Rolex Cellini Moonphase

How to describe the Rolex Cellini Moonphase in just three words? Timeless, noble, and elegant: That's how. Just one look at the line, and it's obvious that the classy Cellini is looking to surpass world-renowned stainless Rolex sports watches like the Submariner and find an audience witting of tradition.

Rolex has used the name Cellini for various timepieces since the brand's early days, but only since the early 1960s has a collection carried this moniker. The individual watches and the collection are named after the Italian sculptor and goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571), one of the most important artists of the Italian Renaissance.

At Baselworld 2017, Rolex introduced the Cellini Moonphase (ref. 50535), the first Cellini to have a moon phase display. Especially noteworthy here is that this was the first Rolex timepiece since the 1950s to feature this complication.

Rolex announced in the spring of 2023 that it would discontinue the Cellini and replace it with the Perpetual 1908. This move is expected to result in a significant increase in the value of copies of the Cellini already on the open market.

The Cellini Moonphase case is made of Rolex's proprietary rose gold alloy, Everose, and measures 39 mm in diameter. The most striking feature at first glance is the watch's double bezel, the first element of which is cambered, the second elegantly fluted. This makes the Cellini Moonphase the only timepiece in the Rolex lineup to not have an Oyster case.

The moon phase display features a full moon made of meteorite at 6 o'clock and boasts an impressively low deviation – just one day every 122 years. This level of accuracy is made possible by the watch's chronometer-certified, in-house caliber 3195 with a moon phase module, in which the drive for the moon phase display is integrated into the gear train. This sets the caliber apart from other moon phase movements where the moon phase display is adjusted once a day by means of the date function.

Technically, the lunar disc turns on its axis once for every phase of the moon. The current phase is indicated by a small arrow at 12 o'clock on the moon phase window. When the moon is directly under the arrow, the moon is full. The movement also offers a date display by means of a central hand, with days of the month printed on the outer edge of the dial. The dial itself is lacquered white, and the narrow line indices are in Everose gold. The look is refined with a set of filigree gold dauphine hands.

The Rolex Cellini Moonphase comes on a brown alligator leather strap with a Crownclasp, i.e., a folding buckle made of Everose gold featuring the Rolex crown. The Cellini Moonphase is the first Rolex watch to feature this clasp on a leather strap.

If you're looking to invest in a Rolex Cellini Moonphase, plan to spend around 30,000 USD (as of April 2023). The model has performed well in recent years: In April 2021, the watch would have set you back about 24,500 USD, meaning prices for the Cellini Moonphase increased by approximately 23% over a two-year period.