A mid-century nickname finds new expression in a watch that brings together an instantaneous complete annual calendar with moonphase and contemporary mechanical ingenuity.
For decades, “Padellone” – Italian for “large frying pan” – was a name known primarily to seasoned Rolex collectors, given to Ref. 8171, a complete-calendar watch whose broad 38mm case made it unusually imposing for its time in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Now, the brand has given the nickname an official new life with the Perpetual Padellone – a reinterpretation that retains the spirit of its forebear while bringing its historical character into the refined, modern classicism of the Perpetual collection. Beneath its restrained exterior, however, lies a new movement built specifically to manage the complexity of its calendar and moonphase display.
The dial is where the Padellone’s old-world character is most apparent. Day and month are displayed in twin apertures at 12 o’clock in English, while a blue hand tipped with a crescent moon traces the date around the dial’s perimeter. At 6 o’clock, a blue enamelled disc completes one rotation every 29.53 days, carrying representations of the full and new moons, crafted in meteorite. Both are given pad-printed faces – a playful reference to the celestial display of Ref. 8171 that links this poetic element to its predecessor. More than a decorative flourish, the unobscured moons make the gradual passage of the lunar cycle part of the display itself.
The watch’s classical appearance is thoughtfully composed, maintaining the aesthetic language established by the Perpetual 1908 since 2023. Its 39mm case combines a domed upper bezel with delicate fluting on the lower section, while the dial pairs a grained centre with a fine satin-finished edge. Calendar correctors are discreetly positioned around the case, preserving its clean, refined lines. The Padellone is offered in 18 ct Everose gold with an intense white dial, either on a Settimo bracelet or brown alligator leather strap, as well as in 950 platinum with an ice blue dial and black alligator leather strap. Formed from rows of seven small, slightly contoured links, the Settimo bracelet brings a jewellery-like quality to the watch’s formal character.
Visible through the sapphire caseback, the in-house calibre 7190 provides the technical foundation for the watch. This new self-winding movement operates at 5Hz, or 36,000vph, and delivers approximately 66 hours of power reserve. Its architecture builds on the calibre 7135 introduced with the Land-Dweller in 2025, incorporating the silicon Dynapulse escapement, Syloxi hairspring, ceramic balance staff, and Paraflex shock absorbers.
Its defining innovation, however, is Haplos, Rolex’s patented system for the annual calendar. It uses an additional carrier finger and an annual lever, with programming on the reverse of the month disc distinguishing between 30- and 31-day months. As a result, the date, day, and month advance instantaneously together at midnight, with the calendar requiring correction only once a year, when February gives way to March.
The Perpetual Padellone therefore occupies an interesting space between historical reference and contemporary watchmaking. Ref. 8171 supplies the name and spirit of its complete-calendar display, while the Perpetual 1908 provides the design vocabulary for a modern Rolex dress watch. Calibre 7190 takes the concept further, combining a high-frequency movement with an annual calendar designed to operate with minimal intervention. It is a watch about cycles – days, months, and the Moon – but also about continuity, showing how an idea from Rolex’s past can be reworked without simply being reproduced.
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