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Rolex Watches Discontinued in 2023
Rolex had a relatively eventful time at Watches & Wonders in 2023.
The brand unveiled a whole host of new and upgraded pieces which have been garnering online bandwidth aplenty, and most experts seem to be in agreement that it was a robust showing from the crown this year.
But for every introduction there has to be a conclusion, and so we also saw the demise of scores of watches as well.
Some were simply making way for a more modernized variant of the same model, while others have completely ceased to exist in any form.
Below we take you through Rolex’s latest series of layoffs.
The Daytona
It was no real surprise that the legendary Cosmograph was the main attraction this year, with 2023 marking the Daytona’s 60th anniversary.
So, we were treated to a somewhat updated version, with subtle aesthetic redesigns and a newish movement.
However, as the outgoing series had been in play for more than 20-years, and was added to almost constantly all that time, the revamped range doesn’t yet have quite the same level of diversity.
There are several examples from the now retired collection which have no equivalent in the current, the one most people seem to be aggrieved by being the so-called ‘John Mayer Daytona’, the ref. 116508, with its yellow gold case and green dial.
This was a piece which exploded in popularity following Hodinkee’s ‘Talking Watches’ interview with Mayer in 2016, where the singer waxed lyrical about his love for the model and its highly distinctive color combination. And while it wasn’t an official collaboration between artist and watchmaker, the nickname stuck by association in much the same way as with the Paul Newman and Steve McQueen.
In truth, I think it is simply a matter of time before we see a new generation of the John Mayer brought into the fold; yellow gold is experiencing something of a rebirth at the moment, and green has long been among Rolex’s most important colors.
But there were other Daytonas we had to bid farewell this year too. The ref. 116509, with white gold case and blue dial has no modern counterpart either (yet) and neither do the set of six meteorite-dialed watches.
Nevertheless, the ref. 126XXX is already some 32 models strong and Rolex’s racer’s series has always been the most well-stocked of any in the Professional Collection, so expect plenty of variety in the coming years.
The Milgauss
One watch we won’t be seeing again any time soon, if ever, is the scientists’ friend, the Milgauss.
The ref. 116400GV is no more, the last reference now gone and the Milgauss retired for the second time in its long history, one which stretches all the way back to 1957.
Despite its impressive innovations (fierce antimagnetic properties at a time when such things were uncommon) and the wonderful green-tinted sapphire in its most modern iteration, the Milgauss was always a tough sell for Rolex.
It is something of a shame to be saying goodbye to a watch with so much heritage, not to mention one with such a distinctive look. The Z-Blue in particular was an extraordinary outlier in the catalog, its sunburst electric blue dial and contrasting orange lightning bolt seconds hand lending it some real wrist presence.
That leaves the Rolex portfolio without a Faraday cage-equipped model now that the Air-King, a piece which shared a twin case with the Milgauss in its previous incarnation, has done away with it. But with the implementation of the brand’s own Parachrom Bleu hairspring, such things have become surplus to requirements anyway.
Is this truly the end of the Milgauss though? It has, of course, been brought back from the dead once before so it would be a brave opinion to state as an absolute. However, I would certainly say it is extremely unlikely and it could now well be a watch worth considering as an investment buy on the preowned market.
The Cellini Moonphase
This one was even less of a surprise than the Milgauss.
The Rolex Cellini collection was another slight oddball in the mix; an out-and-out dress watch range mostly passed over by potential customers for the likes of the Datejust or Day-Date.
The vast bulk of the Cellinis were actually discontinued last year, leaving only the ref. 50535, a sumptuous 39mm, Everose gold piece with a beautifully crafted double bezel, pointer date and moonphase complication.
But while the Cellini name may have been withdrawn, it most certainly lives on in spirit in the newly arrived Perpetual 1908 collection. An entirely fresh selection, they have taken on the mantle of the dedicated dress piece and are already causing a stir. And while there is no moonphase among them yet, we should definitely not rule it out for the future.
The Datejust
And finally, to one of the oldest names in the Rolex annals, the Datejust.
As implacable and ever-present as the tides or Keith Richards, it has been one of, if not the, best-selling model the brand has produced for the best part of 80-years.
For the foreseeable future however, it is going to have to try and continue that record without any 41mm mother of pearl-dialed examples.
In their typically perplexing way, the manufacture has done away with those examples of their largest Datejust model fitted with the semi-precious stone face, while retaining it on the other three sizes of the watch.
In total, there were 10 references in the 41mm category with mother of pearl, and their withdrawal from the collection has reduced those now available in the series as a whole to just under a gazillion.
Why Rolex has performed this rather surgical subtraction is anyone’s guess, but we can expect a new wave of fascinating dials in the near future. The Datejust ain’t going anywhere.
In our next article, we’ll take a look at some of the most interesting new models from other brands at this year’s Watches & Wonders.
Featured Photo: BeckerTime’s Archive.
