The Coronet gives its quintessential ‘anti-watch’ timepiece a 21st century update, including a Stella-inspired dial reminiscent of a certain rather iconic eggshell blue
When Rolex debuted five ‘new’ colourways across its best-selling Oyster Perpetual range last September, these effervescent facelifts were greeted with a reception that seemed better suited to Paris during the Watch the Throne tour. Within hours of release, the watch community was already branding each colour with its own signature moniker: from the electric yellow ‘Pikachu’ to a cheery, surprisingly unobtrusive shade of ‘bubblegum’ pink. Looming above all of these however was the ‘turquoise’: available in a swathe of mechanical calibres and sizes between 31mm-41mm.
It doesn’t take a genius to understand why, out of all these shades, the turquoise managed so effortlessly to capture the imagination of neophytes and serious collectors alike — a phenomenon bound to continue way past 2020. Superficially, there’s an obvious meta-allure to the turquoise OP: suggesting in the mind of the average consumer a highly specific, universally recognized shade of blue. (Since my notion of a ‘good day’ doesn’t involve being accosted by the lawyers of a global jewellery conglomerate, that’s about as specific as I can make my description. You get the idea.)
This seemingly universal adulation has diminished in recent months — undercut by the usual grievances that go together with Rolex collecting like peanut butter and chocolate — but despite that, I’m still convinced that the turquoise OP is an exceptionally solid bit of watchmaking. In particular, the 36mm and 41mm iterations make for fantastic daily wearers. Detractors have slammed them as unoriginal ‘fashion watches’ *audible gasp* levelled at a millennial audience; and while those observations aren’t necessarily untrue, to reduce the turquoise range thus would be wildly dismissive. Here’s why.
Stella(r) good looks
Pundits have already remarked at length about the ostensible ‘novelty’ of the colourful OP dials. The reality is that this isn’t the first time Rolex has dabbled in glorious technicolour. Throughout the 1970s, the company utilised similar shades of blue, green, coral and so forth in order to create ‘Stella’ dials: lacquered surfaces decorated with a spray-painting technique known as giclage that were then fitted to the best-selling Day-Date.
As with many phenomena in the world of luxury watches, history isn’t without a sense of irony. Despite the garishness of the 70s, these Stella Day-Dates weren’t initially sought after; and in conjunction with very small production figures (the dials were notoriously prone to breakage) it would take another 30 odd years for them to appreciate in esteem. It’s for this reason — beyond tenuous links to other brands or cod psychology about the popularity of blue — that the turquoise OP has proven so influential, connecting nostalgic collectors to a part of Rolex’s heritage that can otherwise be difficult to penetrate. (Even at current prices, the larger turquoise OPs can be had for a fraction of what it costs to get your hands on a Stella Day-Date in passable condition.)
The Cost of Hype
Naturally, any discussion of the ‘value proposition’ offered by these new OPs must make light of the various contexts under which they’ve changed hands. Despite only hitting retailers’ shelves some 3.5 months ago, we’ve already seen them pop up for sale on forums; social media; pre-owned trading platforms; C2C marketplaces; and even at auction. The optics surrounding that last kind of transaction have been particularly polarising. (For the purposes of this article, we’ve cited one example of a 36mm model selling for over twice its retail pricing in order to emphasise just how aggressive Rolex valuations can get, even within a matter of months.) The bottom line? These are hardly ‘rare’ watches by any stretch of the imagination — the sheer volume being traded confirms as much. But if you’re serious about acquiring the two most wearable sizes of an already popular OP — all within a reasonable timeframe I might add — a nominal markup on the sticker price is something you have to anticipate.
Even at a slight premium (to my thinking, 10 percent) the turquoise OP is an excellent all-rounder worthy of serious consideration — more so if you’re a 1 or 2-watch kind of individual. That’s the beauty of these models: at first glance, they’re cheeky, whimsical, and totally easy to comprehend — no matter how (dis)interested you may be in watches. But beneath that cool sea-foam tinted blue, you’ll find a product that puts the ‘superlative’ in ‘superlative chronometer’. Both the 36mm and 41mm models house the latest generation of self-winding Rolex movements, giving the wearer just shy of three days’ power reserve and a preciseness that possesses its own grade of certification. On top of that, there’s the ever-stylish Oyster case and a bracelet that’s considered by many (and rightfully so) to be the gold standard in comfort. In short: a watch that lives up to the hype.
