The New Rolex Perpetual Padellone Finds Its Match in Michael Bublé
Esquire has exclusive photos of the Geneva-based maison's new watch on Michael Bublé's wrist. A meeting of icons of neoclassical elegance.
Published on Sep 18, 2026
Rolex launches a new watch with a distinctive neoclassical aesthetic. It's called the Rolex Perpetual Padellone and is the perfect style companion to the traditional elegance embodied by Michael Bublé, a Rolex ambassador for 20 years. Esquire has secured the exclusive for the story and image of this unprecedented combination of a great singer and an innovative timepiece. Presented at Milan's Palazzo Serbelloni with a gala dinner for top Rolex retailers from around the world, the new watch was celebrated with a special concert by Bublé.
The Rolex Perpetual Padellone has a 39mm case, inspired by a historic Rolex model from 1949, Ref. 8171, an absolute cult among collectors and the subject of million-dollar auctions. The new model is a contemporary addition to the Perpetual collection, eagerly awaited by enthusiasts of horological complications.
Indeed, the Rolex Perpetual Padellone is a complete instantaneous annual calendar . So, with hours, minutes, seconds, date (indicated by the blue hand with a half-moon tip), day of the week, month and moon phases (with meteorite moons) placed at 6 o'clock. Refined, understated, yet equally incisive, it is a watch with an excellent balance between the thickness (12.20) and the size of the case.
It owes its name, Padellone , to the idea of a very large case (the original was 38 mm, not 39), which resembled a large frying pan by the aesthetic standards of the era in which the first model was conceived. Today, however, it is the highest-performance size on the market.
There are three models: two in 18-karat Everose gold with a white grained dial and a brown alligator strap or Settimo bracelet; one in 950 platinum with an ice blue grained dial and a black alligator strap. The transparent case back offers a view of the movement, a Rolex manufacture caliber 7190, a bidirectional self-winding mechanical movement with 30 patents.
Esquire has created an exclusive shoot, which we share with the 27 editions of Esquire around the world, involving Michael Bublé directly in the story of the Rolex Perpetual Padellone.
This story originally appeared on Esquire.com/it. Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.
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