Feature: The Bargain Rolex You Can Still Afford
Consider, if you will, the great white shark. These unfairly maligned creatures have been roaming our oceans for millions of years, their basic shape unchanged while other species evolved to survive.
The great white pretty much reached its evolutionary zenith long before humans walked the earth. Since then, it’s spent its existence doing what it does best: hunting, killing and getting blown up in Stephen Spielberg movies. It's the perfect symbiosis of form and function—a torpedo with steak-knife teeth and jaws with the power to mangle a Mini Cooper.
For a very long time, nature has seen no need to meddle with perfection—and the same could be said for the Rolex Oyster Perpetual.
While the first model, launched in 1931, looks a lot different to contemporary versions, by the 1950s it had morphed into a design that will seem very familiar to Rolex watch fans. A state of aesthetic harmony had been reached, and the changes applied to it ever since have been miniscule.
Rolex has made precious few cosmetic changes to the Oyster Perpetual over the decades
New, better movements have been introduced, of course, and more technologically advanced substances have improved performance and durability. But if you could teleport an Oyster Perpetual wearer from the 1950s to the present day, they’d have no trouble picking out a 2021 model from in an identity parade.
As timeless as a tuxedo and as impervious to trends as the papal robes, this Oyster Perpetual Reference 15200 is also damn good value for money, and this is why…
They’re Not Impossible To Get
You’re no doubt aware that a brand-new Rolex Daytona and Submariner are almost impossible to purchase straight from the retailer these days. Waiting lists for these and other higher-end Rolex models are now the norm. And once they’re out the door of the boutique their prices inflate faster than Russell Crowe’s waistband.
It’s like the difference between buying paracetamol over the pharmacy counter and trying to score raw Afghan opium on the streets of a bucolic English village.
Can't get your hands on a Submariner? Oyster Perpetuals are more readily available—and cheaper
The pre-owned Rolex market is the only way most of us will ever get our hands on one. Rolex Oyster Perpetuals however are generally devoid of all this. Plus, you’re getting a perennially popular Rolex model with all the quality, heritage and craftsmanship the brand is known for—albeit minus a complication or two—for maybe half the price of the market value of the Daytona and Submariner.
The Movement Is A Classic
This Reference 15200 runs on a Caliber 3135, such a solid performer that it’s been used across a number of more expensive Rolex watches. These include the Sea-Dweller, Submariner Date and Yachtmaster.
It was even used as the base for the Caliber 3186 found in GMT-Master II models.
The trusty Caliber 3135 has even been used in Submariner models
Introduced back in 1988 and used in Oyster Perpetuals for around twenty years, the Caliber 3135 is one of the most successful Rolex movements ever produced. And if you’re ever able to view the actual movement itself, you’ll find an attractive smorgasbord of finishing work encompassing colimaconnage and perlage detailing. And this stuff isn’t just there to make it look pretty; it helps prevent corrosion and traps dust.
The 3135 could be found in Rolex models until around 2017 when it was finally replaced by the similar 3235, now the brand’s go-to movement, offering a longer power reserve.
Tried And Tested
There’s a reason the Oyster Perpetual is Rolex’s oldest existing model. Generation after generation has embraced its simplicity, robust shape and build quality. However when Rolex crosses the line from conservative to quirky it is often rebuked by the cognoscenti.
Witness the beating the poor Milgauss continues to take on watch forums and on YouTube videos from those who hate its jazzy colour scheme and lightning-fork seconds hand.
This is the quintessential no-frills Rolex, impervious to the whims of fashion
An Oyster Perpetual Date like this one, however, with silver baton dial and an Oyster steel bracelet is the quintessential no-frills Rolex. Also, the 34mm case size—small but not remarkably so—means its unisex.
Couples thinking of buying a Rolex each can just share this one!
They Hold Their Value
Don’t expect the Oyster Perpetual to soar in value a couple of years after you’ve bought it, but these models are invariably in demand everywhere and their price won’t drop the way that many rivals’ watches do.
Furthermore, this particular model is discontinued, meaning the chances of seeing one exactly the same appearing on another wrist have decreased dramatically.
The Oyster Perpetual does not have the auction-house cachet of the Daytona. Neither does it have the gilded gravitas of a Day-Date or the rugged good looks and James Bond heritage of a Submariner.
Still, make no mistake, it’s the elder statesman of the Rolex line-up and a vital piece of horological history. After all, the original Oyster model was the world's first waterproof wristwatch and a pioneer of the self-winding perpetual rotor.
This is a versatile, quality, handsome piece at a price that, once you’ve delved into the details, begins to make perfect sense.
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