Rolex Celebrates Its Waterproof Pioneer With a Centenary Watch
2 min
Luxury watch anniversaries often produce overtly nostalgic designs. Rolex has taken a more restrained route for the centenary of the Oyster, translating references to its 1926 breakthrough into a contemporary Oyster Perpetual 41 rather than reproducing a historic model.
The original Rolex Oyster is central to the company’s mythology. Introduced in 1926, it was presented as the first waterproof wristwatch, using a hermetically sealed case to protect the movement from water and dust. The architecture would go on to underpin the professional and everyday watches that built Rolex’s global reputation.
One hundred years later, the new Oyster Perpetual 41 carries details intended to echo that origin. Rolex describes the model as a centenary tribute and positions it within the direct line of descendants from the first Oyster. The appeal is not a conspicuous anniversary inscription, but the idea that an apparently simple three-hand watch embodies a century of incremental refinement.
Hans Waldorf, the founder of Rolex and Tudor. Image credit: Rolex
At 41 millimetres, it has the scale expected of the modern Oyster Perpetual line. The case, bracelet and automatic movement follow Rolex’s familiar formula: robust construction, legibility and an absence of unnecessary complication. That simplicity is precisely what gives the model breadth. It can serve as a first serious watch, an understated daily piece or a historically meaningful addition to a larger collection.
The launch also arrives as Rolex strengthens its Superlative Chronometer certification. The company says its 2026 standard expands the testing framework with additional criteria addressing magnetism, reliability and sustainability. Buyers should treat those claims as manufacturer specifications until independent long-term testing becomes available, but the change shows where major watchmakers see the next contest for credibility: not only accuracy, but resilience over years of ownership.
For collectors, the centenary context will be the headline. For everyone else, the attraction is more elemental. The Oyster Perpetual has no rotating bezel, chronograph registers or calendar window demanding attention. It is Rolex reduced to its essentials — waterproof case, automatic movement, clear dial and a design intended to outlast fashion.
That makes the 100th-anniversary model a fitting tribute. The original Oyster was important because it made a wristwatch more usable in daily life. A century later, Rolex is celebrating it with a watch designed around the same promise.
About Rolex
Hans Wilsdorf was a German-born watchmaker and entrepreneur, best known for founding Rolex and Tudor. Pioneering innovations like the waterproof Oyster case (1926) and self-winding Perpetual rotor (1931), he transformed wristwatches into precise, durable luxury items.
A master marketer, he introduced brand ambassadors and global expansion strategies. In 1945, he created the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, ensuring Rolex’s profits support philanthropic causes beyond his death in 1960.
Borrowers cannot control the Reserve Bank, but they can control how exposed their household budget is to its next decision. The RBA meets on 29 September with inflation concerns still elevated and major-bank economists increasingly bringing forward their rate-rise calls. Fixed mortgage rates have also been moving, reducing the value of waiting for perfect certainty. …
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Australian shares finished higher on Tuesday, September 22, as a technology rally and lower oil prices outweighed weakness in energy companies and continued anxiety about domestic interest rates. The S&P/ASX 200 closed 25.9 points, or 0.30 per cent, higher at 8,757.8. The All Ordinaries gained 0.36 per cent to 8,951.0, while the All Technology index …
Continue reading “ASX Wrap: Technology lifts the ASX as falling oil relieves inflation pressure”
2 minAustralian shares finished higher on Tuesday, September 22, as a technology rally and lower oil prices outweighed weakness in energy companies and continued anxiety about domestic interest rates.
The S&P/ASX 200 closed 25.9 points, or 0.30 per cent, higher at 8,757.8. The All Ordinaries gained 0.36 per cent to 8,951.0, while the All Technology index rose 1.71 per cent.
Information technology was the strongest major sector, up 2.67 per cent. Megaport gained 4.3 per cent, NextDC rose 3.8 per cent and Life360 added 2.9 per cent, according to the ABC’s closing market report. The move followed a record Nasdaq close and reflected renewed demand for growth assets as oil prices eased.
Consumer discretionary gained 1.29 per cent, while real estate and healthcare each rose 0.76 per cent. The simultaneous strength of technology, discretionary shares and listed property was consistent with a modest easing in market inflation anxiety, although it did not erase expectations of a possible RBA increase at the 29 September meeting.
Energy was the clear laggard, down 1.16 per cent, after Brent crude briefly fell below US$100 a barrel overnight. Origin Energy dropped about 4 per cent, Woodside lost 2.4 per cent and AGL declined 2.3 per cent. Utilities were the weakest sector overall, down 2.03 per cent.
Among larger and liquid movers, Telix Pharmaceuticals rebounded 6.85 per cent after the previous session’s sharp acquisition-related decline. IDP Education jumped 20.67 per cent and was the largest percentage gainer in the ASX 300 screen, while Catalyst Metals fell 14.37 per cent. Those moves should be checked against company announcements before publication; percentage rankings alone do not establish cause or index impact.
Mining performance was mixed. Sunrise Energy Metals rose 12.71 per cent, FireFly Metals added 5.7 per cent and Bellevue Gold gained 4.8 per cent, while Resolute Mining lost 4.44 per cent.
The Australian dollar traded near US71.18 cents late in the session. Oil remained volatile as markets assessed potential US–Iran talks, making energy prices a continuing input into inflation expectations, bond yields and the RBA outlook.
For Wednesday, investors will watch oil, offshore technology leads, Australian bond yields and any new evidence that changes the probability of a September rate rise.
Market dashboard
S&P/ASX 200: 8,757.8, up 25.9 points or 0.30 per cent.
All Ordinaries: 8,951.0, up 0.36 per cent.
Best sector: Information Technology, up 2.67 per cent.
Weakest sector: Utilities, down 2.03 per cent. Energy fell 1.16 per cent.
Material winner: Telix Pharmaceuticals, up 6.85 per cent. Megaport rose 4.3 per cent and NextDC rose 3.8 per cent.
Material loser: Origin Energy, down about 4 per cent. Woodside fell 2.4 per cent.
ASX 300 percentage leader: IDP Education, up 20.67 per cent. Confirm announcement context before publication.
ASX 300 percentage laggard: Catalyst Metals, down 14.37 per cent. Confirm announcement context before publication.
AUD/USD: Approximately US$0.7118 late in the session.
Next catalyst: RBA policy decision on 29 September, oil-price volatility and offshore technology trading.
Australian shares finished higher on Tuesday, September 22, as a technology rally and lower oil prices outweighed weakness in energy companies and continued anxiety about domestic interest rates. The S&P/ASX 200 closed 25.9 points, or 0.30 per cent, higher at 8,757.8. The All Ordinaries gained 0.36 per cent to 8,951.0, while the All Technology index …
Continue reading “ASX Wrap: Technology lifts the ASX as falling oil relieves inflation pressure”
Once a sleepy surf town, Noosa has become Australia’s prestige property hotspot, where multi-million dollar knockdowns, architectural showpieces and record-setting sales are the new normal.
