The Top 5 Rolex Watches To Wear This New Year’s

We’ve already covered the best Rolex watches to wear this Christmas, whether you’re staying home or are off on your travels. For this post, let’s take a look at the top pieces to match with your New Year’s Eve outfits.

This one is a bit more involved than the free-for-all that is Christmas day itself, mainly because of the different levels of formality NY Eve’s events can take. Your celebrations might run the gamut from a black-tie-and-tails-event, all the way through to a raucous house party. If you’re a true social butterfly, you might start at one and go on to the other.

Fortunately, the get-together has yet to be invented at which a Rolex watch of some description is not a very welcome guest. So below, we have picked out our five favorites, along with the optimal settings for each of them to make an appearance.

The Ultra Formal

The Rolex Day-Date ref. 18238

I’ve never liked the phrase ‘no-brainer’ but if you’re headed to a formal gathering in your finest tuxedo, there is one Rolex which pairs with it so well its choice is beyond obvious.

The Rolex Day-Date, a President by any other name, has been the watch of the elite since the 1950s. As grand and ageless as a Sphinx, it is a piece which guarantees access to the corridors of power.

There are many positives about a Day-Date but an often overlooked one comes down to that immutable outward façade. Since only the second or third reference, Rolex had its visuals so nailed on they have barely altered for more than 60-years. That means a vintage model from the middle of the last century looks to all but the trained eye exactly like a contemporary example—until you check the price. Older generation Day-Dates are some of the most enticing bargains on the preowned watch scene; they look and perform like a brand new model, but at a fraction of the cost. 

The ref. 18238 is the perfect example. A 36mm, solid yellow gold specimen, it was part of the ref. 182XX generation released in 1988. Fitted with the Cal. 3155, it brought Double Quickset convenience to the watch for the first time, which arguably counts as the last major upgrade the President has gone through. 

It is then, to all intents and purposes, a modern iteration. However, if you take a look at the pieces we have in our online store, you might be shocked at how much they cost. Prices start as low as $12,800! For Rolex’s flagship! 

My personal choice for a New Year’s Eve formal would be the champagne-dialed example with the diamond indexes, available for well under $20,000. That’s more or less half the price of the current model for something that’s practically identical.

As someone once said, ‘Meet the new boss, same as the old boss’.

The Rolex Datejust ref. 16018

If the Rolex Day-Date is the brand’s double calendar complication watch, the Datejust is its single complication equivalent. Other than that, the two models are practically the same.

That makes a Datejust equally at home in extremely formal settings as its sibling (on its release in 1945 it was Rolex’s top-of-the-line offering), but for an even lower buy-in price

One thing you do get with the Datejust though is a greater level of choice. It can be had in two metal types in which the President has never been released; steel and Rolesor, and its bezel and dial options are broader still.

But which, out of the infinite examples on offer, matches best with our dinner jacket? Well, it’s personal choice, obviously, but my current favorite is the ref. 16018 with black dial and diamond markers. 

Released in 1977, this qualifies as a true vintage watch now, something which marks it out as cool to begin with. But that jet black dial not only contrasts strikingly with the distinctive yellow tone of the 18k case, but will also complement a tux superbly.

On its elaborate Jubilee bracelet, this is an especially impressive piece, and at just over $17,000, it is particularly attainable too.

The Casual Get-Together

The Rolex Submariner ref. 116610LN

In many ways, we could have put the world’s favorite dive watch in the above category and not gotten too much grief over it; it was good enough for James Bond, after all.

When an example of industrial design is so good; and make no mistake, the Submariner is up there with the very very best, it has a sort of versatility that works in any setting. A Sub is equally at home with jeans and t-shirt as it is with tailored suits and, much like the Porsche 911, it is seen as both a luxury item and one which isn’t overtly flash or grandiose. In short, everyone loves the Submariner.

That bring said, the ref. 116610LN is, disputably, the one reference of the Sub which would match with a formal outfit the least. Debuting in 2010, it brought Rolex’s Super case to the model for the first and only time. That gave it a squarer, less streamlined stance than previous incarnations, with thick lugs and crown guards designed to add wrist presence. As such, it is more suited at the laid back events, and it is perfect for those New Year’s Eve parties where everyone gets to relax and let their hair down.

Pair it with a polo or button-down shirt, chinos and loafers for the smart casual look, or dress shirt and sports jacket or blazer if you’re going a bit more semi-formal.

However you wear it, the ref. 116610LN is a striking example of the most important tool watch of them all, and with prices starting at around $14,000, it is surprisingly affordable. 

The Rolex Oysterquartz ref. 17013

It doesn’t matter how much of an extrovert you are, even the most outgoing person in the room can use an icebreaker. So what better way to start a party conversation than with one of Rolex’s most unusual creations?

The Quartz Crisis cut a swathe of destruction through Switzerland’s traditional watchmaking industry from which they were lucky to recover. Rolex fared better than most, even though they only engaged with the new technology fairly half-heartedly. The two main quartz models they put out were based on the Day-Date and Datejust, but the battery-powered versions which ran from 1977 all the way up to 2003 were so out of character with their usually conservative styling that they stand alone in the brand’s pantheon.   

The so-called Oysterquartz pieces were based on the ref. 5100 Beta-21, a 1,000 unit prototype from 1970 with a conglomerate-built movement and a case penned by none other than Gerald Genta. His sharp angles and integrated bracelet ideas would find immortality in his later Royal Oak for AP and Patek’s Nautilus, but for Rolex, it acted as inspiration for their two quartz-driven models.

The ref. 17013 is perhaps the most populous of all the Oysterquartz variants, a Rolesor version of the Datejust with a steel case and yellow gold fluted bezel, crown and inner bracelet links. True to form, it was available with a range of dial options, although nowhere near the extent of the conventional model. Choose from champagne, black, white, silver or blue, each one imbuing its own signature.

Best of all, the Oysterquartz were, by a dizzying degree, the most accurate watches even Rolex ever made. Reportedly keeping to within +/-0.07 seconds a day, if there’s one thing you can be sure of, you won’t miss the clock striking midnight.

The Statement Piece

The Rolex Pearlmaster ref. 80319

Our final entry is one for the ladies. Specifically, the ladies who want to stand out.

Rolex launched the Pearlmaster in 1992 as a sort of celebration to the joys of excess. Under the hood, they were another collection based on the Datejust, but here, everything was dialed up to 11.

Only ever made from solid gold, the Pearlmaster, alternatively known as the Masterpiece series, was exemplified by its use of gemstones. Diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and frequently all three, are found on every piece, either sparingly and subtly, or else adorning every surface.

The range started out with two sizes, a 29mm and a 34mm. Those were followed in 2015 by a new 39mm, to add a bit of a unisex angle. But you will find the majority of examples on the preowned landscape (the collection was discontinued in 2023) are aimed most definitely at women.

The ref. 80319 is actually among the more discreet Pearlmaster examples. A 29mm piece cast in white gold, with 12 diamonds set into its bezel and a further 10 acting as hour markers, it came with an array of standard dials, along with others in a material which was the calling card of the collection—mother of pearl. Made from the inner lining of mollusk shells, mother of pearl has a shimmering quality that not only catches the eye, but because of its origins, it means every dial made from it is unique. 

We currently have a ref. 80319 for sale with a beautiful black mother of pearl face, a rarity among rarities. The different tones and patterns visible are a constant source of interest and, paired with the rest of the watch, sitting on its eponymous modified Jubilee bracelet, it adds up to a stunning overall effect. 

Due to its toned down nature (compared to some other Pearlmasters anyway) the reference can be worn as a formal or casual piece, but it is guaranteed to garner plenty of attention wherever it is. If you want to check it out, this $19,000 watch is currently up for sale on our website.