extraordinary value proposition that each one of these vibrant dial, five thousand US dollar Oyster Perpetuals present? Well then look at the dials because every one of these dials are made in-house at Rolex. Which means, while they may look like the old Singer manufactured enamel lacquer dials of the Stella’s from the 70s and 80s, they aren’t. God the knows, the visual similarity is extraordinary, as demonstrated by Rolex expert, Eric Ku when he posted a picture of his white gold yellow dial Stella Day-Date next to the new 36mm OP yellow dial, “Pikachu” as he has nicknamed it. Says Ku, “I’m just blown away by how good the dials on the new watches are.”
So, why is it that I feel these stunning watches offered this year in charmingly lush, vibrant colors clearly reminiscent of the Stella Dial Rolexes of the 1970s and 80s have a totally different objective than their predecessors? Because in a year where we clearly need some kind of win in terms of being uplifting, Rolex took some of their most beautiful dials based on an object of cult collectability and put it in their most accessibly priced model. Was their objective meant to raise our spirits through this charmingly democratic act? Well, no one truly knows the minds at the upper management of Rolex, but I like to think this was the case. And whether they planned these watches to a symbol of chromatic resistance against the prevailing darkness of 2020 or not, to me this is the net result and I like it. Which was not the objective behind the Stellas when they were first launched, either.
What do I mean? Well look at it from this perspective. Stella Dials, it is believed named for Frank Stella one of the great legends of the post Abstract Expressionist New York art scene and his love for vibrant energetic color fields, which he would array in simplistic but powerful curved or straight patterns, emerged in the 1970s. And this, during a period when the world was reeling from two crisis. The first was the Quartz Crisis, brought on by the Seiko Astron in 1969, where the Swiss watch industry was decimated by the veritable deluge of inexpensive battery-operated timepieces originating from Japan.
Read more about Seiko in 1969 and how the Quartz Crisis was for them, the Quartz Revolution.
The point is: when the going got tough, Rolex got going, focusing on being as innovative as possible. While the Day-Date, which was launched in 1956 had already become an icon for the Geneva based manufacture its unique display of day and date on the dial, making it instantly recognizable from the wrists of wheel heeled clients around the world, you would have to be successful to own one as they were offered exclusively in precious metal. But the watches could not be considered whimsical or playful. Not at all, they were serious bits of horology, kit from a serious manufacture whose innovations in water-resistance, automatic winding, shock resistance and reliability had a direct hand in shaping some of the most seismic events of the 20th century.
However, these watches made exclusively in precious metal and often combined with diamond set indexes were created for a jet-setting, high-society, disco-dancing, playboy and playgirl of the era, stalwarts of Regines, Studio-54, Tramps and Les Bains Douches and the other seminal night clubs of 70s and 80s, replete with gold spoons bouncing in chest hair or décolletage of Halston evening gowns.
So, to me these simple watches have one important effect on our collective spirts. Because, the effect of color on the human mood or more specifically the capacity of certain hues, like turquoise, yellow, pink, green and red to uplift, embolden, calm, or inspire us during challenging times cannot be understated. And so, it seems Rolex has made the exact watches we needed, amid the time we need them most.