Rolex: New Watch Releases 2024

Among the most desirable of all Rolex timepieces is the Cosmograph Daytona. The watch originally associated with speed and the thrill of life at a racing-car wheel turned 60 last year – and, to mark the occasion, Rolex rebooted it with a new design and a long list of upgrades. This year, follow-ups include this 18-karat white gold diamond-set piece (pictured) with a black mother-of-pearl dial and contrast white mother-of-pearl chronograph counters – and vice versa. There are 36 brilliant-cut diamonds in the bezel and a further eight on the dial. It’s 40mm across, waterproof to 100 metres and is powered by Rolex Calibre 4131, an automatic chronograph introduced last year that’s loaded with the brand’s performance enhancements (accuracy to −2 /+2 seconds per day, a 72-hour power reserve, anti-magnetism and so on). It’s set on either a three-link Oyster bracelet or black Oysterflex bracelet and has a five-year warranty.

If the sight of a deep-sea diver’s watch (this one’s good for 3,900 metres of water resistance) in solid gold isn’t already eye-catching enough, Rolex is also describing its gleaming heavyweight as the most imposing gold watch it has ever made. In the flesh, the claim makes sense. The first Rolex Deepsea in 18-karat yellow gold is 44mm in diameter, has a solid gold three-link Oyster bracelet with ceramic inserts – pins placed in ceramic tubes and fitted inside the links to enhance flexibility and longevity – and weighs around 320 grams, while the crystal alone is 5.5mm thick. Despite its impressive heft, it has a Ringlock system and Cerachrom compression ring in blue high-tech ceramic (a first), while its case back and Helium escape valve are in Rolex’s RLX titanium. Its many features include a Cerachrom bezel insert in blue ceramic, Chromalight details that glow bright and blue in low light, and the Rolex Glidelock clasp system, extendable up to 20mm in 2mm jumps to cater for wetsuits.

The Rolex watch known affectionately as the President on account of the many world leaders who’ve owned and worn one is only ever available in precious metals – and, this year, the story continues in spectacular fashion. With its mother-of-pearl dial, an 18-karat white gold model (pictured) is utterly mesmerising. The mother-of-pearl is flat, but its naturally billowy, cloud-like pattern appears three-dimensional to the point where the eye can’t be sure it isn’t. No less diverting are the 10 baguette-cut diamond hour markers. Beyond these are the familiar day indication at 12 o’clock (available in 26 languages) and the date under the famous Cyclops lens at 3 o’clock. There are also new ombré dial options including a stunning blue-green variant that had previously only appeared in last year’s Sky-Dweller and also features a ring of 60 trapeze-cut diamonds on the bezel. Under the hood is Rolex Calibre 3255 with its 70-hour power reserve, and holding everything in place is the rippling President bracelet.

Renowned as the watch that accompanied Pan Am pilots across the Atlantic in the 1950s and was said to have helped them counter the impact of jet lag, the Rolex GMT-Master has arguably the most celebrated bezel in watchmaking history. Engraved with a 24-hour time-zone, it’s split into two colours, one to represent day and another night. Originally, this was in ‘Pepsi’ red and blue, but this year for the GMT-Master II it’s in monochromatic black and grey. The keen-eyed will remember this colourway debuted last year on gold models, and it gives equal impact here on this 40mm Oystersteel model – a natural backdrop for the stealthy look the Cerachrom insert creates. A green GMT or second time-zone hand and green dial lettering add pep, while the watch’s vital statistics, which include waterproofness to 100 metres, a 70-hour automatic movement, and the choice of either an Oyster or Jubilee (pictured) bracelet, are reassuringly uncomplicated.

Rolex is also the owner of one of watchmaking’s cleverest and most joyful complications. The Sky-Dweller has both Saros annual calendar (which only needs adjusting once a year at the end of February) and second time-zone functions, which are selected and set via its crown and bezel using the Rolex Ring Command system. An uncommon feature is that the month is shown in apertures over the numerals. This year is the first time the Sky-Dweller has combined precious metals – 42mm of 18-karat Everose or yellow gold – with a Jubilee bracelet. Inside is Rolex Calibre 9002, an automatic accurate to -2-/+2 seconds a day that’s backed by a 72-hour power reserve, and that only appears in the Sky-Dweller line.

Rolex’s most classic line was one of the standout new designs of 2023, lauded for its wearable everyday elegance in 18-karat yellow and Everose gold. Appetite was high. This year, Rolex has released the 1908 in 950 platinum with an ice blue dial – a colour reserved for its platinum models. More special still is the dial’s repeating rice-grain guillochage motif, which radiates from the small seconds at 6 o’clock. A second filet sauté engraving details the edge of the dial, echoing the elegant fluting of the watch’s bezel. Its profile is gloriously fluid, aided by the presence of Rolex Calibre 7140, a 66-hour automatic that’s also the thinnest movement in the brand’s roster. The suave aesthetic is finished by a supple matte brown leather strap. And, as a reminder, the 1908 moniker comes from the year Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf registered that iconic watchmaking name.