Rolex is not just a brand, it’s an industry. With CHF 10 billion in revenue, 1.24 million watches sold, more than 30% market share, demand outstripping supply, an investment that has returned better than financial instruments, every new product launch by the brand at Watches and Wonders is eagerly followed by trade, media and public. With such high sentiments attached to the brand, Rolex watches often pick up nicknames such as Coke, Pepsi, and Sprite and even fetch insane returns at auctions for watches named after film stars, because they wore them once. For example, legendary actor Paul Newman wore a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, gifted by his wife, Joanne Woodward. The timepiece later earned the moniker ‘Paul Newman’ Daytona.
No one at Watches and Wonders misses a presentation by Rolex on the new launches. This year was no exception when the brand stunned the world with the heaviest watch to go deep sea and the famed jubilee bracelet fitted for the first time with the Sky-Dweller.
Here are the super six timepieces launched by Rolex in 2024.
1. Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea
The heaviest watch to date, weighing 332 grams, Rolex unveiled the Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea, engineered to shine into the ocean depths up to 3900 metres (12,800 feet). The watch, presented in 18 ct yellow gold for the first time, has a 60-minute graduated Cerachrom bezel insert in blue ceramic and a blue lacquer dial bearing the name ‘Deepsea’ in powdered yellow. The watch also boasts a high-performance Cerachrom ceramic compression ring within the Ringlock system. The compression resistance and anti-deformation properties of this high-tech material contribute to the water-resistance of the watch. The Rolex Deepsea is also equipped with calibre 3235, a robust proprietary calibre by Rolex that displays the date as well as the hours, minutes and seconds. Like all Rolex watches, the Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea carries the Superlative Chronometer certification, a symbol of superior performance.
Price: INR 45,57,000
2. Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona
Rolex has always been bullish about the Cosmograph Daytona. Crafted in 18 ct white gold and a bezel set with 36 brilliant-cut diamonds, Rolex presented two new precious versions of the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona distinctive for their contrasting dial made from natural mother-of-pearl and graced with eight diamonds and three Chromalight hour markers. These timepieces are the perfect balance of precision and preciousness. The first version, fitted on an Oysterflex bracelet, features a dial in white mother-of-pearl with chronograph counters in black mother-of-pearl. The colour combination is reversed on the second watch, which has an Oyster bracelet and a black mother-of-pearl dial with white mother-of-pearl counters.
Price: INR 53,75,000
3. Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller
Jubilee bracelet makes an appearance for the first time in Rolex’s suave and distinguished offering for global travellers, the Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller. Rolex presented two new 18 ct gold versions of the Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller. The first version is crafted in 18 ct Everose gold and features a slate dial, while the second, is in 18 ct yellow gold and an intense white dial. The Jubilee bracelets are equipped with Oysterclasp, the clasp traditionally used on the Sky-Dweller. The new watch is equipped with the advanced and sophisticated calibre 9002 that enables display of the date and the month, as well as an additional time zone in 24-hour format.
Price: INR 45,39,000 (Everose Gold)
4. Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II
Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II displays much more than just an alternative time zone, and now it is available in two new Oystersteel versions. The two new models continue to feature a 24-hour graduated two-colour Cerachrom bezel insert in grey and black ceramic. The graduation is visible thanks to its platinum coating, applied via PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition). The first watch is fitted with an Oyster bracelet, while the second sports a Jubilee bracelet. The black lacquer dial bears the inscription ‘GMT-Master II’ in green, echoing the colour of the triangle-tipped 24-hour hand, the strongest design element associated with the model. The GMT-Master II is driven by calibre 3285, a movement that displays the date and an additional time zone in 24-hour format, as well as the hours, minutes and seconds.
Price: INR 9,35,000
5. Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date
The new versions of the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date express the brand’s enduring desire to introduce colours, materials, motifs, and hour markers, each element that contributes to the harmony of the new combinations. A beautiful ombré dial makes its debut on the Day-Date 40. The version presented, in 18 ct Everose gold, introduces slate ombré – a completely new hue for such a dial – along with faceted, deconstructed Roman numerals and faceted index hour markers in 18 ct pink gold. The manufacture of these dials with a concentric gradient involves the application of black lacquer, a delicate operation overseen by a specialist, whose task is to ensure the harmonious transition from colour to darkness.
A second new version of the Day-Date 40, crafted from 18 ct white gold, features a dial made of pearlized white mother-of-pearl. This natural material is used on the model for the very first time. Extracted from the oldest and noblest part of the oyster shell, pearlized mother-of-pearl has a subtle, rich structure whose irregular texture evokes tiny overlapping clouds and gives a sense of volume. On the version presented, the shimmer of the mother-of-pearl is further enhanced by the ten baguette-cut diamonds set onto the dial as hour markers.
Price: INR 36,31,000
6. Rolex Perpetual 1908
Finally, the visual masterpiece of a watch! Light bounces off the raised pattern on the dial, producing a variety of reflections with every movement of the wrist. Rolex first introduced the Perpetual 1908 in 2023. This year, the watch was presented in 950 platinum and graced with an ice blue dial featuring a guilloche rice-grain motif. This design is distinctive for its three-dimensional, repeating geometric pattern that extends across the surface of the dial, starting from the small seconds counter at 6 o’clock. The minute track is surrounded by a filet sauté with a crimped pattern, which is also achieved by guilloché. The watch presented is mounted on a brown alligator leather strap fitted with a Dualclasp, a double folding clasp. The 1908 is equipped with calibre 7140 that features bridges decorated with Rolex Côtes de Genève and a cut-out oscillating weight and display the small seconds, as well as the hours and minutes.
Price: INR 26,51,000
