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BeckerTime’s Rolex Predictions for 2025
I know it may seem a little premature, but with the yearly Rolex reveal at Watches & Wonders coming up in only a few months’ time, we thought we would get a jump on all the prophesying and have a go at predicting just what the crown might bring us in 2025.
The annual ‘trying-to-second-guess-Rolex’ extravaganza has become almost as well-established as the unveiling itself, and I’m very proud that my record of pretty much never getting it right holds fast year after year.
There is practically no other company on Earth which plays its cards closer to its chest than Rolex, so all this is, at best, the most inexact of sciences, and at worst, complete and utter stabs in the dark.
That being said, there are a couple of anniversaries this year which might give us the merest of hints as to what is to come, but as ever, don’t quote us on any of what follows!
What Can We Expect?
The Rolex GMT-Master II
It wouldn’t be a Rolex prediction article if we didn’t rehash the old ‘we’re DEFINITELY getting a Coke bezel GMT this year’ singalong. We do it every year, and as you’ve probably noticed, we still ain’t got one.
However, according to Rolex themselves, the GMT-Master was launched in 1955, not 1954 as most people believe, which makes this the 70th anniversary of the travel watch legend. And Rolex loves celebrating a birthday.
Coupled with that, we’ve all heard about the problems the brand is having with the separation between the blue and red portions of their Pepsi bezel, leading some to think that particular icon could be discontinued this year out of necessity. That would all leave the door open for a new color scheme, i.e. the black and red Coke. In short, there has never been a more harmonious set of circumstances for that long lost livery to make a comeback.
Elsewhere in GMT-land, the current collection is still using the Super Case introduced in 2010. Rolex outfitted both the GMT-Master II and the Submariner with it but, as we know, the Sub changed its case to a slimmer, 41mm version in 2020 with great success. Is this year the GMT finally follows suit?
The Rolex Datejust
Just about the only certainty with Rolex’s annual reveals is that the Datejust and Day-Date will be given a whole flock of fresh variants, with new dials aplenty and gem set bits and pieces here and there.
But there is another anniversary happening in 2025 as the Datejust celebrates its 80th year of unbroken production. What might that mean for us?
It’s hard to think up a version of the DJ which hasn’t already been done, but saying that, there hasn’t been a solid gold model for a while now, so maybe the grand old man will see a full 18k watch added back into the collection.
Another possibility is a new type of anniversary dial, a variation on the Jubilee dial introduced in the ‘80s to commemorate the watch’s 40th birthday.
Or perhaps Rolex will go completely off the reservation and issue an Oysterflex piece or even a titanium example, what with the brand taking tentative steps with the metal recently.
The Rolex Submariner
Many people were somewhat disappointed with the 70th celebrations of arguably their most popular watch, the Submariner, in 2023. In essence, it boiled down to the green bezel model, the ref. 126610LV, getting a slightly different shade of green on its surround and…well, that was it.
So it seems high time the world’s favorite luxury dive watch got something noteworthy, and rumors are already starting to form that Rolex might follow Tudor’s suit and scale down the Sub to give a more unisex appeal, perhaps with a 37mm version. It would bring an altogether more vintage vibe, à la Tudor’s own Black Bay 54 range, as well as opening up greater choice for a discerning audience for whom 41mm is a little on the large side.
Might we also see new colors? How about a blue dial and bezel stainless steel example, or even a return of the Hulk, with a green dial to complement that new green surround?
The Rolex Daytona
It is around the venerable Cosmograph that some of the more outlandish predictions have been made.
The idea that the yellow gold Le Mans Daytona might go the same way as the white gold model and be discontinued to be replaced with an Everose substitute is actually believable, completing the set as it would.
But there have also been rumblings that Rolex might up the dimensions to 42mm and add a date complication, which seems a bit of a stretch for the usually ultra-conservative marque. But as already noted, I’m wrong about these things far more often than I’m right.
The Rolex Yacht-Master II
Here’s an interesting one for you.
The eccentric-looking Yacht-Master II was retired in 2024 after 17-years of relatively lackluster sales.
It was such a niche creation that no one realistically expects to see it reintroduced; yet, with that in mind, Rolex did file a patent in 2023 for an updated, easier to use movement for the watch that never actually made it into production. As this engineering feat would have been no easy, or cheap, task it would not be out of the question for the Yacht-Master II to make a comeback.
The new caliber revised the programming of the regatta timer, eliminating the need to use the command bezel or unscrew the crown. Now, you would simply press the pusher at the 4 o’clock to set the countdown.
Will we see an all-new YMII in 2024? As it is a large and fairly heavy model to begin with, will this be another example crying out for the titanium treatment? Only time will tell.
The Rolex 1908
The brand’s new dress watch collection came out in 2023 and has proved itself a fairly popular addition. A replacement for the Cellini line, one thing it could certainly do with is a few more complicated pieces in the range and, as 2025 marks yet another anniversary—this one of Rolex itself which set up in business some 120-years ago—now would be as good a time as ever.
A moonphase complication would be the most obvious first step, a function of more aesthetic than practical appeal. But what about drawing on some of Rolex’s classic models from way back in the day? Who here wouldn’t want to see a modern reworking of the beautiful Dato-Compax references of the 1940s-1960s, complete with month and day apertures, pointer date and chronograph?
Or how about adding a complete calendar to the moonphase as with the ref. 6062 from the 1950s? Or a new holy grail in the style of the magnificent ref. 4113 from 1942, Rolex’s one and only split-second (rattrapante) chronograph?
We know from the likes of the Sky-Dweller and Yacht-Master II that the brand possesses more than enough expertise in the engineering department, and we also know by the prices commanded at auction for those above mentioned pieces that demand is massive; so how about it?!
Whatever Rolex decides to bring us for 2025, you can be sure we will be covering it all in great detail here, so be sure to check back in with us at the time. Until then, from everyone here at BeckerTime, have a wonderful and prosperous new year.
Featured Photo: BeckerTime’s Archive.
