[Video] Rolex dress watch 1908, with transparent back and new movement, is it worth buying?

Rolex , which mainly specializes in commuter watches and sports models, unexpectedly launched a formal watch this year. As Rolex’s formal watch, the 1908 series can really compete? Come in for a physical inspection today!

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The fashion trend of watches is a magical reincarnation. 60 years ago in 1953, when Rolex launched the first tool watches - Explorer and Submariner, they must not have imagined that 60 years later, sports models would occupy so many of their watches. Topics and production and sales volume. 60 years ago, Rolex designers would have never imagined that today, 60 years later, they would launch a new dress watch.

Perpetual model 1908

First of all, as a formal watch, it has nothing to do with the previous Cellini . This is a completely new design from the inside out. The name of the 1908 model comes from the year Rolex registered its trademark in 1908, which shows the importance Rolex attaches to this watch internally.

The design inspiration for the appearance comes from Rolex’s classic dress watch 6512 in the 1950s. The layout of the small three hands and the slender hour markers on the dial are all derived from the classic design of the year. The shape of the hands is also very distinctive. The small second hand and minute hand use retro-style slender sword-shaped hands, but the upper end of the hour hand is more like a hollowed-out Mercedes-Benz hand.

The scale circles on both the large and small dials on the dial are in the shape of orbital circles, taking the retro style to a new level. What is more interesting is that the three scales 3, 9, and 12 use Arabic numerals as time scales, which is rare in other formal watches. Different from the 6512 of the year, on the dial of this 1908, the Rolex logo and small crown are placed at the lower end of the 12 o'clock scale indicator, maintaining the same style as other Rolex watches . There are all the common text descriptions on the dial, but the position has been adjusted, and the words Super Observatory Certification are placed on the upper edge of the small dial.

At 6 o'clock on the dial, the Swiss Made at the bottom and the small crown in the middle mean that it is equipped with a brand new movement . The design of the bezel is divided into two layers: inner and outer. The inner ring uses a common aperture for formal watches, and the outer ring uses Rolex’s classic fine-grained grooves.

The side is still the classic Rolex Oyster shell shape, and the grooves on the upper and lower sides form a symmetrical effect. The thickness of this watch is very thin, only 9.5 mm. It is the thinnest and thinnest of all Rolex automatic watches. Compared with the previous tepid Cellini, the greatest sincerity of the 1908 series comes from its back and the new 7140 movement.

You must know that the last time Rolex developed a new movement, it dates back to the 9001 on the Navigator, so it shows how much Rolex attaches importance to the 1908 series of watches. Compared with the previous classic 31/32 series movements, the biggest challenge of this movement is how to ensure the durability and accuracy of the Rolex watch while also making it sufficiently ornamental. Because for a precious metal formal watch, the back display shows the effect of the movement, which is also one of the deciding factors for their purchase.

First of all, it is very thin. The thickness including the automatic rotor is only 4.05 mm. Compared with the thickness of Rolex 32 movement of more than 6 mm, it has indeed achieved the ultimate. Secondly, the shape of the automatic rotor and the design of the splint circuit fully take into account the viewing needs of users. The hollow-designed 18K gold automatic rotor leaves more viewing space for users. The layout of the plywood and the wheel train also presents as many travel time details as possible to the user. The movement plywood is also treated with Rolex’s standard Geneva pattern.

Overall, in the movement of this watch, you can see that Rolex strives to achieve a balance between aesthetics and practicality. The other side of balance is reflected in its selling price. The price of the gold and platinum versions of the 1908 series watches is between 170,000 and 180,000. This price is slightly more expensive than that of Jaeger-LeCoultre among formal watches with the same functions , but compared to Patek Philippe ’s three-hand Carazohua, it is much more affordable.

And because it is a newly designed dress watch, it has some interesting little details, such as the design without a screw-down crown, which means that its small crown can always face up, and the new bi-fold clasp. It also appeared for the first time in Rolex. The advantage of this design is that it is more comfortable to wear. The strap is also double-sided. The crocodile leather on the outside looks noble, and the green cowhide leather on the inside is comfortable to wear.

Getting started effect

The 39 mm diameter watch with short lugs makes it easy to wear on small wrists. It is a standard formal watch, and the bi-fold buckle design also allows the middle metal part to be in the middle of the wrist. It is more comfortable to wear than the previous belt version of Day Date or Cellini. up a step.

experience feelings

The only regret I personally feel is that there are too few options for dials, only black and white, and there is no classic rose gold material, including moon phase , date and other common functions of formal watches. If these things were enriched, this dress watch would have that flavor.

Finally, I want to tell you that after carefully experiencing this watch, I feel that Rolex really intends to make a formal watch on the 1908 this time, whether it is the effect of the back view or the overall movement. Quality, or the official pricing range of this watch, is competitive in the circle of formal watches with the same material and the same functions.

The main challenge for this new watch is: how many users recognize Rolex’s efforts in formal watches and pay for them? At present, there are relatively few styles to choose from in the 1908 series. If the styles and functions are richer in the future, perhaps the audience will continue to increase. Finally, I have a little emotion. Rolex is now working so hard to make formal watches. Will there be some changes in the overall fashion trend?

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