The Beckertime Guide to the Best Rolex Watches Under $15,000

Even if you are new to the world of watch collecting, you will definitely know the name Rolex. 

Undeniably the most famous luxury timepiece manufacturer on the planet, for many they represent the dream, the absolute pinnacle of desirability, the oft-quoted ‘grail’ purchase. 

However, describing Rolex watches in that way can be counterproductive. It embeds in the mind a certain sense of unattainability, a restriction based on expense that means they are available only to the super rich. 

Happily, that is not true. As we have been trying to demonstrate with our recent posts, there is generally a model in Rolex’s portfolio, either from their current collection or else on the immense preowned market, that is within reach to the majority of consumers. 

You can, of course, pay jaw-dropping amounts of money for some of the rarest or most flamboyant pieces; the earliest archetypes of the brand’s real icons or gemstone bedecked extravaganzas, for example. 

But the cost of many of Rolex’s finest creations often comes as a pleasant surprise to the recently initiated. They will always represent a sizable investment, obviously, and so they should. These are robust and exquisitely engineered creations backed by centuries of painstaking heritage intended to last a lifetime and be passed down the generations. There’s a reason no one bequeaths their descendants an Apple Watch.

So how much do you realistically have to spend? 

The $10,000 to $15,000 Spread

In one of our recent posts, we took a look at that Rolex price range between $5,000 and $10,000. 

It is where some of the marque’s most wanted models live, household names that grant an enviable wrist in any company. But what can we find if we bump it up one notch?

Now, $10,000 to $15,000 is a lot of money. But then, it buys an awful lot of watch too. 

Below we have picked out some beauties to tempt you in.

If You Want An Underwater Upgrade

The Rolex Submariner ref. 16613

In that $5k-$10k spread from our previous article, we talked about perhaps one of the purest examples of Rolex’s legendary dive masterpiece, the Submariner—the all-steel, no-date and totally sublime ref. 14060. It is the reference considered by many to be the last Sub to remain true to its original tool watch roots.

Now that we’ve raised the upper end of our budget, we delve into the territory of Submariner as status symbol, a role it drifted into from around the end of the 1960s. That was the era in which precious metals first started to be introduced into the collection, beginning with the solid gold ref. 1680/8.

But it wasn’t until much later, 1984 to be exact, that we got to see what the watch would look like as a two-tone. Rolex’s own concoction of steel and gold elements on the same watch is known as Rolesor and has been a mainstay since it debuted on a Datejust in 1948. After that, it featured on many of the brand’s finest, so why it took so long to find its way to the vaunted Submariner is anyone’s guess.

The ref. 16613 was the second Sub iteration released in Rolesor, unveiled in 1988 and not superseded again until as late as 2010. It is actually from the same generation as the aforementioned ref. 14060 and so can also be thought of in the same way—a meeting point between vintage and modern and a sort of best of both worlds.

It still has the traditional 40mm case diameter and shape, for instance, and it still has the classic aluminum bezel insert and small hour markers. But the sapphire crystal is a contemporary touch and it is powered by the Cal. 3135, arguably the finest mass-produced watch movement ever made. 

As for coloring, the ref. 16613 had a few options. Black dial and bezel is the definitive Sub look, but this is the ‘80s we’re talking about, so Rolex also brought out their so-called Serti dials on this reference. The champagne or grey faces were finished off with diamonds and sapphires or rubies and some do fall below our $15k limit. 

But possibly beating all of those in terms of versatility are the Bluesy versions. Winning the prize for least imaginative nickname of any Rolex, the Bluesy has long been a favorite among collectors for its tastefully eye-catching appeal—a sunburst blue dial which changes shade in every lighting condition, topped by a blue bezel insert and all contrasting sweetly with the yellow gold numerals and edging of the surround. 

It is the perfect summer watch and the fact they can now be found quite easily for less than our top end is call for celebration.

If You Want the Luxury Travel Companion

The Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 116710LN

There are not many watches that can out-iconic the Submariner, but the GMT-Master II runs it very close indeed. 

Originally launched just a year after the Sub, the GMT has been the industry-leading luxury dual time zone model for more than 70-years.

During its tenure it too has been released in evermore fancy variants, as befits a model no stranger to the First Class Lounge, but it remains a triumph of substance over style.

Its line-up of different color schemes have garnered a litany of unofficial monikers, with labels like the Pepsi, the Coke, the Batman, the Starbucks, the Rootbeer and others as familiar to fans as their ABCs. The names have been assigned over the years mostly as a result of the two shades present on each piece’s 24-hour engraved bezel. Initially that was an attempt by Rolex to allow wearers to quickly differentiate between night-time and daytime hours, but it had the additional benefit of securing the model an unbeatable identity. As with the overall design of the Submariner, it has been emulated and outright copied by more brands than you can count.

However, as popular as the two-color surrounds have always been, for those who prefer things a little more inconspicuous, the collection has long included an all-black option too. 

Interestingly, there isn’t one in the current line-up, the closest equivalent being the ref. 126710GRNR with its half black, half grey livery—aka the Bruce Wayne.

But if we go back just a few years, the ref. 116710LN is the ideal under-the-radar example.

In production between 2007 and 2019, the ref. 116710LN was actually the first steel GMT-Master II to be fitted with a Cerachrom bezel and the last to have that bezel in a single shade. It was an especially strange decision by Rolex to choose the GMT to showcase its new ceramic material seeing as, at its launch, they had yet to figure out a way to add two colors to it and that watch, out of all the ones they could have selected, is one which has always been defined by its distinctive twin color schemes. Anywho, it did nothing to dampen the popularity of the model and the reference has gone on to become one of the most sought after of its type in its long history.

Coming in at the same 40mm diameter the watch has been almost since its inception, the ref. 116710LN gained an uptick in wrist presence by also being the first iteration to be housed in Rolex’s Super Case. The increased size of the lugs and crown guards, along with the bigger handset and indexes of the Maxi dial, gave the watch the illusion of being far larger than it was in reality. It was a well thought-out concession to all those who considered 40mm too small for a sports watch in the modern age. 

Inside was the Cal. 3186, a tightened up variant of the previous Cal. 3185 which eliminated the trace of hand slop when adjusting the main hour hand. It also introduced Rolex’s own Parachrom Bleu hairspring, a high tech alloy which shrugs off magnetic interference, temperature variations and impact shocks. 

All-in-all, it checked a slew of boxes for a model due to become a healthy future investment as well as being a splendidly handsome specimen in its own right. 

If you are in need, or just want, a foolproof timepiece to accompany you on a jet set lifestyle for under $15,000, it is nigh-on impossible to think of anything better.

If You’re the Unsung Hero Type

The Rolex Explorer II ref. 216570

In the beginning, all Rolex tool watches were designed to do a job. Then, with the brand skyrocketing in popularity, many of them pivoted away from the stylish but practical to become signifiers of affluence and accomplishment—still highly capable timepieces, but rarely worn by those engaged in anything too demanding.

One watch that sidestepped this trend, and continues to do so, is the Explorer II.

Unveiled in 1971, it has never been cast in anything but stainless steel, bypassing the need for gold or Rolesor versions which have affected the majority of its Professional Collection stablemates. It has, in fact, only gotten bigger and tougher with each generation. 

The ref. 216570 was the first reference to come in at 42mm, an unusual size in Rolex world but one that suits the temperament of the Explorer II perfectly. The watch was primarily designed to be legible in complete darkness, intended as an aid for cave divers to keep track of whether it was day or night up on the surface. As a result, it was always built big and bold and drenched in lume on every available surface. The ref. 216570 simply continued and reinforced that idea, with large heavy bezel numbers and dominating dial furniture.  

True to form, the options list for the Explorer II is only one step away from not having any options at all, with a completely unambiguous choice of either black or white (Polar) dials the only decision you will have to make. Each has its strong points, but I’ve always favored the black version for its inconspicuousness and the cool phantom effect on its GMT hand, where the base is also painted black and looks to be floating around the dial. 

Power comes from the bombproof Cal. 3187, a dual time movement which, in typical Rolex fashion, is short on frills but long on reliability, precision and robustness—you know, the things that really count.

The Explorer II is sometimes described as the anti-Rolex; a watch for those who know the manufacture makes the best you can get but have no desire to shout about it. 

Best of all, it has always been a relative bargain and this reference is no exception. Superb, as new examples can be had for as little as $11,500.