The night before our wedding, we'd had dinner and decided to take a walk through our favorite AD. I had no intention of buying anything, just a browse. I'd had my eye on the 114300 Oyster Perpetual, 39mm rhodium dial since Basel and this was the first time I'd seen it in person. Needless to say, two days later, it was mine.
Accessories and Box:
Being a new model for 2015, the 114300 comes with the Rolex 5 year warranty and green seal hang tag. The manuals and warranty card are held in the familiar Rolex sleeve which doesn't fit in the Rolex box. Why they don't make the box capable of holding all of the accessories and paperwork seems strange. The box itself isn't very fancy. They really don't need to be I guess, but for a nearly $6,000 watch, they could be better. I didn't photograph the warranty card because my AD is one of those that hold it for 30 days. Doesn't really bother me, I don't need it at the moment anyway.
Dial and Case:
This model shares the 39mm case from the 214270 Explorer, so it'll look familiar to those familiar with that model. They also share the ROLEXROLEX rehaut engraving. The proportions of the case are excellent and they've balanced it with lugs that are not too thick or thin. Nothing polarizing about the design, it's a safe all-rounder. There are currently 3 choices of dial, this one being the rhodium grey with blue indices. The blue and the grape dials are nice, but they didn't speak to me. There is just something classic about grey I guess. Rolex decided to break up the dial with lumed indices at the 3-6-9 position with an applied coronet at the top of the dial. All white gold of course. The lumed hands and indices glow well enough, but Rolex isn't known for their lume. The white fonts are crisp even under a higher-power loupe. I probably shouldn't have gone looking around on the dial with a loupe, because it usually reveals a flaw or two. In the case of this example, everything was in order, no dust or scratches to be found. I like the fact they chose a different font for the "SWISS MADE" text at the bottom of the dial. It's very similar to the original DSSD dial font. Having owned the Omega Aqua Terra twice, I found 39mm to be just about the perfect size for me. I think comparing the two models isn't a stretch since they're both very similar. The only real difference is that the Rolex lacks a date and the display back. The cyclops would have compromised the symmetry, and with such a large dial surface area, might have gotten lost a bit.
Movement:
The caliber 3132 manufacture movement is one of the top movements in the Rolex line. It comes with all the bells and whistles one would expect. The Paraflex Shock system and Parachrom hairspring are nice touches, especially since the Explorer is close to $1,000 more than the OP. Over the past few days, I haven't noticed any variation in the timing so it should be less than a second overall. I'm not too picky about accuracy when it comes down to fractions of seconds, not bad for a mechanical movement.
Bracelet:
The bracelet for me is bitter sweet. I love the engraved coronet on the clasp. Applied coronets always looked like an afterthought to me so I've always preferred this design. Previously it's showed up on the 114300 AirKing in 19mm and the 116000 36mm OP at 20mm. The 20mm version is known as a 70200 and doesn't have the Easy Link feature. This is fine for me, but a few people have have mentioned they like the flexibility of the Easy Link. Personally I'd never use it anyway. The one point that stands out to me on the bracelet, and watch as a whole, is that the inside of the clasp isn't finished to the degree of the rest of the bracelet. The parts are machined well, but they're a bit rough. Of course no one will ever see the mechanism, but at this price, I'd expect it to be a little better.
Overall Impressions:
A modern, 39mm, classically designed Rolex with one of their best movements to date, what's not to love? Rolex finally has an answer to the successful Aqua Terra while not only maintaining the classic lines of the Oyster Perpetual, but keeping a youthful appearance too. It'd be hard to find a situation where this watch wouldn't work. It'll dress up or down, casual or formal and everywhere in between. It doesn't give away anything to the more expensive models either. So if you're looking for that single Rolex, the 39mm Oyster Perpetual may be it.