The Rolex Oyster Perpetual is Perfect.

watchesreview

Oct 15

What is the price of joy?

Scratches on a watch are like tattoos. They look cool and have stories, but are usually the result of drinking and poor judgement. After 3 years, I’ve managed to keep the Rolex 36mm OP 126000 in pretty good condition, but not without a few of its own tattoos. Classic timepieces appeal to us because of the future longevity. I’ve loved, I’ve hated, I’ve resented, I’ve even disowned this watch. In 3 years I’ve changed and look for the worse while OP looks the same and just as perfect as the day I bought it. So here’s are all the ups and downs I’ve gone through to reach this conclusion.

The growing wrinkles of the Oyster Perpetual

Features

First of all, I never thought I’d be a watch guy. I’m the type of person that spent a year watching videos and struggling to build the confidence to spend $1500 on a Zeiss lens. I believe what allowed me to enter into the reality of buying a Rolex is that it’s slightly easier to buy this watch in China than it is in the west. We all hear personal accounts and memes of impossible waitlists and pretentious staff. In China they’ve always treated me well offering drinks and snacks, though other boutiques like Vacheron and IWC would treat me better. The excuse I justified to myself in 2022 to buy a Rolex was I would rather have my wealth in a liquid sports watch than a Chinese bank account. This would make more sense to outsiders if only they knew how unreasonable Chinese lockdowns were and how long they were extended.

I love red, as you can tell from this site’s color design, so after initially failing to obtain the coral red version of the OP I put my name down for a sunburst black dial - a very grateful outcome. In China we have the option to add a dealer’s WeChat, which is the Chinese WhatsApp. They would occasionally post new stock and advertise unsold watches that need to be moved and that’s when I hypothesized that these posts potentially also indicated that the one I wanted was secretly among them but they were saving it for other priority customers. So one day after she posts new stock of ugly watches that no one wanted, I messaged her if my bright black 126000 was in stock. To my surprise it was and the rest is the history I’ve written here.

The original 36mm has the perfect proportions

Design

From an architectural standpoint, this watch is exquisite, worth of its luxury status. I’ve interacted with greater hand polished watches like the Overseas and Royal Oak. The oyster case has the best side case design. Where the sides of other watches are an afterthought, Rolex implements a voluptuous curve that contrasts with the premium sharp lines of the rest of the watch. Combined with mirror polish, this design activates the same neurons one sees from the shapely silhouette of a beautiful muse. It’s intoxicatingly seductive and makes every other watch wilt in comparison.

The oyster bracelet is a classic design that would go on to be copy pasted for multiple decades. The integration with the case and lugs is uninspired but clean enough that it feels like an integrated bracelet. This is evident by the fact that the 36mm watch never looks too small and no strap looks good with its modern case. The clasp follows that blocky design, which at first I found to be a bit too chunky and disruptive compared to smaller clasps like on a Seiko Sarb. Of course, functionally it is perfect especially with the 5mm EZ link, something I now really cannot have without. The design is understated, but I think I tastes will evolve to prefer more interesting bracelets. Something about the monotone and shapeless bracelet can feel dull over time, for me the golden standard for brushed design being the Sinn H-link bracelet. Everyone starts out wanting all brushed, but saturation creep suggests that all roads lead to the polished intricacy of a dress watch.

The oyster bracelet has unfortunately been made notorious by influencers

The dial has a shimmering sunburst dial with underside anti-reflective coating on the sapphire, which is frankly not enough to see the time in adverse lighting. However, I have grown to appreciate the reflective premium shine that it offers and am now on Team No-Top-AR-Coating. The baton style hands are perfectly simple and I love the engraved Rolex lettering on the rehaut, though this is something that noone should notice outside of macro shots. Brand aside, the white gold applied coronet at the top makes this better than an Explorer and makes you feel like you’re also wearing a crown when you put it on the wrist.

No top AR coating means glares, which sometimes give a premium shine

Blocky design can feel less than fluid on wrist

Side polish adds just the right about of luxurious flair

Pros

After the lacquered color dials came out, there was a point where I felt as though sunburst options were a lesser choice. I craved the deeper enamel-like piano finish, something that speaks to me as a pianist and something you will see on more expensive models like the Submariner or Explorer. But those models are such a turn off, I would hope to own a Tudor BB36 instead. The frenzy of lust was so strong that at one point I hated this and considered swapping it for the 2025 matte black dial version (Watch obsession does crazy things to the mind.) As time grew, I appreciated the sunburst in another way. It has a subtle shimmer at certain angles, which elevates the dressiness of the piece, something that I would also see with other classic timepieces like Patek or Vacheron. I now see, and although there are beautifully reflective black lacquered dials that also look dressy, one is really not better than the other. This has a reflective luster of its own, but as a one and only watch it was too easy to get bored of the dial. At one point I blasphemously even put this watch up for sale, its original responsibility. Bear in mind, I have always been a purist: one prime lens, one camera. It took me owning more than one watch to finally come around and appreciate how beautiful this dial is.

The shimmering texture of the sunburst, which often looks jet black

The silhouette of this watch from an engineering standpoint is nothing short of sublime. It has come to the point where I don’t care about scratches and will rest the watch on itself to showcase its lines and curves. Only after handling this in person without the plastic wrap can one truly appreciate the sharp edges, which evoke a lovely resemblance to brutalist architecture. If you appreciate engineering, design or architecture, Rolex have built structures for the wrist and its aesthetics can penetrate deeply into one’s subconscious. So much so that I often enjoy looking at this watch more than wearing it. At times I feel like one of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey monkeys worshipping the precious monolith. But if you’re not an obsessively detailed image maker highly attuned to design and proportions, this is just a nice watch.

The wearing experience is very comfortable due to its slippery yet premium finish. Steel bracelets are never as comfortable as straps, but most of us will wear the sporty alternative for its rugged longevity and luster. Like any watch, the hot spot occurs when the watch is loose on a hot day and the edges dig into your hand. Otherwise the clasp has a silky mirror polish that hugs the underside of the wrist that makes you forget you have anything on. That is until you inevitably stare deeply at it all day unaware that you didn’t even set the time.

Rolex is better than ultra luxury high horology brands because of its accuracy. Those horology timepieces often don’t even have hacking seconds. Yes, watches are jewelry, but they functionally have to tell the time or they are just selling metal bracelets. One can only appreciate the accuracy of a watch over time once it becomes your one and only watch. Being only 1 second fast a day means not having to set it every week. As someone who is quite precise in measuring time to the second, this ends up being a genuinely fantastic feature, qualifying it for a sole one watch collection.

There’s a reason Gerald Genta wished he had designed the Oyster case

The side of the case is more elegant than most dress watches

(Cons?)

I go throughout phases of hating the design of the hour markers and then finding them acceptable. On one hand they are large structures with beveling that reflects light so that every turn of the wrist brilliantly shines like the ocean at sunset. It even has more facets than a Datejust making it feel more premium in this regard. However, I go back and forth between the double batons at 3, 6 and 9. From other watches I now understand it is special and makes it more legible. Borrowing from different designs, Rolex could have used slightly larger batons like they do for the 34mm model or the same sized batons all throughout. One may argue the sophisticated double batons have more gold, but it does lose classic characteristics. Even the dial on a Seiko Sarb looks dressier. Vintage Rolexes have thinner and more elegant stick markers but they don’t have lume. And because they share basically the same case silhouette, modern Rolexes have a sport watch dial whereas vintage ones have a dressier dial. You will certainly get use to it, but the massive white lume takes up so much real estate that it interrupts and becomes part of the dial design. This is also due to the black dial, which provides contrast and is admittedly good for legibility, but I still think these markers look better on lighter dials. However, after comparing them, I think I find single batons even more boring in this configuration. This is because they are the only interesting element keeping the dial from being too boring and you will grow to appreciate it.

Double batons and bracelet integration clash with the refinement

The white square plots on the edges are also the worst choice of any model, extending the size of the batons to appear even longer than they need to be. With previous 114200 models they were colored and with the 11600 they used sporty numerals. Even the Roman numerals on the 34mm 124200 are better because they not as bold so as to provide negative space to allow the markers to breathe. On this model, it makes the markers visually feel like they are touching the edge of the bezel. I think you will only agree with the sentiment only if you have stared at it for years. Because I love design, this ends up feeling a bit unrefined and flipping between the sports watch category, which doesn’t feel compatible with my instincts for the watch. This is maybe the only valid critique of the design, which feels redundant like underlining already bold text.

Baton beveling reflects light beautifully

I find that the overall watch is too thick to substitute as a dress watch. I have tried wearing this with a suit and each interview I couldn’t shake the sporty feeling as a result of the blocky bracelet and clasp. 11.7mm is not a thin watch, which does make the small 36mm case feel more substantial (A thin dress watch is 8mm with 10mm being passable). But this may be a surprise to you because the Rolex case looks like a thin watch. The bubbleback case has domed case back that hides beneath the slender protruding curved sides like a UFO. As a result, the watch hovers significantly above the wrist and can even produce a shadow, something you may only notice from photos. This however does aid in comfort as there is less surface area touching one’s wrist.

With beauty comes maintenance and 904L steel is hard to stay pristine. But lightly scratched Rolex polished steel actually looks nice when it’s evenly distributed and scratched sharp edges are infinitely better than over-polished ones. You’re not going to divorce your wife just because of a few freckles or wrinkles, you’ll learn grow with them and slowly appreciate the new charm they bring to an otherwise clinically sharp watch. That being said, this is still the biggest drawback of this watch as it prevents you from moving normally. Unless this is your beater watch, I personally cannot psychologically bring myself to ignore scratch hazards. For me, I will always be overly careful with this precious timepiece on to the point of not bringing it out for physical adventures, not reaching into a backpack and not even resting my wrists on a table. I envy the collector that has 0 hesitation to get rough and be undeterred by the consequences of bumping the watch into someone’s handbag during a hug.

So basically, this watch is so perfect that you end up appreciating it more than you’d like to use it. That’s why I like tool watches, as the real luxury is being able to afford having a Rolex as a beater. Luckily the brushed finishing looks even more fantastic the more wrinkles it gets, if you can stomach it. This might be because of how boringly classic the design is. I prefer minimalist design, but even I go back and forth with its execution. I find it a bit too neat without angular case lines. Sometimes you want a beer rather than a fancy cocktail. Enough time in this hobby, one tends to gravitate towards watches with a little more personality like the Milgauss or Datejust, especially when you have such a perfect design to begin with. After all can you wear the same thing for your entire life even if it’s perfect? Variety is the spice of life - this is just what happens when you give imperfect people a perfect product.

Double batons provide legibility and look special but no longer looks as timeless

Hovers high above the wrist but visually looks thin from the side.

Doesn’t have a whole lot of personality. Imagine trying to reason with unreasonable watch collectors

Final thoughts

Luxury appeals to psychology more than reason. There is nothing rational about wearing $6000 on your wrist and yet we buy these things because it makes us feel something. Usually it appeals to mens’ desire of status but I personally couldn’t care less about that. I appreciate the pursuit of quality and make no mistake, the simple finishing and machining on the case is just as good as any ultra luxury brand. After all, simplicity is divinity.

For me, this watch has been with me through thick and thin. It feels like a side-kick, a familiar, a buddy you can Facetime 12 time zones away. It is hard to put into words how much happiness a watch can bring a person. It gives you that boost of confidence when you’re wearing flip flops and a T-shirt but most importantly, it is with you every step of the way. And when you lose your job, fail your application, fight with your girlfriend, there is a reminder on your wrist that time goes on and things get better.

Luxury is not only quality, it’s knowing you’ve reached a reasonable pinnacle and an entry level Rolex is just as satisfactory as the top models. It’s an enormous sum of money, but for some people it’s not worth wasting days enviously wishing. What is the price of making a bad day a little less shitty? What is the price of child-like joy for an adult with obligations? You may have no need to see the value in that, but the market does. In my mind, there is really no replacement for a Rolex except tool watches that compete on completely different criteria like the Sinn 556. Buy once, cry once, because if you don’t, you’ll perpetually be wasting time thinking about that Rolex when you could be perpetually enjoying your time.