Rolex makes some interesting, if slight, moves with this year’s releases, and most significantly the Crown has dropped an all new Land-Dweller model with an integrated-bracelet.
When times are good and watch sales are booming, we’ve seen Rolex take more risks than this year—such as in 2023 when the Crown released playful, psychedelic dials on the classic Day-Date and Datejust. Last year, as pandemic collectors chilled and the market cooled, Rolex offered more subdued models, and we celebrated Rolex acting like good old Rolex again.
With a recent decline in exports of Swiss watches, as well as a level of uncertainty currently permeating the global economy, we might expect Rolex to be offering up the mellow classics once again this year, and, despite the release of the Land-Dweller, the Crown has done just that.
Most of the buzz will, accordingly, go to the Land-Dweller, Rolex’s entry into the highly competitive, sports-chic, integrated-bracelet watch category started by Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak back in the 1970s. Today that category is still dominated by AP’s “R.O.” as well as the Patek Philippe Nautilus and a plethora of imitators from pretty much every other brand.
Rolex’s Land-Dweller harkens back to the Oyster Quartz models that first came to market in 1977, smack in the middle of the first integrated-bracelet watch boom. The overall look of the Oyster Quartz watches of the late 1970s was effectively a Datejust with an integrated bracelet, and we can say almost the same of the Land-Dweller with its fluted bezel, cyclops date magnifier, and a familiar dial configuration, all of which make it look quintessentially like a Rolex.
The Land-Dweller is certainly the big news of the day from Rolex, as this is the first all new line of watches since the Sky-Dweller annual calendar dropped in 2012.
But there’s more to enjoy, with a few dial updates on fan-favorite models with the GMT Master II and the Oyster Perpetual. The Submariner gets no love this year, and the Daytona gets a blue dial, but generally this year is about a new model.
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Land-Dweller 36 mm and 40 mm
Image Credit: Rolex As noted above, this is the big news from Rolex for 2025, a whole new line of watches with an integrated bracelet and iconic Rolex features like the fluted bezel and date with cyclops magnifier. Entering the competitive field of the integrated-bracelet watch is not something we’ve seen from Rolex since the Oyster Quartz model of 1977, and we haven’t even seen a new model since 2012’s Sea-Dweller.
Offered in traditional sizes of 36 mm and 40 mm and with either a fluted or diamond-set bezel, these new models sport a highly evolved movement in Calibre 7135. Thinner than any existing auto-winder from the Crown, this movement shows off a solid 16 patented improvements, and the thinness is key in this competitive arena where Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe have long offered sleekness in integrated-bracelet models. Proprietary technology includes a Dynapulse Escapement and a new oscillator with a ceramic balance staff. That there is a clear caseback here tells us that Rolex is ready to open the proverbial works to the world, showing off a high-end, sleek movement.
Metals available include the white gold and steel combo known as Rolseor, Everose gold and platinum. The bracelet has been dubbed a Flat Jubilee (perhaps an oxymoron!), and its resemblance to other bracelets in the category is noticeable, while the Rolex touches remain prominent. Dials are a flattened honecomb pattern.
Price: CHF 13,300 to 111,500 (Approximately $14,400 to $120,600)
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Cosmograph Daytona with Blue Lacquer Dial
We wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t so obviously going to be called out as such, but this is a Tiffany-blue dial, or pretty close to it. The Daytona is no stranger to odd-ball treatments over the years, and this one leaps forward with a blue lacquer dial, continuing a trend for Rolex this year as lacquer makes a strong showing across different model lines.
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GMT-Master II in Everose with a Tiger-eye Dial
Image Credit: Rolex Jumping into the ring with a very popular stone dial, Rolex is no stranger to these models. However, it’s been a while since we’ve seen one, and not in the GMT-Master II. A unique choice to be sure, one that will set this watch into the rarefied realm of how-the-hell-did-you-get-one collector braggadocio.
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GMT-Master II Destro in White Gold with Green Ceramic Dial
Image Credit: Rolex We saw a version of this watch released back in 2022 when Rolex was taking more risks, and it quickly earned the beverage-centric nick-name Sprite. This year the model is back with a solid white-gold case and bracelet and a striking new green dial that will surely earn this one a new nickname before the day is out.
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Oyster Perpetual 28 mm, 36 mm and 41 mm in Fresh Pastel Dials
Image Credit: Rolex It’s been a minute since we had a fresh take on the famous OP, and these harken back to the original Stella dials of the 1970s, though not exactly as these are matte-lacquer dials, rather than glossy painted ones. The muted tones are very much of the moment, with a lovely lavender for the smaller 28 mm model, a handsome sand gold for the classically sized 36 mm model, and a pale green for the larger 41 mm offering. Movements, cases and bracelets remain the same as previous years.
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The 39 mm 1908 on a Solid-Gold Bracelet
Image Credit: Rolex Boom, this is what was missing from the traditionally styled 1908: a solid bracelet in precious metal to elevate this elevated watch all the way up. Reminiscent of solid-gold bracelets found on Rolexes in the 1940s from Gay Frères, this one is entirely polished and looking ready for an elegant night out. There aren’t many dress watches offered these days with such a classic solid-gold bracelet, and Rolex is digging into its roots as a maker of fine dress watches back before it took over the world of tool watches in the 1950s.
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A Bright Green Sky-Dweller in Yellow Gold
Image Credit: Rolex This is a watch that gets a lot of strong opinions in all directions, and there’s no question that the bright green dial in a yellow-gold case is going to be just as divisive as the watch was upon its debut in 2012. The Sky-Dweller continues to offer the most interesting, and more complicated movements from the Crown in decades, with an annual calendar and a bezel that turns to select the function that the crown adjusts.
Price: CHF 44,500 (Approximately $48,000)
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The Datejust 31 in Red Ombre Dial
Image Credit: Rolex This is not, I happen to know from some rabbit-hole I fell into, the first time that a Datejust has been offered on a President bracelet, but it may be the first time that a red ombre dial has been offered on a 31 mm DJ. This watch harkens back to the glory days of the 1980s gem-setting Rolex is famous for. It was a time when elaborate bracelets, gobs of jewels and dials unafraid to announce themselves were all the rage, and it’s fun to see these styles returning as more women appear to embrace smaller watches and classical styles again.
Credit: robbreport.com
