Sign In
(817) 503-2334
Contact Us
By:
All New Rolex Releases At Watches & Wonders 2025
If you cast your mind back to the start of January, you’ll remember we published an (admittedly premature) ‘predictions’ article for this year’s Rolex releases at Watches & Wonders.
Now, not only was our list one of the earliest posts on the subject to go live it was also, as always, one of the wrongest.
Ordinarily, failing at the same task year after year would bother me. But this is Rolex we’re talking about, and trying to guess what they may or may not unveil to an eager world is about as easy as trying to forecast rain six months in advance based on whether or not my knees ache.
However, I did get some of it kinda, semi-right and 2025’s biggest release from the planet’s most illustrious watchmaker is one that literally nobody envisaged.
We’ll be doing a series of dedicated articles in the next few weeks looking at each individual new addition in detail, but for now we’ll have a quick rundown of everything Rolex brought us this year.
The Rolex Land-Dweller
Hands up who saw this coming.
(Liar!)
2025 was the year Rolex completed its ‘Dwellers’ compendium, with the Sea-Dweller and Sky-Dweller getting a new cohort in the Land-Dweller.
Each of the three bring something extraordinary to the family table; the Sea-Dweller gifted with outstanding robustness, the Sky-Dweller possessing elite complications and now, the third in the set, reintroducing Rolex to the luxury sports watch segment dominated by Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet.
At first glance, the Land-Dweller looks like an amalgam of several other Rolex watches, past and present.
So we get the Genta-inspired angular case and integrated bracelet first seen on the Oysterquartz models from the 1970s. Up front, the dial is a mix of Datejust with Explorer-esque Arabic numerals at the 6 and 9. And the Crownclasp from the Day-Date has been seconded to keep the thing fastened.
But, while it seems to have borrowed bits and pieces from all around, the Land-Dweller is actually completely new; as evidenced by its collection of 32 patents.
That case, although familiar, is significantly thinner than the Oysterquartz, coming in at 9.7mm compared to the 14mm of the vintage model. It is also available in two sizes, 36mm and 40mm.
The dial has been given a unique, femtosecond laser-cut honeycomb pattern and the handset has been created specifically for this watch.
The Flat Jubilee is exclusive to the Land-Dweller as well, a variation on the Datejust classic which features five flat links, with polished inners and satin outers.
Undoubtedly the most important innovation though is inside. Brand new movements are always headline-making, and this one in particular is something very special. The Cal. 7135 is the first high frequency caliber Rolex have issued, beating at 5Hz or 36,000vph. On top of that, it has been fitted with the brand’s in-house Dynapulse escapement, an adaptation on the standard lever escapement which grants a 30% hike in efficiency and with the majority of its components cast in silicon. I’ll cover it all in more detail in the dedicated Land-Dweller article next week (once I’ve got my head around it).
As of now there are 10 models in the collection, with metal options taking in steel with white gold fluted bezels, full Everose gold and solid platinum. All the platinum examples get the ice blue dial Rolex reserves for such pieces, while the other dials are exclusively white, and the precious metal versions also come with the option of diamond-set bezels.
Prices range from $15,053 up to $126,198 for the top of the line.
As with all new Rolex watches, this one is an opinion-splitter and we’ll look at it more closely soon.
The Rolex GMT-Master II
In my defense, I did predict some sort of addition to the GMT-Master portfolio, what with 2025 being the watch’s 70th birthday and all. The fact my prediction was way wide of the mark is neither here nor there.
We got two new entries this year. The first was an update to the green-and-black bezeled Sprite first launched in 2022, sometimes known as the ‘Destro’ due to its left-handed configuration (i.e. crown and Cyclops on the left as opposed to the right).
The ref. 126729VTNR retains the standard 40mm Supercase, but this time that case is cast in white gold. More importantly, it comes with Rolex’s first ever ceramic dial. Giving a nod to 2010’s ‘Hulk’ Submariner, the new model swaps the former steel Sprite’s black face for a green one.
Elsewhere, we get another novel dial for the full yellow and Everose gold watches. Both are now available with faces in what’s known as ‘Tiger Iron’, a metamorphic rock comprising three minerals—tiger’s eye, red jasper and hematite. The thin slivers feature unique gold and orange tints which marry themselves to the tones of the case and, of course, no two are the same.
While it may not have been as dramatic a reveal as I forecast (no new 41mm case and STILL no return of the Coke bezel!) these additions sit well in the range and are likely to be in high demand.
The Rolex Daytona
It is testament to the significance of the Land-Dweller’s release that Rolex also debuted no fewer than eight new Daytona dials this year and not that much has been said about them. Especially as at least one is apt to be among those money-can’t-buy objects of massive preowned premiums in the very near future.
I’m talking about the new lacquer dial Rolex are calling ‘turquoise blue and black’ because calling it what it actually is—Tiffany Blue—would open up all sorts of legal ramifications. But just as with the similarly hued Oyster Perpetual model they released in 2020, expect to hear a lot about the ‘Tiffany Daytona’ in the coming years.
For 2025, Rolex have fitted the dial to a yellow gold Cosmograph on an Oysterflex, creating an exceptionally eye-catching model.
Alongside that, we see the sort-of return of another classic nickname in the shape of the 18k yellow gold and green dialed model, sometimes known as the John Mayer.
The previous example, the one which garnered the unofficial moniker after the singer/songwriter professed his love for the watch in an Hodinkee interview, was released in 2016 and retired in 2023. That piece was also full yellow gold with dark ‘Rolex Green’ dial, including its sub counters.
This updated version features a dial in a slightly lighter shade with gold colored totalizers. Keep your eyes peeled for it on the wrist of every Hollywood star and heavyweight influencer in the near future.
Aside from those two, Rolex also released three new meteorite dials, one for each of the yellow, white and Everose gold Oysterflex editions, as well as a new blue dial on the white gold model and a pair of chocolate dials on Everose—one on the full gold piece, the other on the Cerachrom bezel/rubber strap variant.
The Rolex 1908
We were hoping for, and kind of expecting, Rolex’s newest creation, the 1908, to come out all guns blazing this year with some sexy complications. After all, this is the out-and-out dress collection which replaced the Cellini, a range which boasted dual time zone and moonphase models.
Alas it was not to be, for this time around at least. What we got instead was an entirely different and unique bracelet, the Settimo.
Taking its name from the Italian for ‘Seventh’, the new band features seven extremely small, contoured links which should ensure a supple fit of exceptional comfort.
It is the first gold bracelet for the 1908, all of which have been on leather straps up until now, and it is available on the yellow gold model only at the moment, with either black or white dial.
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual
I’m not saying Rolex’s entry level offering, the Oyster Perpetual, should be used as a barometer for wider global issues, but the vibrance of their dials over the last few years have tended to reflect the general world mood.
The effervescent ‘Celebration’ dials from 2023 have now bitten the dust and in their place the OP has been issued with a series of vastly toned down, pastel-shaded faces for a more subdued age.
The new range is made up of a delicious muted pistachio, a faded lavender and a stunning flat blue. If you want to picture the tones, think of the ‘70s Stella dials viewed through a light fog.
Each of the Oyster Perpetual’s five sizes gets all of the dials—something which hasn’t always been guaranteed with past releases—so you can take your pick from 28mm, 31mm, 34mm, 36mm and 41mm.
The Rolex Sky-Dweller
Something which seems to have slipped under the radar amongst those of us covering the W&W launch is a new dial for Rolex’s most complicated creation, the Sky-Dweller.
The yellow gold piece on all three bracelets; Oyster, Jubilee and Oysterflex, has received a bright green sunburst face, lifting it dangerously close to John Mayer territory—not that there’s anything wrong with that.
While it might not be the most exciting reveal of 2025, it certainly contributes to the Sky-Dweller’s already formidable wrist presence and will likely be a sought-after variant in the coming months.
Featured Photo: Watchwoosh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Mixed art by Oriol Mendivil.
