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Our Top 5 Predictions for New Rolex Releases in 2026
Christmas and New Year are all about tradition. Therefore, in keeping with the spirit of the season, and as I have done for the last six or seven years in a row, it’s time to guess completely wrong on what Rolex might have in store for us over the next 12-months.
In my defense, nobody gets this right. Who, for example, saw the Land-Dweller coming last year? Exactly. I also seem to remember predicting, yet again, the return of a Coke-bezeled GMT-Master II (nope), a 37mm Submariner (nope) and a return of the Yacht-Master II (mega nope). Still, consistency is key.
We’re gonna put the past behind us, though, and concentrate on 2026. Watches & Wonders Geneva runs from 14th-20th April and Rolex, as always, will be the main attraction among the 66 exhibitors. We know they’ll come armed with a whole bunch of new and fascinating creations for us to max our credit cards over—the question is, what will they be?
Let’s take a wild stab in the dark.
An Anniversary Day-Date
Rolex’s magnificent Day-Date, better known to some as The President, reaches a major milestone in 2026 when it hits 70-years of age.
As we know from past experience, Rolex loves an anniversary and it would be surprising if we didn’t see at least something brought in to celebrate their flagship’s birthday.
But what form might it take? Best guess would revolve around the color green. Rolex’s signature shade, it tends to make an appearance on the big occasions. In the past it has been used on special editions of the Submariner (the 50th anniversary ‘Kermit’ in 2003), the GMT-Master II (ref. 116718LN 50th anniversary in 2005) and the Day-Date itself back in 2016 for its 60th year.
The President’s dials back then were in a sunburst but subdued olive green; might Rolex go a bit bolder a decade on? Perhaps copying the John Mayer Daytona with its brighter hues and maybe even a splash of contrast on the dial text?
Or could it be done with a rare hardstone instead? Jade or malachite would fit the bill nicely, and each one would be unique, something Rolex clients are known to love almost above all else.
Another possibility might be a new platinum version with a sapphire case back, as we again saw with last year’s top-of-the-range Daytonas.
We’ll have to wait and see.
A Return of the Milgauss?
Speaking of 70th birthdays, Rolex’s discontinued watch for scientists and technicians, the antimagnetic Milgauss, was introduced into the range the same year as the Day-Date, 1956.
Never the most popular addition, it was retired once in 1988 and stayed dormant for nearly 20-years before returning in a vastly different form in 2007 to coincide with the opening of the Large Hadron Collider. That version was far more popular, so it took many by surprise when it was withdrawn again in 2023.
But there have been rumblings for a while that the Milgauss was being prepped for another return, and what better time than on its anniversary?
The one thing standing in the way of a comeback would be; what place would it occupy in the line-up? When it was first launched, the Milgauss’s USP was its superior resistance to magnetic fields—which is why it was aimed at those working in highly technical environments. However, these days, Rolex’s Parachrom hairspring is fitted to nearly every watch on the brand’s books. Made from specialized alloys, it means practically all of them have at least as much magnetic protection as the Milgauss by their very nature. Consequently, it needs something else to separate it from the herd. What that might entail is anyone’s guess, but as the Milgauss has long been one of my favorite Rolex watches, I hope they come up with something.
More Titanium and Smaller Cases
It took Rolex an extremely long time to cotton on to the benefits of titanium. The lightweight but crazy strong metal is, on paper at least, the ideal building block for luxury watches. Its talents have long been exploited by manufactures right across the industry, including Rolex’s own auxiliary concern, Tudor.
However, so far, there have only been two titanium models in the portfolio; the fantastic Yacht-Master 42 and the bonkers Deepsea Challenge.
Possibly the least surprising thing we could see this year is Rolex’s RLX Titanium alloy being rolled out more widely. I’m pretty sure a titanium Submariner would cause a mini riot at many an AD, the same with an RLX Daytona. Will it happen? Who knows?
One other trend Rolex might embrace is the return to smaller case sizes. Tudor has had great success with its scaled back Black Bay 54 models at 37mm, looking for all the world like the original 1950s Submariners. Could the parent company follow suit, and if so, which collections might it affect? I can imagine a 37mm or 38mm GMT being wildly popular, or even something like the Sea-Dweller returning to its former 40mm.
A High Beat Daytona?
How’s this for an intriguing idea? A bit of trickle down movement sharing.
Last year’s surprise inclusion, the Land-Dweller, showed up with Rolex’s first ever high beat movement, the Cal. 7135. The 5Hz or 36,000vph caliber is a massive departure for the manufacture which has used 28,800vph across the board since the end of the ‘70s.
But that increased frequency would give a chronograph—the Daytona, in other words—the ability to time increments down to 1/10th of a second, like a certain Zenith El Primero; and we all know the history between those two.
Ok, this one is about as likely to happen as, well, scoring a Daytona at retail, but you can’t deny, it’s fun to think about.
Some Miscellaneous Guessing
If there’s any certainty at all as to what Rolex will bring along to W&W in 2026, it’s a whole new raft of dial variations for those twin stalwarts, the Datejust and Day-Date.
Last year we saw some PVD ombré dials used for the first time, brightly colored faces vignetting to black at the edges. Might we see a few more this year, or was that a strictly 2025 thing?
I would definitely expect to see some textured and patterned dials make an appearance, maybe even a new variant of Jubilee dial for the President on its birthday.
We may well get a few new semi-precious stones used too, as we did with the GMT-Master’s Tiger Eye previously.
And I simply can’t press publish on one of these articles without stating categorically that the Coke bezel is definitely going to make a return this year, as I have for at least the last four years! 2026 is going to be the one, mark my words!
As always, come on back in April when we will be giving a full rundown on what actually happened in Geneva rather than all this speculation, and see if I managed to break my duck for a change!
Featured Photo: Mixed art by Oriol Mendivil for BKT Archive.
