Earlier today we reported on the new Rolex Day-Date 40 watch release as soon as Rolex made the watch public, and now, we are following up with a hands-on with all versions of this new model. Having met Rolex today on the first day of Baselworld 2015 – which actually is a press day and not open to the public – not only could we see and photograph the new features on this latest release, but we also received detailed explanation about them. Let’s see, now, first-hand how the Rolex Day-Date 40 is new, and what it offers for those in the market for a dressier – albeit highly versatile – classic piece from the manufacture.
What wasn’t entirely clear at the time of the release but we now know for certain is that the Cheap Rolex Replica does, in fact, replace the Rolex Day-Date II, tuning the “DD” down ever so slightly from 41 to 40 millimeters wide. Rolex actually refers to the Day-Date as its “most prestigious model,” and so it is no wonder the latest and arguably greatest Rolex movement is making its debut in this updated collection as well. First things first, we will discuss the new looks and then go on to discover further details of the new Rolex 3255 caliber.
Rolex has debuted new dial options, where the patterns are created by laser etching a sunray finished dial, making for incredibly sharp and accurate lines – of different widths, depending on the model – running across the dials. The etching is subtle when it comes to depth; it is not like guilloché that results in deeper, more three-dimensional grooves on the dials. That is not at all to say the new Cheap Rolex dials lack depth, what you get instead is the mixture of the silvery, soft glow reflected by the fine sunray finishing, rendered more visually interesting by the laser etched lines which seem to stand out more or nearly completely disappear, depending on how the light falls on the dial. The overall experience is a dial that is beautiful to look at and is extremely versatile in its appearance – with the applied indices adding some extra volume and definition, also improving legibility.
The new Rolex Day-Date 40 comes with an updated “President bracelet” design. The updates concern the integration of the bracelet to the case which has come to a point where it appears as though the bracelet and the case have been machined from the same block of metal. More importantly, Rolex now uses ceramic inserts to hold the links together, a notable development, as the use of ceramic will prevent the so-called “stretch” of the bracelet that can be seen on older Rolex bracelets which have been put through decades of wear. What might happen is that the metal inserts traditionally used get worn, making the links sit further apart from one another – because chances are that most of these watches will be worn for decades to come, and it is over time that the stretching of the bracelet becomes more noticeable, these ceramic inserts, Rolex Replica Watches says, will perform better at keeping the links of the bracelet as tight as they were when new. Furthermore, on the platinum bracelet, Rolex noted that the movement of the links could get somewhat limited because of the nature of the metal – but that is also said to be a thing of the past, thanks to the extremely hard surfaces of the ceramic inserts.
Most all developments made to the 3255, we learned, were refinements both when it came to movement architecture as well as materials used – and these refinements did go a long way. The 3255 now has 70 hours power reserve – about 50% more than its predecessor – mainly achieved by a new escapement design as well as a new mainspring barrel whose walls are half as thick as before, allowing for the fitting of a larger mainspring – this latter development alone provides about 10 extra hours of power reserve.
What renders the new Cheap Rolex Replica particularly interesting is that at first sight, it may appear as though it were a minor update, bringing the Rolex Day-Date home by downsizing it by a marginal 1 millimeter in diameter. And yet, it actually accumulated a large number of subtle developments, all performed in an effort to further refine the overall wearing experience. That includes a new movement with hugely impressive, tested accuracy of -2 / +2 seconds per day, an improved bracelet design, as well as new, visually interesting – and of course very high-quality – dials and indices. The Rolex Day-Date 40, as a complete package, is interesting and its beauty is not just skin deep. Given that it is exclusively available in precious metals, I am curious to see when and how these developments will find their way to Rolex’s sportier watches like the Submariner or the GMT-Master II.