Rolex Oyster Perpetual Two Tone

Why We Love It Rolex Oysters come in a myriad of shapes and sizes, and we love them all. This particular example, a Reference 14233, features an attractive Two Tone case and Oyster bracelet, and is fitted with a gold sunburst dial and fluted yellow gold bezel, definitely checking the boxes for that perfect balance between dress and casual usability. Slightly smaller than your average 1600/0 Series Datejust, the 14233 is sized at 35mm is wearable by ladies and gents alike, or makes for a great choice for the young and smaller-wristed collector. Best of all, Rolexes of this era are the last to feature Tritium luminescent elements, meaning that the plots of lume on the dial will age beautifully to a rich cream color, further amplifying the timeless charm of the piece! The Story While the name Rolex Oyster Perpetual doesn't designate a particular model or line, it does signify a couple of things. First, that the watch will have the trademark Rolex Oyster case. Second, that the movement beating inside that Oyster case will be Rolex's famed Perpetual movement. Rolex first patented the Oyster case in 1925, but the quest for a waterproof and dust-proof case began shortly before the First World War. The cases of the Great War and the early 1920s came in two or three pieces with an inner case that shielded the movement (then a manual-wind movement) from the wet, dusty conditions of the battlefield. The Oyster case of 1925 represented the culmination of ten years of development. It gained notoriety in 1927, when Mercedes Gleitze became the first British woman to swim across the English Channel, wearing - you guessed it - a Rolex. A series of advertisements followed, featuring smiling flappers holding their Rolexes in fishtanks. As with the Oyster case, the Perpetual movement saw many iterations before finally being perfected in the 1930s. Rolex's first automatic movement quietly debuted in 1931, without the fanfare that followed the introduction of the Oyster case. The movement was met with some consternation from purists who decried the "extreme novelty" of a self-winding watch. Nevertheless, Rolex could see that they had struck gold with the Perpetual movement. They continued to develop and improve it over the years, establishing a line of watches that would stand as an alternative to Rolex's sportier models.