Rolex Teases "100 Years" Oyster Perpetual Days Before Watches and Wonders

A Centenary Teaser, Four Days Out

Rolex broke its usual pre-fair silence on April 10, 2026 with an Instagram post showing what appears to be a two-tone Oyster Perpetual marked "100 Years." The teaser arrives four days before the brand's traditional opening-day reveal at Watches and Wonders Geneva, which runs April 14 through 20.

The image, as reported by Luxury Bazaar, shows a watch in what looks like a yellow gold and stainless steel combination, the configuration Rolex calls Rolesor. No reference number, dial color, case size, or caliber has been confirmed. The post itself is the first official acknowledgment from Rolex that the centenary will be marked at all.

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What the Anniversary Actually Commemorates

The Oyster case is one of the foundational patents in modern watchmaking. Hans Wilsdorf filed Swiss patent CH120851 in 1926, describing a case in which the bezel, caseback, and crown all screw down against the middle case to create a hermetic seal. Before the Oyster, wristwatches were not reliably waterproof. After it, every serious sports and tool watch in the industry could trace its lineage back to Wilsdorf's screwed-down architecture.

The Oyster proved itself the following year. In 1927, the British swimmer Mercedes Gleitze crossed the English Channel wearing one around her neck, and Rolex turned the swim into a full-page advertisement in the Daily Mail with the line "the wonder watch that defies the elements." The original Gleitze watch sold at Sotheby's in 2025 for 1.73 million USD, an indication of how central the Oyster case remains to the brand's collector identity.

The self-winding Oyster Perpetual line arrived in 1931, when Rolex added the rotor-driven Perpetual mechanism to the existing Oyster case. The Oyster case turns 100 in 2026. The Oyster Perpetual line itself does not turn 100 until 2031. Rolex's choice to mark the case patent rather than the Perpetual movement is a point worth noticing.

What Rolex Has Not Said

Several details that collectors will want are missing from the teaser. The image quality and framing leave open several questions:

• Whether the watch is a 36mm or 41mm Oyster Perpetual
• Whether the steel is Oystersteel (904L) or a higher-spec finish
• Whether the dial carries a commemorative engraving or marking
• Whether the movement is the existing Caliber 3230 used in the smaller Oyster Perpetual references, or the Caliber 3235 used in the larger ones, or a new caliber developed for the centenary
• Whether the piece is a limited edition or a permanent catalog addition
• Pricing for any variant

Rolex does not typically pre-announce specifications. The brand's standard practice is to drop the full release at the start of Watches and Wonders without preamble. The April 10 teaser is a rare departure from that pattern, and the deliberate framing suggests the centenary release is significant enough to warrant building anticipation.

How This Fits the Rest of the 2026 Lineup

The Oyster centenary is one of three anniversary stories converging on Watches and Wonders this year. The Day-Date turns 70, and watch press has been speculating about a stone-dial 36mm anniversary edition for months. The Milgauss reaches its 70th anniversary as well, with predictions centered on a revival using the new Calibre 7135 Dynapulse. A teased Oyster Perpetual centenary now joins that list as the third anniversary lever Rolex has available to pull.

It is also worth noting that Tudor, founded by Hans Wilsdorf the same year the Oyster case was patented, marks its own centenary in 2026. The shared 1926 origin gives both brands a clean narrative hook for their April announcements, and a coordinated commemoration would be in character for a corporate group that rarely leaves heritage opportunities on the table.

What to Watch For on April 14

Rolex traditionally publishes its full novelty lineup at the start of the first professional day of Watches and Wonders. For 2026, that lands on Tuesday, April 14. The brand's track record with anniversary releases includes special dial materials, commemorative case-back engravings, and occasional limited production runs tied to milestone years.

For now, what is confirmed is narrow: a two-tone Oyster Perpetual exists in teaser form, the post identifies it with the "100 Years" mark, and Rolex chose to acknowledge the centenary publicly four days before the fair opens. Everything beyond that is speculation until the official release on April 14.