Rolex revives a collector legend with the Perpetual Padellone
The Perpetual Padellone draws its name from the coveted reference 8171 while introducing an instantaneous complete annual calendar to Rolex’s modern Perpetual collection.
2 min
Rolex has reached into one of the most fascinating corners of its archive for a watch that expands the brand’s contemporary Perpetual collection.
The new Perpetual Padellone takes its name from reference 8171, the complete-calendar Rolex known to collectors by the Italian nickname “Padellone”. The historical model is celebrated for its unusual combination of calendar information, moonphase display and elegant proportions—qualities that distinguished it from the sports watches now most closely associated with the marque.
The modern interpretation displays the date, day, month and moonphase alongside the time. Rolex describes the mechanism as an instantaneous complete annual calendar, meaning its indications are designed to change in a coordinated fashion while requiring correction only for the calendar’s exception periods, subject to the operating instructions.
Its importance lies not simply in adding another complication. Rolex’s current identity is built on refinement through repetition: familiar cases, bracelets and functions improved across generations. A Padellone-inspired calendar broadens that vocabulary and gives collectors a dressier, more poetic counterpoint to the brand’s professional models.
The challenge will be expectation. Any watch invoking reference 8171 arrives under the weight of auction history and collector mythology. The strongest modern revivals acknowledge that past without reproducing it mechanically. Rolex’s official description points to that balance, positioning the watch as a continuation of the earlier model’s spirit rather than a replica.
Australian price, allocation and delivery will be crucial. Demand for significant new Rolex references typically exceeds immediate supply, and availability can vary between authorised dealers. Prospective buyers should treat overseas pricing or secondary-market premiums cautiously until local retail information is confirmed.
For now, the Perpetual Padellone stands as one of Rolex’s most intellectually interesting recent releases: a technically ambitious watch that reminds collectors the company’s history extends well beyond the dive watch and chronograph.
Fact box
Model: Rolex Perpetual Padellone
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, date, day, month and moonphase
Complication: instantaneous complete annual calendar
Historical inspiration: Rolex reference 8171, nicknamed Padellone
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The Swiss watchmaker’s first collaboration with Atlassian Williams F1 Team produces two sporting Laureato models inspired by the team’s 2026 racing car.
3 min
Girard-Perregaux has revealed the first watches created through its partnership with Atlassian Williams F1 Team, bringing the British racing team’s colours to one of Switzerland’s most recognisable integrated-bracelet designs.
The collaboration comprises two 42mm steel watches: the time-and-date Laureato Williams Edition and the more technical Laureato Chronograph Williams Edition.
Both retain the familiar architecture of the Laureato, including its octagonal bezel, integrated bracelet and mix of polished and satin-finished surfaces. The influence of Williams is comparatively restrained, appearing through colour, discreet branding and details inspired by the team’s current Formula 1 car.
It is a welcome departure from the oversized logos and literal automotive references that can characterise motorsport watches.
The Williams FW48 inspires the dial
The centrepiece of both models is a blue Clous de Paris dial informed by the livery of the Williams FW48, the car being campaigned by the team during the 2026 Formula 1 season.
A small Williams “W” replaces the conventional marker at 12 o’clock, while the team emblem appears on the sapphire crystal caseback. Red accents echo the keyline used on the FW48 without overwhelming the established Laureato design.
The three-hand model offers the quieter interpretation. Baton-shaped, rhodium-plated hands and hour markers are filled with white-emitting luminescent material, while a date window sits at three o’clock.
The chronograph creates a more obvious connection with motorsport. Three subdials are framed by rhodium-plated rings, with red appearing on the small-seconds hand and the tip of the central chronograph seconds hand.
Both watches measure 42mm across and are water resistant to 100 metres. The standard Laureato has a case thickness of 10.68mm, while the additional mechanics of the chronograph increase its profile to 12.16mm.
Two in-house automatic movements
The Laureato Williams Edition is powered by Girard-Perregaux’s self-winding GP01800 calibre. The movement provides hours, minutes, central seconds and the date, with a minimum power reserve of 54 hours.
The Laureato Chronograph Williams Edition uses the automatic GP03300 calibre, which combines its chronograph functions with a date display and offers a minimum power reserve of 46 hours.
Both movements operate at 28,800 vibrations per hour and can be viewed through their sapphire crystal casebacks.
Their decoration provides a more traditional counterpoint to the Formula 1 association. Finishing techniques include Côtes de Genève, circular graining, bevelling, mirror polishing, satin finishing, engraving and snailing.
The result is less about reproducing the appearance of a racing car than identifying the common ground between two mechanical disciplines: precision, incremental development and the considerable work hidden beneath the finished product.
Parallel histories
The timing of the partnership draws attention to the remarkably similar ages of its two protagonists.
Girard-Perregaux introduced the original Laureato in 1975, establishing an integrated-bracelet sports watch with a distinctive octagonal bezel. Williams entered Formula 1 two years later in 1977.
Both have evolved continuously across the five decades since. The Laureato has moved through different sizes, materials and complications, while retaining its central design language. Williams, meanwhile, has remained one of Formula 1’s most historically significant teams.
That gives the collaboration greater credibility than a simple licensing exercise. Girard-Perregaux and Williams are not being connected solely through the familiar language of speed. Their stronger link is a shared dependence on engineering, testing and the accumulation of specialist knowledge.
The watches are described as the beginning of a longer collaboration, suggesting further Williams editions may follow.
Girard-Perregaux’s international website lists the Laureato Williams Edition at US$16,200 and the Laureato Chronograph Williams Edition at US$20,900. Australian pricing has not been announced.
Specifications
Girard-Perregaux Laureato Williams Edition 42mm
Reference: 81010-11-3680-1GM
Case: Steel
Diameter: 42mm
Thickness: 10.68mm
Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Dial: Blue Clous de Paris pattern
Movement: Automatic GP01800
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds and date
Power reserve: Minimum 54 hours
Water resistance: 100 metres
Bracelet: Integrated steel bracelet with triple-folding clasp
International price: US$16,200
Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Williams Edition 42mm
Reference: 81020-11-3681-1GM
Case: 904L steel
Diameter: 42mm
Thickness: 12.16mm
Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Dial: Blue Clous de Paris pattern with three chronograph counters
Movement: Automatic GP03300
Functions: Chronograph, hours, minutes, small seconds and date
Power reserve: Minimum 46 hours
Water resistance: 100 metres
Bracelet: Integrated 904L steel bracelet with triple-folding clasp
International price: US$20,900
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