Rolex Oyster Perpetual

TTOP! This teeny tiny Oyster Perpetual is truly teeny tiny, clocking in at 24mm (2mm smaller than my personal Rolex Lady-Datejust). As you can see, there’s no date on this watch, hence why it’s not called a Datejust (although it may look it to the average eye). I actually love it for this reason. The minimal, no-date dial is far less ubiquitous than its Datejust cousin. This is a perfect watch for someone looking for one watch to wear for the rest of their life. Or it’s a great first watch to start out a beautiful collection. Either way, this little powerhouse is built to last and will be a beautiful gift for generations to come because it will never go out of style. 

THE BASICS

DATE OF BIRTH: 1990

MATERIAL: 18K yellow gold and stainless steel; engraved on the caseback: "WH 5-3-91" (for a Taurus baby!)

SIZE: 24mm

MOVEMENT: Automatic 

CONDITION: Excellent

BOX/PAPERS: Yes/yes

 THE NITTY GRITTY

A great example of one of the smallest watches in the Rolex lineup: stainless steel and 18K gold Oyster Perpetual, or “OP”, from 1990. This example features a sapphire crystal that was only quite recently introduced as Rolex upgraded their offerings, moving away from the acrylic that pre-dated it. Otherwise, this example retains a lot of the classic Rolex DNA from the period: the classic “holes” case, the older deployant style and the narrow-style baton marker champagne dial.

The dial color is the ‘standard’ for this model in two-tone – a gold, champagne dial. The luminous material used on the dial here is tritium, which was used up until the end of the 1990’s.  (hence the “T Swiss T” marking at the base of the dial). It is all original and remains untouched and in excellent condition, featuring every lume plot intact, remaining very close to their factory white color. This color will continue to evolve with time and the lume will become even more attractive – part of the beauty of tritium.

The serif printing of the text and chapter ring is all in black, which really pops from the dial. The classic 18K gold baton hands are fitted and also contain the original luminous material, which matches the plots perfectly and responds the same under ultraviolet light.

This watch is a great watch in so many ways. For those that do not need, and/or like, the date busying up the dial (with its cyclops bubble distorting the crystal), this dateless version of the TTTTRDJ (Teeny Tiny Two Tone Rolex Datejust) is a simple and chic accessory on the wrist. 

The overall condition is excellent. The case has been polished, but not heavily, with the original matte brushing to the tops of the lugs intact. The original jubilee style bracelet is in good condition, with some ‘sag’ but, if anything, it’s more comfortable to wear on the wrist with a little give. This is a beautiful sized, easy to wear, clean to read, classic Rolex that will be hard to not love.