How to Buy a Rolex for the First Time

Step 3: Pick a 4-, 5- or 6-Digit Rolex Reference

We can parse the millions of Rolexes out there in the world into three simple categories: four-, five- and six-digit references. Most Rolex aficionados speak in terms of digits, saying things like, “I’m looking into some four-digit Subs,” or, “She looked sick rocking a six-digit GMT.” Let’s get acquainted with the digits!

These reference numbers mark eras of Rolex production. When Rolex adds a digit to the refence numbers, designs, materials, sizes and movements are changed across the product line. There is an obvious (yet always shifting) overlap between new, pre-owned, neo-vintage and vintage categories and the four-, five- and six-digit eras, so keep this in mind.

4-Digit Rolex References: 1940s to Around 1980

Four-digit Rolexes are all vintage now, and whenever you hear someone talk about a four-digit Rolex assume they’re interested in Rolexes from the middle of the 20^th century.

The Downside of 4-Digit Rolexes

Four-digit Rolexes with date complications use movements that do not offer a quickset date function. Many owners—including myself—prefer a watch with a quickset date, so you don’t have to wind it around and around to set the date.

The movements in four-digit references are often more expensive to service, as Rolex no longer produces parts for four-digit models.

Four-digit dials produced before 1963 will use radium luminescent paint, which some fear due to radioactivity. After that, four-digit Rolex dials use tritium luminescent paint, which typically loses its functionality after about 20 years. Tritium dial can be discerned because they almost always have a “T” at the bottom of the dial by “SWISS.”

The Upside of 4-Digit Rolexes

As vintage watches, four-digit Rolexes often have a charm and character you won’t find in later models. That tritium paint, for example, turns a lovely shade of vanilla that collectors love (“creamy lume,” they’ll call it). Dials fade, or even turn brown (known as “going tropical”), and sometimes the aluminum bezel inserts fade to interesting colors people find desirable. Sometimes Rolexes age in wild ways that drive the price skyward.

There are far fewer four-digit Rolexes than from any other era, making them rare and increasingly collectible.

Notes & Opinions on 4-Digit Rolexes

Rolex switched from radium to tritium in 1963. You’ll likely garner some cred among a certain set of watch folks for owning a four-digit Rolex. Some people believe that Rolexes with designs dating to before 1960 are the most authentic because these models would have been approved by Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf (who passed in 1960).

5-Digit Rolex References: 1980 to Around 2004

The shift to five-digit reference numbers saw a number of movement upgrades, case size increases, and a slew of other upgrades to bracelets, waterproofness, and so on. Not all upgrades happened at once, but the five-digit era was significantly more modern.

As of this writing, five-digit Rolexes neatly fall into the neo-vintage category, as most are between 20- and 40-years-old. Obviously, as each year goes by, five-digit Rolexes slowly become proper vintage watches.

The Downside of 5-Digit Rolexes

There was a great deal of polishing of watch cases during this era, and for many Rolex collectors a polished case is no good as it distorts the original shape and degrades the value. Mild polishing is generally acceptable. No polishing is very desirable.

Five-digit Professional Rolexes, like many four-digit models, used aluminum bezel inserts, which tend to become scratched or faded (but note that a faded bezel can also be seen as possessing “a cool patina” once the watch is vintage).

The Upside of 5-Digit Rolexes

As of this writing, five-digit Rolexes offer the best value going. For practical purposes, movements in five-digit Rolexes are very precise, durable and a-magnetic. Five-digit Rolex movements are still supported by Rolex, so parts are not hard to source, and service is less expensive than it is for four-digit references. Five-digit Rolexes will go up in value as they age into the vintage category.

Notes & Opinions on 5-Digit Rolexes

Rolex moved from Tritium luminescent paint (which fades and loses functionality) to the more durable SuperLuminova around 1997-8, right in the middle of the five-digit era. Some collectors—myself included—like tritium for the vintage vibes on certain models, while others prefer the better performance of SuperLuminova.

Some people feel the five-digit Professional models are more like “tool watches” whereas six-digit references are more like luxury products. For DateJusts, the five-digit dials were flattened out to the edges, and some prefer the older “pie-pan” dials of the four-digit era that slope downward at the outer edge.

6-Digit Rolex References: 2005 to Present

The modern six-digit era came on strong when Rolex introduced several upgrades across their whole catalog in the mid 2000s. But it was the use of highly polished Cerachrom—Rolex’s proprietary scratchproof material—on the bezels of Professional models that truly changed the look, feel and performance of modern Rolex. Movements include more non-metallic parts that increase precision and a-magnetism. Many models were enlarged in the six-digit era (though some six-digit updates have more recently been reduced in size).

Downside of the 6-Digit Rolexes

Generally, more expensive than five-digit Rolexes. Many six-digit references will cost well above retail prices on the pre-owned market.

Upside of 6-Digit Rolexes

Cerachrom bezels are virtually scratchproof. The movements are more precise (now within -2/+2 seconds per day) and a-magnetic. The bracelets on the modern Rolex models are exceptional.

Opinions and Notes on 6-Digit Rolexes

Many feel that the six-digit era was the beginning of Rolex as a dedicated luxury brand, rather than as simply the world’s best industrial watchmaker. Some believe polished Cerachrom is too shiny for a “tool watch.” It is more common these days for Rolex to release watches that are produced in small numbers, though Rolex never states ‘limited edition’ overtly. These limited runs are exceptionally hard to get and very expensive.