For decades Rolex's dress-watch line, the Cellini, sat awkwardly beside everything else the company made — good watches that nobody quite wanted. In 2023 Rolex replaced it with the Perpetual 1908, named for the year the Rolex trademark was registered, and got it right. We hold 6 of them from £24,000.
What it is
A 39mm precious-metal dress watch with a domed bezel, a fluted caseback that unscrews to reveal a sapphire display panel, and a leather strap with a Dualclasp folding buckle. It carries the calibre 7140 — a new movement built specifically for it, with a 66-hour reserve and a Syloxi silicon hairspring.
It is the first Rolex with an exhibition caseback available across a whole line, and the movement is finished to a standard Rolex has not previously shown the public.
What replaced what
The Cellini ran in various forms from 1928 and, in its final 2014 incarnation (50505, 50509, 50515, 50519), was a genuinely handsome watch that sold slowly. Our 22 Cellinis run from £3,950 to £14,250 and are, on any reasonable view, undervalued.
The 1908 does the same job with better proportions, a better movement and a visible one.
How it wears
At 39mm and under 10mm thick it slips under any cuff. The domed bezel and the "rice-grain" fluted caseback are the details that mark it as Rolex rather than generic dress watch; from the front it is restrained to the point of anonymity.
That restraint is the point. It is the only Rolex that does not announce itself at all.
The metals
Launched in 18ct yellow and white gold, joined by platinum with an ice-blue guilloché dial in 2024. There is no steel version and there is unlikely to be one — the 1908 exists to be a precious-metal watch.
Our 1908s run £24,000 to £32,500.
Should you buy one
If you own a Datejust and a sports watch and want a third that does something neither can — a genuine formal watch on a strap — the 1908 is the most convincing thing Rolex has made in that category in fifty years.
If you want value, buy a Cellini 50509 or 50519 instead. It is nearly the same watch for considerably less, and the market has not noticed yet.
The one caveat
Leather straps are consumable and Rolex straps are expensive. Budget for replacement every few years if you wear it often, and keep it away from water — the 1908 is rated to 50m, which means splashes, not swimming.
Browse the collection
See our Rolex 1908 stock from £24,000, or the outgoing Cellini from £3,950.
Frequently Asked Questions
It replaced the Cellini line but it is a new watch with a new movement.
No, and Rolex has given no indication there will be.
Yes — the fluted caseback unscrews to reveal a sapphire panel. A first for a Rolex line.
