Watches & Wonders just started today in Geneva and we’ve already been introduced to a slew of new references and model lines — and that’s just from Rolex itself. Aside from announcing the demise of the Cellini dress watch (which has found its successor) and the lightning bolt-handed Milgauss (which has not), the Swiss icon has unveiled a handful of newness, and we’ve got you covered, providing highlights from across the board.
Cosmograph Daytona 60th Anniversary
Celebrating 60 years of the Cosmograph Daytona, Rolex has decided to bring a bunch of updates to its legendary racing chronograph. For starters, the hour markers and subdials have been redesigned and resized. Also, the cases — available in the same 40mm size and material options — have been slightly redesigned as well to reflect light differently, especially the ceramic bezels which feature metallic edges. The biggest change, however, comes with the 950 platinum case version, which features a display caseback for the first time ever on a Rolex Oyster case, through which you can view the brand-new in-house Caliber 4131 movement.
Oyster Perpetual “Celebration” Edition
Perhaps the most visually memorable of the new Rolexes is the colorful Oyster Perpetual edition, which nods to the five colors introduced to the line in 2020. This new dial — within either 31mm, 36mm, or 41mm Oystersteel cases — features a lot of bubbles in all five colors in front of a turquoise dial and is powered by either the Caliber 2232 or Caliber 3230 movement.
Explorer 40
Rolex introduced a reduced 36mm case for the popular Explorer tool watch, which meant the demise of the popular 39mm size. Now, the brand has bumped the case back up once again, but for the first time, it’s taken it all the way to 40mm.
Yacht-Master 42
Before now, if you wanted to experience Rolex’s new proprietary RLX titanium material on a dive watch, you would’ve had to get yourself a monstrous 50mm version of the Deepsea Challenge. Based on a prototype from a few years back, the brand has debuted a Yacht-Master featuring RLX titanium on the case and bezel, and in a much humbler (and more wearable) 42mm case size.
Sky-Dweller
One of the simpler reveals from Watches & Wonder comes from the Sky-Dweller travel watch range. We get an upgraded movement (now featuring a Caliber 9002), new dial variants in blue and green, and the return of the 18k white gold case, which is paired with a black dial here and an Oysterflex bracelet for the first time.
GMT-Master II
A new two-tone bezel gets added to the GMT-Master II travel watch range, with either 18k yellow gold or yellow Rolesor case options. The Cerachrom bezel insert features alternating colors in black and gray ceramic, as well as a 24-hour display with an accompanying hand, also made from 18k yellow gold.
Perpetual 1908
With the retirement of the Cellini, Rolex has already found its replacement in the new Perpetual collection. Named after the year that Rolex registered the trademark for its name in Switzerland, the debut model will be called 1908. Some would say 39mm is too big for a dress watch but the beautiful vintage aesthetic of the timepiece should make up for any detractors. Available in 18k yellow gold or 18k white gold, the dress watches will be powered by a Caliber 7140 movement, visible through the caseback.
