Rolex Perpetual Padellone: A Calendar with a Different Rhythm

NEW RELEASE · SEPTEMBER 2026

The blue moon at six o’clock changes the conversation. With the new Perpetual Padellone, Rolex gives the eye something other than a timing bezel or a magnified date to settle on: a small celestial scene inside an unusually composed calendar dial.

Announced on 15 September 2026, the Padellone takes its name from the historical reference 8171. This new interpretation combines an annual calendar with day, date, month and moonphase displays in a 39 mm case. Everose gold and platinum versions give the design two distinctly different temperatures.

Read the dial from the outside in

A pointer date runs around the perimeter, while the day and month sit in paired windows near twelve. That arrangement interests us because it gives the information a clear geography. The edge handles the date; the top handles the calendar words; the lower half has room for the sky.

It also creates a useful contrast between reading and looking. The calendar asks for a brief, practical glance. The moonphase invites a longer one. A successful complicated watch can accommodate both without making every indication compete for the same level of attention.

Two metals, two moods

The Everose version pairs a white dial with either a Settimo bracelet or brown alligator strap. Platinum brings an ice-blue dial and black alligator. The photograph of the gold watch makes the bracelet’s small links an important part of the composition: their repeated highlights continue the visual activity beyond the case.

Our preference is the gold version on its bracelet. A calendar this traditional benefits from an element that feels closer to jewellery. The platinum alternative is cooler and more reserved in appearance. Neither choice can be reduced to the metal alone; the relationship between dial, case and bracelet decides the overall impression.

The distinction inside

Rolex’s automatic calibre 7190 operates at 5 Hz and offers approximately 66 hours of reserve. Its Haplos annual-calendar system distinguishes between 30- and 31-day months. An annual calendar still requires correction around the end of February; it should not be confused with a perpetual calendar.

That distinction is worth keeping in focus when considering any calendar watch. Additional complexity has value when its behaviour is understood. For some owners, an occasional adjustment is part of the pleasure. For others, the important question is how easy a watch will be to set after time away from the wrist.

A broader picture of Rolex

The Padellone’s appeal, to our eye, is that it invites a different kind of collecting conversation. Spend less time asking which familiar sports model it resembles and more time looking at the hierarchy of the dial, the warmth of the bracelet and the way the moon interrupts the otherwise orderly display.

Those are qualities that can sustain interest after the announcement has passed. The technical specification gives the watch substance. The arrangement of its information gives it character.

Source and photography: Rolex — official announcement and specifications. Images © Rolex. This article is editorial analysis of official photography and published specifications, not a hands-on review.