Everything You Need to Know About the Latest Rolex Releases at Watches and Wonders 2024

This year's releases by Rolex highlight a stunning blend of technical precision and historical elegance across a range of collections including the Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II, the Perpetual 1908, and more. GMT India delves into the brand’s newest innovations that breathe new life into iconic Rolex models.

OYSTER PERPETUAL GMT-MASTER II

Originally crafted for travellers, the GMT-Master has grown into a global icon. It boasts a distinctive bidirectional rotatable bezel with a 24 hour insert in various colours. Evolving into the GMT-Master II, it now allows independent setting of the hour hand. Equipped with traditional hands and a 24-hour hand, along with a rotatable bezel, it displays two time zones at once, synchronised with the date.

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At W&W 2024, Rolex introduced two new Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II models in tough Oystersteel. Both sport a unique 24 hour Cerachrom bezel in grey and black ceramic, with platinum coating for better visibility. One model comes with an Oyster bracelet, the other sports a Jubilee bracelet. The black lacquer dial proudly displays 'GMT-Master II' in green, matching the iconic green 24-hour hand. The 40mm Oyster case is built for resilience, guaranteeing water resistance up to 100 metres. Crafted from solid Oystersteel, its middle case boasts detailed fluting and a sealed case back. The Triplock winding crown, with its triple waterproofness system and integrated crown guard, securely seals against the case. Its scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, featuring a Cyclops lens at 3 o'clock for easy date reading, is coated to minimise reflections, ensuring maximum movement protection.

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The GMT-Master II is powered by the advanced calibre 3285, enabling date display and a second 24-hour time zone, in addition to hours, minutes, and seconds. Its self-winding Perpetual rotor ensures an impressive 70 hour power reserve, attributed to its efficient barrel design and escapement.

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OYSTER PERPETUAL DAY-DATE

Rolex introduced new versions of the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40 and Day-Date 36 with meticulously-crafted dials.

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The Day-Date 40 debuts with ombré dials featuring a slate hue transitioning to deep black, alongside faceted Roman numerals and index hour markers in 18ct pink gold, a design continuation from the 1980s. The intricate process involves skilled application of black lacquer for the gradient effect.

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A second Day-Date 40 variant, in 18ct white gold, showcases a dial made of pearlised white mother-of-pearl for the first time, accented by baguette-cut diamonds.

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The Day-Date 36 now presents faceted Roman numerals and index hour markers, previously exclusive to the Day-Date 40. New variants include a white lacquer dial in 18ct yellow gold and a blue-green dial in 18ct Everose gold adorned with diamonds, the latter featuring a bezel set with trapeze-cut diamonds, a first for this model. Both models house caliber 3255 whose 70-hour power reserve enables precise timekeeping including day, date, hours, minutes, and seconds.

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The Day-Date 40 and 36 models are fitted on a President bracelet. In Everose gold, it complements the Day-Date 40 with a slate ombré dial and the Day-Date 36 with a blue-green dial. White gold complements the Day-Date 40 with a pearlised white mother-of-pearl dial, while yellow gold matches the Day-Date 36 with a white lacquer dial. The bracelet features a discrete Crownclasp and Rolex's patented ceramic inserts for added flexibility and durability.

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PERPETUAL 1908

Introduced as part of Rolex's Perpetual collection in 2023, the 1908 timepiece pays homage to the brand's rich heritage, taking its name from the year 'Rolex' was first coined by Hans Wilsdorf. Crafted from 950 platinum, the 2024 edition showcases an ice blue dial adorned with a captivating guilloché rice-grain motif. Its rosette-inspired design features an intricate three-dimensional geometric pattern that extends across the dial, originating from the small seconds subdial positioned at 6 o'clock. Surrounding the minute track is a delicately crafted filet sauté embellished with a crimped pattern, achieved through meticulous guilloché technique.

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With a 39mm case characterised by sleek lines and a transparent caseback, the 1908 reference offers a glimpse into its sophisticated movement and oscillating weight. The middle case lugs are gently chamfered, enhancing its overall elegance, while the split bezel boasts elegant fluting at the base and a gracefully domed upper section. Featuring Arabic numerals at 3, 9, and 12, along with faceted hour markers and hands reminiscent of its 18ct gold counterparts, this exclusive dial exudes timeless sophistication.

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The 1908 model is run on calibre 7140, which enables small seconds alongside hours and minutes, with a generous power reserve lasting around 66 hours. The watch comes with a chic matt brown alligator leather strap featuring a unique green calfskin lining and tone-on-tone stitching.

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ROLEX  DEEPSEA

For the first time, Rolex unveiled an original version of the Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea in 18ct yellow gold. Sporting a 60-minute graduated Cerachrom bezel insert in blue ceramic, this divers’ watch features a blue lacquer dial bearing the name ‘DEEPSEA’ in powdered yellow.

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The Rolex Deepsea's Oyster 44mm case, boasting the patented helium escape valve from 1967, guarantees safety for deep-sea divers. This valve, vital for saturation diving, allows excess pressure to escape during decompression in a hyperbaric chamber, without compromising the watch's waterproofness. The new version introduces a technical breakthrough: a high-performance compression ring made from ceramic within the Ringlock system. This Cerachrom ring, a feat of precision engineering, represents innovative ceramic integration in the watch case. Coloured blue and embellished with circular satin finish and gilded inscriptions, this component signifies a pioneering approach.

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The Rolex Deepsea, fitted on an Oyster bracelet, features the robust three-piece link metal bracelet developed in the late 1930s. Equipped with calibre 3235, its movement boasts a power reserve of approximately 70 hours.

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OYSTER PERPETUAL COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA

The Cosmograph Daytona, launched in 1963 and designed for racing drivers, remains unmatched among sport chronographs even after more than six decades. With its tachymetric bezel and high-performance movement, it's ideal for timing and speed measurement, still synonymous with motorsport.

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The two new exclusive versions of the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona are crafted in 18ct white gold with a contrasting dial made from natural mother-of-pearl. Adorned with eight diamonds and three Chromalight hour markers, both watches boast a 40mm Oyster case ensuring waterproofing to a depth of 100 metres, crowned with a bezel set with 36 brilliant-cut diamonds.

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One version features an Oysterflex bracelet and showcases a white mother-of-pearl dial with black mother-of-pearl chronograph counters. The second watch, equipped with an Oyster bracelet, exhibits a black mother-of-pearl dial with white mother-of-pearl counters. Achieving precision in colour contrast necessitated a specific and technically challenging manufacturing process, positioning the material discs for the dial and counters accordingly.

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The Cosmograph Daytona features calibre 4131 with a power reserve of about 72 hours. The variant with the white mother-of-pearl dial is paired with an Oysterflex bracelet while the other one is equipped with an Oyster bracelet.

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OYSTER PERPETUAL SKY-DWELLER

The two new versions of the Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller feature 42mm 18ct gold cases and Jubilee bracelets, marking the debut of this storied timepiece tailored for global travellers with a precious metal Jubilee bracelet.

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Crafted in 18ct Everose gold, the first version features a slate dial, while the second—in 18ct yellow gold—flaunts a vibrant white dial. Designed for frequent travellers, the Sky-Dweller displays time in two zones simultaneously and includes an annual calendar. The reference time is shown in 24-hour format on a separate disc, while local time is indicated by conventional centre hands. Its annual calendar, known as Saros, automatically adjusts for 30- and 31-day months via a patented mechanism. Months are displayed in 12 apertures around the dial, with the current month highlighted in red.

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The Jubilee bracelets feature the Oysterclasp, known from the Sky-Dweller, with ceramic inserts in their links, a signature of Rolex's high-quality bracelets. Powering the Sky-Dweller is calibre 9002, enabling the display of date, month, and a 24-hour time zone, alongside hours, minutes, and seconds. With a 72-hour power reserve, it ensures dependable performance over long durations.

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