Rolex built its empire on tool watches, but that wasn’t always the plan. Back in the late ’40s and early ’50s, the brand was making triple calendar moonphase watches so charming that collectors nicknamed one of them, the ref. 8171, the “Padellone.” And if you’re not familiar, that’s Italian for big frying pan, and nickname it earned thanks to its broad, flat 38mm case.
Of course, the Submariner showed up in 1953, complications got shelved, and that was that for seven decades. Until this week, that is, with the surprise launch of the new Rolex Perpetual Padellone.
Big Frying Pan Energy
Landing in the dressy Perpetual collection alongside the 1908, the new Padellone sticks remarkably close to the original’s blueprint. Day and month sit in twin windows below 12, a blue crescent-tipped hand sweeps a date track around the dial’s edge, and the whole thing clocks in at 39mm across and 12.2mm thick in your choice of either Everose gold or platinum.
Then there’s the moonphase at 6 o’clock. The full and new moons riding its blue enamel disc are cut from genuine meteorite, complete with the same whimsical printed faces that graced the 1949 original.
Land-Dweller Guts, Dress Watch Manners
The new caliber 7190 is built on the Land-Dweller’s 7135 architecture, meaning the Padellone gets Rolex’s silicon Dynapulse escapement humming along at a speedy 5Hz, a 66-hour power reserve, and a pretty absurd 30 patent applications.
Bolted on top is the new Haplos system, which teaches the movement to tell 30-day months from 31-day ones using just a pair of added parts. Which means you only have to make one correction a year, and that’s when February rolls into March. And no, despite the name, it’s not a perpetual calendar; “Perpetual” is just the name of the collection.
Midnight Magic Trick
Better still, the entire calendar fires instantaneously. When midnight hits, the day, date, and month all snap over in unison rather than dragging into position over several hours like most calendar watches.
Adjustments happen via four stylus-operated correctors on the caseband, an old-school touch borrowed from the 8171. And you can press them at any hour without grenading the movement.
Spec Sheet
Model: Rolex Perpetual Padellone
References: M53505-0002 / M53505-0003 / M53506-0002
Case Size: 39mm
Case Thickness: 12.2mm
Case Material: 18k Everose gold or 950 platinum
Movement: Rolex Caliber 7190 automatic annual calendar
Frequency: 36,000 vph (5Hz)
Power Reserve: 66 hours
Water Resistance: 50m
Band: Alligator leather strap or Everose gold Settimo bracelet
Limited Edition: No
Pricing & Availability
The Perpetual Padellone starts at $59,000 for the Everose gold model on brown alligator, with the ice blue platinum version coming in at $66,200 and the Everose gold Settimo bracelet configuration topping the range at $72,800. It’s a regular production model available through official retailers, though we all know how those waitlists go.
Recap
Rolex Perpetual Padellone
Rolex revives its beloved “frying pan” triple calendar as the Perpetual Padellone, pairing a full annual calendar and meteorite moonphase with the 5Hz, Dynapulse-equipped caliber 7190.
