Ref. 6062 brought a watch with the same technical abilities more into the Rolex universe. While it featured a calendar and moon phase like the 8171, the 6062 came in a 36mm Oyster case. The 6062 is an all-time grail for me, especially the “Stelline” dials with star-shaped hour markers. Here’s to hoping Rolex just opened the door to reviving that design.
4. The Padellone is one of the most desirable vintage watches
“The vintage Padellone ref. 8171 from the early 1950s is certainly considered one of the ultimate vintage Rolexes to collect,” says Paul Boutros, deputy chairman and head of Americas for Phillips auction house. “They are firmly in the pantheon of not only the all-time greatest Rolex watches, but also the all-time greatest wristwatches across all brands.”
The “Bao Dai,” a version of the 6062 with a black dial that was owned by Vietnam’s last emperor, sold for $5,060,427 in 2021, making it one of the most expensive Rolex pieces ever sold at auction. But these complete-calendar Rolex watches don’t require such elaborate provenance to hook in clients. “When we are fortunate to receive one that is extremely well-preserved, it becomes a top highlight of the auction, drawing bidders from all around the world,” Boutros says.
5. The modern version of the Padellone
While Rolex clearly looked toward the past to find inspiration for this new watch, it’s been heavily modernized and tweaked to fit in with the Perpetual collection. Some major changes include:
- The smooth, polished bezel on the original 8171 has been swapped out for a fluted one that mirrors the new 1908.
- The faces on the two moons share the Mona Lisa-esque smize of the original, but are made out of actual meteorite on the new pieces.
- The dials on this new watch feature a heavily grained finish for added texture
- Rolex has borrowed the very modern-looking 3 and 9 o’clock numerals from the 1908 pieces and placed them on the new Padellones. For me, the numerals diminish some of the charm that the originals exude, but it would be foolish to expect Rolex to release a carbon copy of something from its archives.
- The most innovation happens inside the watch. The brand patented a new way to execute a calendar that helps make the watch more efficient and thinner.
