Rolex Datejust 36mm with Fluted Motif

IT'S FLUTED!

THE NEW DIAL CONJURES UP

A FAMILIAR ROLEX DESIGN

By DANNY CRIVELLO

This year Rolex unveiled new versions of its Oyster Perpetual Datejust 36, including one with a fluted dial motif. When I spoke to a Rolex rep about the new watch motif, she told me the dial design mimics the pattern found on the fluted bezel, which has become one of the brand’s signature aesthetic styles. So the new dial was essentially inspired from the well-known Rolex bezel.

Transposing the famous fluted pattern to someplace other than the bezel of a Datejust or Sky-Dweller is not new for Rolex. You could say it was hiding in plain sight. When I was invited by Rolex to the last Baselworld, in 2019, the fluted motif was already adorning the walls inside the booth. 

The Rolex Dubai boutique, the biggest Rolex boutique in the world, is also invoking the fluted motif. 

 

In this video, Emkwan takes us on an incredible tour inside that boutique—and it's amazing!

Rolex just announced it would redesign its existing home on the corner of 5th Avenue and 53rd Street in New York, which it has occupied since the 1970s. The new 25-story high-rise, which looks like five cubes stacked on top of each other, will also have the corrugated windows that use the fluted motif.