Rolex Turns a 1950s Collector Nickname Into an Official Model Name, With an Annual Calendar and Three Price Points

Rolex introduced the Perpetual Padellone on 15 September 2026, the first time the brand has adopted the nickname Italian collectors gave the Ref. 8171 of 1949 to 1953 as an official model name. The 39mm case comes in 18ct Everose gold with an intense white dial or 950 platinum with an ice blue dial, from USD 59,000. The Rolex Perpetual Padellone runs an annual calendar, not a perpetual one.

[ IMAGE 1 — Luxe Addict artwork for the Perpetual Padellone ]

The Gold Bracelet Costs More Than the Platinum Watch, Across Three References From USD 59,000 to 72,800

The line launches in three references, listed from the lowest price up:

• Rolex - 53505-0002
  18ct Everose gold, intense white dial, matte brown alligator strap with Dualclasp

• Rolex - 53506-0002
  950 platinum, ice blue dial, matte black alligator strap with Dualclasp

• Rolex - 53505-0003
  18ct Everose gold, intense white dial, seven-link Settimo bracelet with concealed Crownclasp

US prices as announced by Rolex · converted at the mid-market rate of USD 1 = THB 33.32 on 20 September 2026 · calculated by the Luxe Addict team

Line the prices up and one thing stands out: the Everose model on the Settimo bracelet costs USD 6,600 more than the platinum model on leather, roughly THB 219,912, even though platinum is the denser and more expensive material of the two. The gap comes from the volume of Everose gold in a full seven-link bracelet rather than from the case.

Within the line, the Settimo bracelet adds 23.4% over the leather strap, about THB 459,816, while stepping from Everose to platinum adds only 12.2%.

How much does the Rolex Perpetual Padellone cost?

US list prices start at USD 59,000 for the Everose gold model on leather, rising to USD 66,200 for platinum and USD 72,800 for the Everose gold on the Settimo bracelet, which is the most expensive reference in the line.

[ IMAGE 2 — close-up of the blue enamel moonphase disc, or the day and month windows at 12 o’clock ]

The Name Says Perpetual, but the Calendar Needs Correcting Once a Year

Perpetual in a Rolex model name refers to the self-winding system, not to a perpetual calendar, and Rolex’s own product page states that this watch carries an annual calendar.

The mechanism behind it is called Haplos, patented by the brand, and it distinguishes 30-day months from 31-day months on its own. The wearer therefore adjusts the watch once a year, at the transition from February into March, unlike a perpetual calendar that needs no correction even in a leap year.

A second patented feature is the instantaneous change: at exactly midnight the day, date and month all flip together in a fraction of a second, rather than drifting across midnight the way most calendar mechanisms do. Day and month appear in English through two apertures at 12 o’clock, following the Ref. 8171 layout, while the date is read by a blue hand tipped with a crescent moon that points to the figures arranged around the edge of the dial.

Mechanism details from the Perpetual Padellone product page on Rolex.com

Is the Perpetual Padellone a perpetual calendar?

No. It is an annual calendar and needs one manual correction each year at the end of February, because the month disc is programmed only for 30- and 31-day months. This is the most common misreading of the watch, since the word Perpetual in the name suggests otherwise.

Thirty Patent Filings, Two of Them Exclusive to This Watch, and a Certification That Just Got Stricter

The movement is calibre 7190. The specifications Rolex gives are:

• 5 Hz, or 36,000 vibrations per hour

• Dynapulse escapement in silicon

• Syloxi silicon hairspring and a ceramic balance staff

• 66-hour power reserve

• 30 patent applications in total, two of them exclusive to this model

What tends to get overlooked is that in 2026 Rolex raised the Superlative Chronometer certification across the whole range, not only for the Padellone. Three new test criteria were added: magnetic resistance, reliability and sustainability, applied from the design and production stages onward. They sit on top of the criteria set in 2015, which cover precision, waterproofness, self-winding and power reserve.

Certification criteria from the new Superlative Chronometer certification page on Rolex.com

On the dial side, the moonphase disc is blue enamel, with both the full moon and the new moon cut from meteorite; the new moon is darkened with a dark blue PVD coating. The case is 12.20mm thick with a domed, fluted bezel and 50m water resistance.

What changed in the 2026 Superlative Chronometer certification?

Three new test criteria were added — magnetic resistance, reliability and sustainability — alongside the 2015 set covering precision, waterproofness, self-winding and power reserve. The certification remains overseen by an independent Swiss body and is still marked by the green seal.

Thailand Has No Price Yet, but the Floor Already Sits Above Two Million Baht

Rolex does not publish Thai retail prices on its website, so the only firm figures are the list prices in markets that have announced. Those cannot be compared directly, because each market taxes consumption differently: the UK price includes 20% VAT, the Swiss price includes 8.1% VAT, and the US price excludes state sales tax altogether.

Strip the consumption tax out to put them on one basis, then convert everything to baht, and the Everose gold model on leather looks like this:

Converted at mid-market rates of USD 1 = THB 33.32, CHF 1 = THB 40.53 and GBP 1 = THB 44.63 on 20 September 2026 · UK VAT of 20% and Swiss VAT of 8.1% removed before comparison · calculated by the Luxe Addict team

Two things follow from these numbers. First, once placed on the same basis, the US and Swiss prices sit 0.1% apart, which is the same price in practice. Second, the UK sets its pre-tax price roughly 7.5% to 7.7% below both, and the same pattern holds across all three references rather than appearing in just one.

For anyone waiting on a Thai price, treat THB 1,965,880 as the floor rather than the figure that will appear on the tag, because imported goods still carry customs duty and 7% VAT on top. Adding only the 7% VAT to the straight conversion already reaches THB 2,103,492, before any duty is counted. A Thai price starting above two million baht is therefore close to certain, though the final number has to come from Rolex Thailand.

Is the Perpetual Padellone available in Thailand?

The model page is live on Rolex’s Thai website, but no retail price or release date has been announced. The clearest route for now is to approach an official retailer directly, since watches with complications at this level are usually allocated from a client list before they reach a display case.

A Collector’s Watch Rather Than a Daily One: Is It Worth Reserving?

As a first watch to wear every day this is the wrong choice, with 50m water resistance, an alligator strap and a calendar mechanism that wants looking after. As a collector’s piece the case is different: it is the first model for which Rolex has elevated a collectors’ nickname to official status, and it carries two patents filed for this watch alone. Neither of those can be recreated later.

To see where you might try one on, read Luxury Watch Boutiques 2026: Official Store Locations, and for a sense of what the auction market pays for unusual Rolex mechanics, read Rolex Four Seasons: Four Unique Daytonas at Phillips before deciding which reference belongs in the safe