Rolex had a problem. They’d discontinued the Celebration dial the most talked-about Oyster Perpetual in years and needed something to replace it for the centenary. What they came up with is the Jubilee dial, and critics are saying it’s even better.
The Jubilee motif has been part of Rolex’s history since the 1970s. It’s the Rolex name spelled out in small blocks across the entire dial one colour per letter, ten colours in total. It used to appear in a single colour on the Datejust, so subtle you’d barely notice it. Not anymore.
The new version on the Oyster Perpetual 36 is the most colourful watch Rolex has ever made. Each colour is printed to the dial individually, one layer at a time, and each process needs 8 hours to dry. It’s a painstaking process, adding time and value to the watch. Rolex use the same technique for their most expensive grand feu enamel dials, so on a watch with a starting price of $6,750 that’s a serious investment. And for Rolex, the house of understatement this watch looks like a party watch but it’s a serious bit of kit.
Why the Jubilee dial matters
The Oyster Perpetual has always been Rolex’s most democratic watch. It’s entry level, the cleanest and most accessible of what they do. Time only, no complications, no gold, just the Oyster case and a clean dial. When we say just the Oyster case, there’s no just about it. Read about 100 years of the Oyster case here.
For decades it sat quietly at the bottom of the catalogue, useful but unexciting. That changed in 2023 when the Celebration dial turned the Oyster Perpetual into the most wanted watch in the Rolex inventory. People were paying well over retail for a steel watch that cost under $7,000 at retail. Rolex discontinued it after one year.
The Jubilee dial is the follow-up, and it’s a smarter move. The Celebration was a new design invented for the occasion. The Jubilee is something Rolex already owned — a motif from their own archive, brought back and turned up to full volume. That’s a different kind of story, and collectors respond differently to it.
How they made it
Ten colours on a single dial sounds simple. It isn’t. Rolex applies each colour individually, one after another, layer by layer, ensuring every letter in the pattern sits in exactly the right position. The result is a dial that looks almost hand-painted — dense and intricate up close, graphic and bold from a distance.
The Jubilee dial is available across three sizes: 31mm, 36mm and 41mm. The 28mm and 34mm versions are left out, which keeps it feeling like a considered choice rather than a blanket rollout.
The centenary context
All of this is happening against the backdrop of the Oyster’s 100th anniversary. In 1926, Hans Wilsdorf patented the world’s first waterproof wristwatch case. To mark the centenary at Watches and Wonders 2026, Rolex released 22 new Oyster Perpetual configurations — the most expansive update to the collection in years.
The centenary model itself is relatively restrained — a slate grey dial with “100 years” at 6 o’clock where “Swiss Made” usually sits, and a crown engraved with “100”. For a brand that communicates in whispers, that’s practically a shout.
The Jubilee dial is the centenary’s loudest statement. Which is exactly the point.
What it will cost you
At retail, the Oyster Perpetual 36 with Jubilee dial is priced at $6,750 — identical to the standard model. The 41mm version comes in at $7,050. Given what happened with the Celebration dial, those prices are unlikely to hold on the secondary market for long.
Collectors will already be clocking this. The Jubilee has something the Celebration didn’t — it’s rooted in Rolex’s own visual heritage, which gives it a different kind of credibility. Expect waiting lists before the year is out.
Like this? Read Rolex and 100 years of the Oyster Perpetual and see everything else Rolex unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2026.
Subscribe to our newsletter here
