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Baselworld 2014: hands on review of the Rolex Cellini Dual Time
May 02, 2014,02:52 AM
2014 is without any doubt a milestone year
for Rolex because for the first time for many years, the Manufacture
gives the proof of a true ambition on the segment of the dress watches
with the presentation of a new Cellini collection (12 watches for 3
models, 2 materials and 2 dials). This is certainly not the first
promising foray of Rolex in this segment in recent years. After all, the
Cellini Prince watches are quite successful thanks to their inspiration
from the Prince of the 20s and their off-centered dials. But these
Cellini Prince are rectangular watches and the potential of customers
remain very small compared to that of round
watches.
Personally, I have always found extremely
bland the round Cellini including the Cellinium, the most famous of the
collection. It gives the feeling that Rolex, yet totally comfortable
with the Oyster, is struggling to find the right recipe for its more
elegant watches. The proof is that I find it hard to define what are the
key elements of style of the round Cellini watches today since they
don't have a true identity and they don't share a lot of common points.
It is not surprising that customers go to other brands that are
perceived as references in the segment. Rolex could not allow this
situation to continue because in a highly competitive market, it is very
positive to add any new growth vector. These new Cellini are part of
this strategic approach that aims to restore Rolex credibility in this
segment while expanding its offer.
The
Cellini collection which has just been unveiled at Basel consists of
three watches: the Cellini Time, a 3 hands piece with a central seconds
hands, the Cellini Date proposing the date display with a hand housed in
a sub-dial located at 3:00 and the most interesting (at least for me)
of the collection, the Cellini Dual Time which features a second 24
hours timezone display. Each watch is available in rose gold or white
gold with a black dial or white dial. If we compare these new watches
with the other round watches of the Cellini collection (What will be
their future by the way?), the improvement is obvious: undoubtedly,
Rolex sends a strong signal and affirms its convincing return to the
world of dress watches. Several reasons explaining this success can be
given.
Firstly,
Rolex managed to build a coherent collection: the 3 watches share many
details like the case diameter (39mm), a two-level bezel whose lower
part is fluted, also a fluted crown, applied long indexes and logo
without forgetting the full slightly domed solid caseback. The feeling
to belong to the same family is accentuated between Cellini Date and
Dual Time due to the use of a sunburst guilloche dial, the famous
"rayons flammé de la gloire."
Then, Rolex has created
a kind of aesthetic link with some Oyster watches by the re-use of
subtle details. The fluted bezel and crown fall into this category. By
observing for the first time these new Cellini, even we hide the logo of
the brand, we can guess that they are Rolex watches. This seems trivial
but this use of codes of the brand will certainly be a success factor.
On the opposite, for example, it is absolutely impossible to know that
Rolex is behind the current Cellini
offer.
The perceived quality contributes
naturally to the positive feelings generated by this new collection. The
case is perfectly designed with the two levels bezel which provides us
wth a beautiful visual effect. The applied indexes and numerals bring a
touch of energy to the different dials: it emanates from these watches a
balance, a harmony, a classic charm without sinking them into boredom.
And of course, the last asset which comes to my mind is the trust that
the Rolex name embodies. No question to ask about the reliability or
accuracy of the movement with Rolex, they are basic features of any
caliber coming from the Manufacture. The movement that powers the new
collection is derived from the 31xx family as evidenced by the presence
of blue spiral Parachrom and we find logically its standard performance
with a frequency of 4 Hz and a power reserve of 48 hours.
The
balance seems clearly on the positive side by combining a more
ambitious and rejuvenated aesthetic approach with all the quality
criteria of the brand. The new Cellini appear to be highly desirable
watches ready to mark the segment with the Rolex footprint. However, I
think that our vision, our feeling are a little disturbed by the fact
that they are such a step forward compared to current Cellini that we
can see them more beautiful than they actually
are.
Let's take for example my favorite of the
collection: the Dual Time. Here comes a watch that has a useful
complication (a second time zone display) and which deals with it
cleverly and effectively. The second time zone is displayed in a
sub-dial at 6 o'clock that incorporates on its left side a small window
with a day and night indicator. The second timezone hour is easy to
adjust with a simple handling of the crown and readable without
difficulty: the complication is handy and useful, all the Rolex spirit
is there.
But
I expect more from Rolex on this topic: I would have imagined such a
display that could handle countries like India ... or even Nepal which
have timezones with gaps of several quarters. I do believe that for such
an innovative brand like Rolex it is pity to get on this watch a second
timezone display with just a "hour step" and not not a "quarter step".
Even the competition is now able to provide finer adjustments of the
second time display. I'm always thinking about India and its half hour
gap: brands have to take more consideration to this country which
represents now a huge potential of growth for the watch industry due to
its population.
Moreover I would like to
know what Rolex is capable when it comes to movements decoration. If the
technical finishing of Rolex movements is excellent, these new Cellini
would have been able to give an opportunity, like the Cellini Prince
which have see-through casebacks, to unveil their wheels and bridges and
to go further with the decorative aspect. The caseback is solid (its
slightly domed "vintage" style is definitely nice) and I felt a kind of
frustration when I turned over the watch. On this segment, customers
like to enjoy the sight of a beautifully decorated movement. If the
solid caseback makes perfect sense on an Oyster, does it have the same
role, the same importance with these Cellini? Can a 50 meters
waterproofness justify it? I obviously understand the policy of Rolex
that it is always oriented towards performance and efficiency. But a
brand, in this context, has to be able to shake its principles just to
escape from the logic box.
Finally,
the new Cellini including this Dual Time leave me a slight feeling of
incompleteness. They clearly are a big improvement when compared to the
current Cellini collection, they are distinguished by their charm, their
balance. Their case diameter (39mm) is ideal in this context. However, I
feel that Rolex could have gone further in the technical or decorative
territories.
But let's stop complaining! The Rolex
quality remains, and also the power of attraction of the brand. I'm sure
these 3 watches, with their undeniable strengths, will find their place
in the segment of elegant watches. Taking into account the "firepower"
of Rolex, these Cellini represent now a strong competition for brands
which are not used to find the "famous crown" in front of
them.
I would like to thank a lot the Rolex team for
the warm welcome at Baselworld 2014.
Pros:
+
At last, Rolex unveils convincing round Cellini!
+ An ideal
size (39mm)
+ The quality of execution (case, dial)
+
The readability of the second timezone display
+ The
reliability and precision of
movement
Cons:
- The solid caseback in this
context
- I would have expected an adjustement of the second
timezone display with a precision by quarters to be able to handle
countries like India or Nepal
This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2014-05-03 09:19:13