While Hans Wilsdorf’s revolutionary innovations concerned the technical features of the wristwatch, they were also the fruit of an extremely strong aesthetic vision. The silhouette of the case, as well as the design of the 1908’s dial, reinvent the classic – yet very modern – spirit of the original Oyster Perpetual watches. An aesthetic signature, its finely domed and fluted bezel is testimony to a quest for delicacy in all of its forms.

With its 3, 9 and 12 numerals and its small seconds counter at 6 o’clock, the 1908 watch, available in 18 ct yellow or white gold as well as in 950 platinum, revisits the style of an Oyster Perpetual from 1931 and resolutely endows it with modernity. The dial is a model of elegance and sophistication: Arabic numerals and faceted index hour markers in 18 ct gold against an intense white or intense black dial, or an ice blue dial featuring a guilloché rice-grain motif. Protected by a domed sapphire crystal, it features a delicate ‘railway’ minute track around the circumference. The 1908 is equipped with hands of distinctive styles: the minute hand is shaped like a two-edged sword, while a hand with a pierced circle marks the hours.

By offering a watch that reveals its movement through a transparent case back, Rolex continues to innovate whilst echoing its watchmaking tradition. Calibre 7140 bears a cut-out oscillating weight in yellow gold with three arms, engraved with the words ‘Chronometer Perpetual’ and benefiting from an optimized ball bearing. The movement boasts some remarkable finishes including the exclusive Rolex Côtes de Genève – a celebrated traditional watch decoration, reinterpreted with a polished groove between each band. The window, made of virtually scratchproof sapphire, provides proof that, for Rolex, the aesthetics of the movement are as important as its performance.

To power the 1908, Rolex’s watchmaking engineers have developed a completely new self-winding movement, calibre 7140, that allows the time to be displayed via two central hands and a small seconds hand at 6 o’clock. A number of patents have been filed for this movement, which has been entirely developed and manufactured in-house. Its cutting-edge design incorporates some major innovations from the Manufacture to guarantee exceptional performance, including the Syloxi hairspring in silicon, Chronergy escapement in a nickel-phosphorus alloy – both of which are resistant to strong magnetic fields – and Paraflex shock absorbers, which protect the oscillator and escape wheel from any shocks to the watch.