Stemming from Rolex's eventual acceptance of the idea that some of their customers would like to own a second watch, the Rolex Cellini collection is perhaps one of the brand's most understated. A dress watch at heart, the Cellini departs from Rolex's typically rugged design cues and enters the world of soft sophistication. Combining precious metal constructions with leather straps and elegantly designed dials, the Cellini collection is the dress watch epitomized. In that same vein, the Rolex Ladies Cellini ref. 4081 that we have here is an intensely understated example of the Cellini collection, embodying its ethos as a watch that refrains from bringing too much attention to itself by excluding any sort of embellishments, such as complications, diamonds, or an intricate dial. Measuring 25.5mm in diameter and sporting a thin subtly engraved bezel, a manual-wind cal. 1601 movement, and thin lugs, this ref. 3879 distils the very essence of what a dress watch should be through traditional design elements that are intensely refined and classical. Boasting green Arabic script at 6 o’clock for Qaboos bin Said al Said, the former Sultan of Oman, this timepiece is not only aesthetically wonderful, but historically significant as a watch that was ordered by the Sultan of Oman directly from Rolex, either for the Sultan’s collection, or to be gifted.

An example of how careful design can enhance a small watch's presence on the wrist, this Ladies Cellini example uses an elegantly engraved bezel and subtle green Arabic script to differentiate itself from other ladies dress watches.