Technically speaking, every watch produced by Rolex is an Oyster Perpetual. The name comes from the water-resistant “Oyster” case, which makes each watch water-resistant to at least 100 meters, and the self-winding “Perpetual” movement developed by the brand in the early 1930s. As a result, the model we commonly refer to as the “Sea-Dweller” is actually officially known as the “Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller” – and this is true for the vast majority of Rolex self-winding watches with water-resistant cases. 
However, there has always been a separate line of replica watches where everything extraneous is stripped away, leaving only three hands to tell the time, not even something as inconspicuous as a date display. This is officially the Rolex Oyster Perpetual, which is the brand’s cheapest and arguably most versatile offering. While the Oyster Perpetual represents the entry point to Rolex ownership, the model has become almost inaccessible at the retail level (like most stainless steel Rolex watches) after the series was updated in 2020.
While not on the scale of the Datejust or President, the fake Rolex Oyster Perpetual has been issued in a fairly wide selection of dial colors throughout its history. Moreover, along with the latest update for 2020, the bright and vibrant dial colors are the only reason the collection has seen such a big pop in the past few years. While there is some overlap throughout the collection, there are some that are dedicated to certain sizes.
There are a few that have become real favorites, especially the bright and colorful choices reminiscent of the vintage Stella dials found on the old Datejust and Day-Date watches. Turquoise blue and yellow are the most popular colors, with green and coral red following close behind. Like most of Rolex’s stainless steel watches, the current Oyster Perpetual collection is completely sold out at retailers, and select dial colors on the 36mm and 41mm models are selling for several times the original new retail price on the pre-owned market.
The result is a collection of watches that can be worn as both formal and casual wear, depending largely on the dial color chosen. If you choose a brightly colored dial, you’re at the sporty end of the spectrum, while softer tones will make your watch look more decent.
So, who exactly is the replica Rolex Oyster Perpetual for? While the brand is by far the most famous watchmaker in the world and has created some of the most collectible timepieces, many Rolex buyers are still people who just want a nice watch that they can wear every day for the rest of their lives. It has to be realistically priced, functional enough to go with anything, strong enough to be worn every day, and reliable enough to last several lifetimes.
