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Actor Kim Tae-ri drew attention after being spotted wearing a Rolex watch priced at around 10.36 million won ($7,360) during a trip to Japan. Rather than flashy jewelry, she chose a steel bracelet watch with a vivid green dial as her statement piece, pairing it with a knit hat in the same color family to tie her relaxed travel look together through a unified palette.
Kim recently shared several photos taken in Japan on her social media. In the images, a watch with a silver-toned case and bracelet and a green dial is visible on her left wrist.
The watch appears to be the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 in the green dial variant. According to Rolex's official website, the model features a 36mm Oystersteel case, and its current domestic retail price is 10.36 million won.
36mm green dial, 70-hour power reserve: Rolex at its most essential
The Oyster Perpetual stands out within the Rolex lineup for its stripped-down design. It forgoes additional features such as a date window or rotating bezel, relying instead on central hour, minute and second hands and simple indices. Rolex positions the collection as a model of classic, universal style.
The model Kim appears to be wearing measures 36mm in diameter — a size that works equally well for men and women. It carries more presence than a small ladies' watch without looking as bulky as a large sports timepiece.
The case and three-link bracelet are crafted from what Rolex calls Oystersteel, a 904L-series alloy the brand says offers exceptional corrosion resistance and a distinctive luster when polished. The bracelet features a folding Oysterlock clasp and an Easylink comfort extension system that allows roughly 5mm of length adjustment.
Inside sits Rolex's in-house automatic mechanical Calibre 3230. It winds via a Perpetual rotor that harnesses wrist movement and delivers a power reserve of approximately 70 hours when fully wound — enough, depending on conditions, to keep running from Friday evening through Monday.
Accuracy is rated at -2 to +2 seconds per day after casing. The movement also incorporates a blue Parachrom hairspring designed to resist magnetic interference and a Paraflex shock absorber. Water resistance to 100 meters and a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal give the watch a practical, everyday character that sets it apart from a dress watch.
At night, a Chromalight display emits a blue glow for improved legibility. Rather than elaborate complications, the Oyster Perpetual focuses on the fundamentals of a wristwatch: accuracy, water resistance, durability and readability.
Not just a coat of green paint: the dial built up in six layers of lacquer
The most eye-catching element of this model is its green dial. Kim reinforced the color by pairing the watch with a green knit bucket hat, repeating the same hue at both her wrist and her face.
According to Rolex, the Oyster Perpetual's green dial is built up by applying lacquer one coat at a time over a brass base, for a total of six layers, to achieve a uniform surface. The dial then goes through varnishing and polishing to bring out the color's depth and sheen, after which text is printed and hour markers and a crown are attached. It is, in short, a multi-stage manufacturing process rather than a simple coat of green paint.
The green dial also offers considerable styling versatility. It delivers a more distinctive color statement than a black or silver dial, yet the silver steel case and bracelet keep the overall impression from feeling overdone. Against wardrobe basics such as white, black or denim, the green reads as an accent; against earth tones like khaki, brown and beige, it blends in naturally.
Rather than matching accessories and clothing in the exact same shade, repeating a similar color at two separate points — such as a hat and a watch — creates a sense of cohesion across the whole look. This effect is especially useful in travel outfits, where simple clothing lets a small color accessory anchor the entire ensemble.
Waterproof 'Oyster,' self-winding 'Perpetual': the twin pillars of Rolex history
Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf introduced the waterproof Oyster wristwatch in 1926 and later developed the Perpetual rotor, which winds the mainspring automatically through wrist movement. The combination of the Oyster case and Perpetual self-winding technology lives on today in the name Oyster Perpetual.
The brand's roots go back further still. Wilsdorf founded a watch distribution company in London in 1905 and registered the Rolex name in 1908, going on to build the brand's identity around precision, water resistance and automatic winding.
rainbow@heraldcorp.com