Here we have it guys, the day many of us have been waiting for! It’s April 9, 2024, and Watches & Wonders is in full swing, Rolex has just unveiled their new offerings that many of us have been waiting months for.
As suspected in our Rolex prediction article here, the new offerings from the crown were very subdued. It’s difficult to compete with a year like the last that saw the ushering in of a series of new exciting Daytona references. What could really compete with that? Well, as we see now – not much really.
The Standouts
To start off, not only were the releases somewhat bland, but there weren’t many new models released to begin with. We’re looking at a total of six new watch iterations from various lines. The standout, and probably most interesting to watch enthusiast and collectors being the new GMT Master II with the black and grey bezel, now with a new green GMT hand reminiscent of the Ref. 116710LN from 2007. It’s available on both the Oyster and Jubilee bracelet, with the Jubilee adding some nice flash to what is now a more monochrome layout of the GMT Master II. Luckily the Pepsi and the Batman models have not been discontinued, but there was no introduction of the much anticipated “Coke”.
Beyond the GMT Master II Rolex has introduced a new Day Date with applied roman numerals, which looks great, but this style of markers has never really been a huge hit within the tightly knit enthusiast community. It’s available in rose gold, and will be up there in price at 39,800 CHF with the rest of the Day Date offerings.
A really nice 1908 in platinum with ice blue dial has been released, this will probably be a popular sleeper model as time goes on and people warm up to the new models. The metal and dial color concept here is very similar to the platinum Daytona with ice blue dial and brown bezel, which has always been extremely popular and sought after. The only issue with this new release is of course the starting price of 31,300 CHF due to the solid platinum case, which will exclude some buyers and keep this a premium offering.
Less Than Stellar
Last year the Daytona stole the spotlight, this year it underwhelms with the introduction of a full diamond bezel mother of pearl and diamond bezel. Yes you read that right, lots of diamonds happening here on the new Ref. 126589RBR, which can be someones cup of tea but certain won’t appease the majority. The good news is we still have the rest of the Daytona line to choose from, except the Le Mans limited edition which has now been discontinued – and was essentially unobtainable to begin with anyways.
My personal least favorite from this years 2024 releases is going to be the new Deepsea in yellow gold, simply because I can’t wear it – it’s too large and heavy at 44m. In practice the watch is beautiful and makes a serious statement with the striking blue dial kind of like the Submariner Bluesy Ref. 126613LB, but you’ll need quite the wrist size to wear this all day comfortably.
Last but not least, Rolex also released a new Sky-Dweller in Everose Gold and a rather neat looking slate grey dial. Fans of the Sky-Dweller could have their interests piqued with this new iteration, but again it’s another precious metal release that will limit interest and buyers.
For more details visit the official Rolex website here.
None are worth the exorbitant price. I just bought a Seiko 5 and Orient automatic for a total of 270 bucks and they are beautiful. Don’t waste your money.