Rolex Revives the Padellone With a New Annual Calendar Moonphase

Rolex has revived one of its most collectable vintage names. On 15 September 2026, the brand unveiled the Perpetual Padellone, a complete annual calendar displaying the day, date, month and moonphase alongside the time. The launch was announced off-cycle, outside Watches and Wonders, and the watch was presented to retailers and media at the Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan. Rolex chief executive Jean-Frédéric Dufour told the Financial Times the city was chosen because Italian collectors invented the name, and that the watch goes on sale in November. He pointed to the strength of the historic bond between the brand and Italy, recalling the market's influence in the 1970s and 1980s.

"If a watch succeeded in Italy, it succeeded worldwide."

Jean-Frédéric Dufour, Rolex chief executive, speaking to the Financial Times at the Milan launch

It revives a long-standing collector piece and a nickname coined by seasoned Rolex collectors: the vintage reference 8171 of the late 1940s and early 1950s, known to Italian dealers as the "Padellone", or "big frying pan", for its unusually large case. Rolex has now made that informal name part of its catalogue and, according to the Financial Times, registered it as a trademark, which specialist coverage has described as possibly the first time the brand has adopted a collector nickname as a model name.

There are three references at launch: two in 18ct Everose gold (53505-0002 on a leather strap and 53505-0003 on the Settimo bracelet) and one in 950 platinum (53506-0002). Rolex has announced no production limit, and launch coverage describes them as regular collection models rather than limited editions.

At a glance: Rolex Perpetual Padellone specifications

The announcement and what is new

Rolex rarely launches watches outside the Geneva fair, and moonphase and full calendar complications have been exceptionally rare in modern production. Hence, a complete annual calendar with a moonphase counts as a significant event. The Perpetual Padellone sits inside the Perpetual collection, the classical line Rolex started in 2023 with the 1908. It is the first model in that collection to combine an annual calendar and a moonphase, and only the second model overall.

The Padellone is not part of the Oyster Perpetual family. It belongs to the separate Perpetual collection and, like the 1908, follows a dress watch brief: Rolex rates the case to 50 metres of water resistance, and specialist launch coverage reports a push-pull crown rather than the screw-down crown architecture of the Oyster models.

The Padellone heritage: reference 8171 and 6062

The name honours a genuine rarity. The reference 8171 was introduced in 1949 and produced for only a few years, generally dated to 1949 to 1952, with some surviving examples catalogued circa 1953. It used a 38mm case with a snap caseback, which was large for its era and earned the frying-pan nickname. It was one of only two serially produced vintage Rolex references to combine a triple calendar with a moonphase. The other was the reference 6062, launched at the Basel fair in 1950 in a water-resistant 36mm Oyster case, including the celebrated "Stelline" star-dial versions.

Both were short-lived and scarce. The 8171 was made in stainless steel, yellow gold and pink gold, powered by the in-house automatic calibre A295, also catalogued as A295 CPL. Exact production figures are not documented publicly, and published auction-house estimates vary, so any precise total should be treated with caution.

These two references remain among the most sought-after vintage Rolex watches. The auction record for the 6062 was reset in October 2025, when a yellow gold example with a black dial and diamond hour markers sold at Monaco Legend Group in Monte Carlo for EUR 5,330,000 including premium, around 6.2 million dollars at the time. That surpassed the black-dial 6062 once owned by Bao Dai, the last Emperor of Vietnam, which sold at the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: FIVE in May 2017 for CHF 5,066,000. The ex-Gordon Bethune pink gold 6062 "Stelline" reached CHF 1,940,000 at Phillips Geneva in November 2019, and a steel example known as "The New Standard" sold for CHF 2,117,000 at the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII in November 2023.

Vintage 8171 values vary enormously with metal, dial originality, condition and provenance, with recent sales and asking prices ranging from five figures into several hundred thousand for exceptional examples.

Movement and technical detail

At the heart of the new watch is the calibre 7190, an in-house automatic movement developed from the calibre 7135 first seen in the 2025 Land-Dweller. It runs at 5Hz, or 36,000 vibrations per hour, and uses the Dynapulse escapement, a silicon sequential-distribution design that Rolex describes as highly energy-efficient. The movement also uses a Syloxi silicon hairspring, a balance staff in Rolex's high-tech ceramic and an optimised brass balance, and it holds a power reserve of approximately 66 hours.

The calendar runs on a new system called Haplos, which Rolex describes as patented. It adds only two components to the date mechanism, a driving finger and an annual lever, to tell 30-day and 31-day months apart, with the annual programming built into the reverse of the month disc. The day, date and month all jump instantaneously at midnight, a feature for which a further patent application has been filed, and the watch needs a single adjustment each year when February turns to March. Rolex says the movement is the subject of 30 patent applications, two of which are exclusive to the watch. Every example carries the Superlative Chronometer certification, rated at minus 2 to plus 2 seconds per day, under the strengthened criteria Rolex introduced across the range in 2026.

Design and dial variants

The Perpetual Padellone measures 39mm across and 12.20mm thick, so its diameter is only 1mm larger than the commonly cited 38mm of the vintage 8171. The case is polished with a domed and fluted bezel and a domed sapphire crystal, and the reverse carries a transparent sapphire caseback. Recessed correctors on the case flanks set the calendar functions.

The dial layout is a classic complete calendar: a date track around the edge with a blue centre hand tipped by a crescent moon, twin apertures for the day and month at 12 o'clock, and the moonphase at 6 o'clock. The Everose gold models carry an intense white dial, while the platinum version wears Rolex's characteristic ice blue dial. Most of the dial has a matt grained finish framed by a satin date track, with applied numerals at 3 and 9 and faceted markers elsewhere. The moonphase itself is refined: a blue enamelled disc carries a full moon and a new moon cut from meteorite, one treated with a dark blue coating, beneath pad-printed silver stars, completing one rotation every 29.53 days. Each moon carries a small human face, a nod to the dial of the original reference 8171.

How it sits within the Rolex range

The Padellone is not the first Rolex with an annual calendar, as the Sky-Dweller has used a Saros annual calendar since 2012, showing the month through twelve apertures beside the hour markers, adding a second time zone and using the Ring Command bezel to select functions. The Sky-Dweller is a sports-luxury travel watch on the Oyster case, whereas the Padellone is a formal dress piece with a moonphase and a complete calendar layout. The Day-Date, meanwhile, shows only the day and date, and remains the executive classic on the President bracelet.

The closest current relative is the 1908, with which it shares the Perpetual collection's classical design language. The Padellone effectively takes that dress platform and adds the calendar and moonphase. It can also be seen as a successor in spirit to the discontinued Cellini Moonphase of 2017, which showed only a date and moonphase. If you already follow the range, our rundown of the Rolex new releases 2026 puts the launch in the wider centenary context.

Pricing, availability and early market signals

UK pricing reported by the Financial Times and Time+Tide is £49,150 for the 18ct Everose gold model on alligator leather, £60,700 for the Everose model on the Settimo bracelet and £55,300 for the platinum model on black alligator leather. Swiss retail is CHF 52,500, CHF 64,800 and CHF 59,000 respectively, including tax, and United States pricing has been reported at 59,000 dollars, 72,800 dollars and 66,200 dollars. At the time of writing the Padellone does not yet appear in the priced new-model grid on the Rolex UK website, so the sterling figures come from launch coverage rather than from rolex.com. For a sense of where the wider range sits at home, our UK Rolex price guide tracks current list prices.

The three Perpetual Padellone launch configurations

Ref. 53505-0002	Ref. 53505-0003	Ref. 53506-0002
Everose gold · Alligator leather £49,150	Everose gold · Settimo bracelet £60,700	950 platinum · Alligator leather £55,300

Launch configurations shown with UK pricing reported by the Financial Times and Time+Tide. Images: Rolex

Rolex has not disclosed production or allocation volumes. On availability, the clearest statement comes from the top: Dufour told the Financial Times that the Padellone goes on sale in November, so the Milan event was a preview for retailers and media rather than a same-day release. Some launch coverage described the watch as available immediately; treat the November date as the reliable one. As of 16 September 2026, indexed marketplace searches had not identified established listings for the new references, and listings under the "Padellone" name largely still referred to the vintage 8171.

Watch values can fall as well as rise, and resale performance is not guaranteed. Any purchase should be made for enjoyment first rather than expected profit.

What it means for collectors and the pre-owned market

For collectors, this is Rolex signalling that its Perpetual line, not just its sports models, is where the brand now places its most interesting engineering. A moonphase annual calendar in Everose gold or platinum will appeal to buyers who want a dress Rolex with real mechanical substance and a direct link to a vintage rarity.

As a London dealer in pre-owned and custom watches, Time 4 Diamonds expects strong interest across the related dress and complication models ahead of the Padellone reaching retail in November. If you are weighing the classic alternatives, our team can advise on the Rolex 1908 dress collection, the Sky-Dweller annual calendar and the Day-Date. We also source specific references through our dealer network, and appointments are available at our London showroom.

New release

Rolex Perpetual Padellone, Ref 53505-0002 / 53505-0003 / 53506-0002

• Case: 39mm, Everose gold or 950 platinum
• Movement: Calibre 7190, annual calendar, moonphase
• UK price: From £49,150

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Rolex Perpetual Padellone a perpetual calendar?

No. It is an annual calendar, which adjusts for 30-day and 31-day months automatically and needs one correction each year when February turns to March. A true perpetual calendar would also handle February and leap years without adjustment.

Why is it called the Padellone?

"Padellone" means "big frying pan" in Italian. Collectors gave the nickname to the vintage reference 8171 of the late 1940s and early 1950s because of its large case. Rolex has now adopted the name for the modern model.

What movement does it use?

The in-house calibre 7190, an automatic movement developed from the 7135 in the Land-Dweller. It runs at 5Hz, uses the Dynapulse escapement and a Syloxi silicon hairspring, and holds a power reserve of approximately 66 hours.

How much does it cost in the UK?

UK prices are £49,150 for the Everose gold model on leather, £60,700 on the Settimo bracelet and £55,300 for the platinum version. Swiss retail is CHF 52,500, CHF 64,800 and CHF 59,000.

Is it water resistant?

It is rated to 50 metres. Unlike Rolex's Oyster-cased sports models, specialist reporting identifies a push-pull rather than screw-down crown, in keeping with its dress watch brief.