The Rolex Air-King
The Air-King doesn’t command as much clout as some of the other aviation watches in the Rolex family, but it might be the most underrated of them all. It doesn’t have the GMT-Master’s colorful bezel or the Sky-Dweller’s complicated movement. What it does have, though, is one of the more unusual dials of the bunch, complete with a prominent minute scale (a nod to its roots as a pilot’s navigation tool), a Rolex-green seconds hand, and the distinction of being far less ubiquitous than other pieces in the crown’s Professional watch lineup.
The Rolex Explorer and Explorer II
This unassuming Rolex traces its history back to the 1950s, when Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the first people to set foot on the summit of Mount Everest. Rolex supplied the mountaineers with a watch that would later become the Explorer, a sturdy, no-nonsense ticker made to stand up to the harshest conditions on the planet. The modern Explorer’s signature feature is its unusual 3-6-9 dial (also known as an Explorer dial) and a choice of 36 mm and 40 mm case sizes in Oystersteel, or two-tone Oystersteel, and yellow gold. The Explorer II, which arrived in 1971, is larger at 42 mm and more technical, with a GMT hand and 24-hour bezel to help explorers (and anyone else who frequently hops time zones) track multiple times at a glance.
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual
Among Rolex’s biggest flexes as a watchmaker is the fact it invented the first waterproof wristwatch, the Oyster, back in 1926. The Oyster Perpetual—a family of simple-yet-versatile sports watches with sturdy Oystersteel cases and a selection of colorful dials—is the descendent of that 1920s trailblazer. Despite being the most modestly-priced member of the Rolex family, elements like the Oyster bracelet and a Superlative Chronometer-certified automatic movement make the Oyster Perpetual every bit worthy of the Rolex name. The OP also comes in more case sizes than any other Rolex model, ranging from 28mm to 41mm, with dials in shades of navy, green, champagne and—most coveted of them all—don’t-call-it-Tiffany turquoise. The hottest new OP variant of 2023 features a “Celebration motif” dial of multicolored balloons that’s tailor-made to attract attention on red carpets and in NBA tunnels across the country.
The Rolex Datejust
With classic Rolex design elements like a fluted bezel, jubilee bracelet, and “Cyclops” magnifying lens over the date window, the Datejust is as close to a Platonic ideal Rolex as it gets. The Datejust collection has been around since the 1940s, and now spans dozens of models in Oystersteel, two-tone Oystersteel and gold, along with three kinds of pure gold (yellow, white, and Everose. It comes in three case sizes, too, with three bracelet options, a choice of fluted, domed, or gem-set bezels, and a whole whack of dials. And lest anyone think Rolex doesn’t know how to have fun, the brand shook things up in 2021 with the addition of patterned dials in palm leaf and fluted motifs.
The Rolex Day-Date
When Rolex debuted a Day-Date 36 with a rainbow puzzle dial and a selection of emojis in place of the date, it nearly broke the internet. (Or, at least, a very narrow slice of it.) That model, sadly, is off-menu and highly limited, but it’s just one of many Day-Dates vying for a spot on wrists around the world. First introduced in 1954, the Day-Date’s claim to fame then, as now, was the day of the week spelled out in an arc across the top of the dial. Making the day and date click over precisely at the stroke of midnight was a technical feat in the ‘50s, and it helped the Day-Date earn a place on the wrists of bigshots like JFK, Fidel Castro, and Jack Nicklaus—and the nickname ‘the President’s watch.’ Today’s Day-Date comes in dozens of variations in 36mm and 41mm case sizes, and in line with its high-rolling rep, it’s available exclusively in gold or platinum. If you’re looking for a Day-Date with a little extra clout, check out the 36mm models with dials made of turquoise, aventurine, and other colorful semi-precious stones.
The Rolex Sky-Dweller
If there was such a thing as an underrated Rolex it would be the Sky-Dweller, which also happens to be one of the most complicated watches in the brand’s current lineup. Released in 2012, the Sky-Dweller offers dual time zones, a “Saros” annual calendar, and Rolex’s much-ballyhooed Ring Command system, which (if you’re into watch complications) is absolutely as cool as it sounds. Dual-time watches and annual calendars can be notoriously fussy when it comes to setting the date and time, but the Sky-Dweller’s ingenious design makes the process relatively simple: by rotating the fluted bezel in combination with the winding crown, you can easily adjust the reference time, local time, and date when you touch down in a new zone. For 2023, Rolex added an upgraded movement and new dial options in green and green-blue into the mix, which ought to earn the slept-on Sky-Dweller some well-deserved attention.
The Rolex 1908
In 2023, Rolex discontinued the Cellini, the dressiest member of the Rolex squad, and replaced it with the 1908, the brand’s first all-new model in more than a decade. (The 1908 is also the first member of Rolex’s new heritage-themed family of watches, the Perpetual collection.) Named for the year that founder Hans Wilsdorf registered the Rolex name in Switzerland, the 1908 is a tribute to old-school watchmaking with a classic petite seconde layout featuring a second subdial at six o’clock. Like the Cellini before it, the 1908 is all about classic elegance, with refined details like a 39mm gold case, a fluted-and-domed bezel, and an alligator leather strap. The coolest thing about the 1908, though, might also be the least obvious: a sapphire case back offering a view of the automatic movement inside. Display case backs are pretty common these days, but very few Rolexes incorporate the detail, making it a Roger-Federer-at-the-Met-Gala-level flex.
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