A new term for the president’s watch. (Photo: Rolex)
The big question of this year’s Watches and Wonders is not which watches will enter or exit Rolex’s catalogue, but which will receive the new calibre 7135, whose Dynapulse escapement uses 30% less energy.
Rolex could do worse than to choose the power-hungry Day-Date, which needs to move two discs simultaneously at exactly midnight, 365 times a year. One of them must rotate through a larger distance to display a full word, needing more energy per jump.
The energy gains made with Rolex’s new calibre, which took seven years to develop, are perfect for the so-called president’s watch, as they help minimize the risk of amplitude drop or incomplete jumps in this double calendar. That’s why Rolex introduced the 3200-series movement in the Day-Date first. Today, this model’s movement, the 3255, is over a decade old and the oldest in the catalogue.
The prestige of the president’s watch, offered only in precious metal and produced in smaller numbers than the Datejust, makes it the likely candidate for the new movement. Rolex has said it wants the Day-Date, which turns 70 this year, to “remain at the forefront of innovation.” A new calibre — and display caseback — would result in price pressure on existing models.