« We look at these watches from a completely different angle »
The Rolex lineup is remarkably broad. It spans dedicated dive and sailing watches built for the most demanding conditions as well as elegant dress watches, prestigious chronographs and rugged wristwatches for pilots, adventurers and globetrotters. With a selection like this, there is a fitting watch from the brand for almost every occasion and situation. We took a closer look at the Swiss luxury watch manufacture's model range from exactly this perspective.
Business before pleasure: a stylish Rolex for the office and everyday wear
If you are looking for a stylish Rolex luxury watch to wear primarily during the day at the office, in meetings or on business trips, the Oyster Perpetual, Datejust and Day-Date collections are especially worth considering.
Oyster Perpetual
The Oyster Perpetual collection is the most understated of the three and, at the same time, the one most closely tied to Rolex's worldwide success story. After all, it was the high-profile launch of its first waterproof "Oyster" watches in the 1920s, followed a few years later by fitting the Oyster with automatic movements, that gave the brand its international breakthrough while setting key standards in the luxury watch segment. Ever since, the Oyster Perpetual has held a firm place in the manufacture's lineup and remains hugely popular to this day.
The collection includes both women's and men's watches with case diameters of 26, 31, 36 or 39 millimeters. All of them are classic three-hand watches in stainless steel, worn on stainless steel bracelets. Apart from case size, the versions differ only in dial color and – on a handful of women's models – in the use of Roman or Arabic numerals instead of the baton indexes otherwise characteristic of the collection.
All versions of the Oyster Perpetual are water-resistant to 10 bar, or 100 meters, and are also suitable for the occasional swim.
The combination of understated elegance with high reliability and robustness makes these watches true all-rounders that never look out of place, whether in your leisure time, during sports or on almost any other occasion.
Day-Date or Datejust
If you prefer something a little more opulent, you may opt for a Rolex Datejust or a Day-Date instead. Both collections are likewise based on the core concept of the Oyster Perpetual and offer the same water resistance. In addition, however, the Datejust features a date window at 3 o'clock, topped by a magnifying lens integrated into the crystal to improve legibility. The Day-Date adds a further window that displays the current day of the week spelled out in full, arching between 11 and 1 o'clock.
Compared with the Oyster Perpetual, the Datejust and Day-Date collections also stand out for a much wider range of material and design variants to choose from. There are models with cases and bracelets made of precious metals such as gold or platinum, and others set with diamonds as indexes or as decoration on the bezel and dial. At 40 and 41 millimeters respectively, the men's versions are somewhat larger than the Oyster Perpetual, and there are no Day-Date women's watches smaller than 36 millimeters, since the day of the week would otherwise hardly be legible.
The gold and platinum models and the diamond-set versions in particular pair well not only with formal business attire but also look superb with evening wear.
The Milgauss: a Rolex for engineers, scientists and doctors
Compared with the collections just described, the Milgauss line, currently comprising only two versions, is not only considerably smaller but also stands apart visually. Although its design largely follows that of the Oyster Perpetual, it departs from it in two characteristic details.
It features a striking lightning-bolt seconds hand which, thanks to its shape and vivid orange hue, is the distinctive hallmark of the Milgauss and also guarantees it a certain "exotic" status.
The defining feature of the Milgauss – and the one that gives it its name – is not its design, however, but the fact that it continues to run smoothly and without disruption even when exposed to magnetic fields of up to 1,000 gauss.
By contrast, the functioning of a conventional mechanical watch can already be impaired by magnetic fields of 50 to 100 gauss. Launched back in 1956 and only carefully modified since, the Rolex Milgauss was developed specifically for researchers and others who are exposed to stronger magnetic fields in their work and would therefore have to expect such disruptions with most other mechanical wristwatches.
If you are an engineer, researcher or doctor who frequently works in a lab, a test workshop or at an MRI scanner, the Milgauss is a watch that performs just as reliably in that environment as it does at any office desk.
Traveling the world: the Air-King and more for frequent flyers, adventurers and explorers
For everyone who frequently travels around the globe, Rolex offers no fewer than four different watch lines. In the case of the Rolex Air-King, however, you can't really speak of a line, since this model is available in just one version. The 40-millimeter stainless steel watch with a black dial and highly legible white Arabic numerals is likewise based on the Oyster Perpetual, but its design is firmly rooted in the tradition of classic pilot's watches.
It is likely to appeal above all to sporty men with an affinity for aviation, and thanks to its moderate dimensions it can be worn not only with a flight suit but just as well with a business suit.
The distinctive white triangle in place of the 12, the yellow Rolex crown positioned below it, and the green hue of the brand lettering and seconds hand identify this watch as an Air-King at first glance.
For frequent flyers and adventurers who regularly move between time zones, the main options in the Rolex lineup are the Explorer II and the GMT-Master II, which are fairly similar in their basic concept and each feature an additional hand that can display the time in a second time zone on the bezel's 24-hour scale.
There is also the virtually unchanged original Explorer, a version without GMT function that instead gives its wearer the reassuring feeling that their watch already proved itself on the first successful ascent of Mount Everest – and should therefore be up to just about any other situation a human being can survive on Earth.
The Sky-Dweller, by contrast, is aimed more at business travelers who might like to wear a Datejust or a Day-Date but don't want to do without a GMT function because they change time zones so often. It is available in numerous steel and gold versions and impresses lovers of mechanical watches above all with its ingenious solution for the second time zone, which is displayed on a separate 24-hour ring within the dial.
Sporting pleasures in style: watches for divers, sailors and Formula 1 drivers
The Rolex Submariner hardly needs an introduction: it is not only one of the brand's best-known icons but has also set – and continues to set – the design template for countless dive watch lines from other manufacturers around the world. It is ideal for anyone who loves diving, but it also serves surfers, sailors and all other water sports enthusiasts well.
Professional divers and ambitious recreational divers will find an alternative in the Sea-Dweller, which can withstand even greater stresses underwater and boasts water resistance of up to 1,220 or even 3,900 meters.
The Rolex Yacht-Master offers a particularly original complication. Developed specifically for professional sailors, this regatta chronograph features a mechanical countdown function that comes in handy during the starting sequence.
If you have "gasoline in your veins" or would at least rather be trackside at a Formula 1 race than at sea or underwater, a Cosmograph Daytona on your wrist lets you show impeccable style.
Available in numerous color and material combinations, this watch has become the archetype of the modern sports chronograph like hardly any other. And it would be no exaggeration to say that it plays a role in this market segment comparable to that of the Submariner among dive watches.
For the red carpet, the ball or a night at the opera
On the red carpet, at a gala ball or at the opera, on the other hand, a stylish gentleman is expected to wear a discreet, elegant dress watch and to give his dive watches or sports chronographs a break on the watch winder at home in the meantime. If you are a man who wants to be perfectly equipped with a Rolex for the grandest occasions, a Cellini is an excellent choice.
Named after the famous Italian Renaissance sculptor Benvenuto Cellini, this watch line is distinguished by its exceptional elegance and several horological highlights. Although Rolex is otherwise rather sparing with complications, this collection includes versions with a small pointer date, small seconds, a second time zone or a moon phase display, all testifying to the manufacturer's considerable mechanical expertise. Compared with the other collections, it is also striking that the Cellini is always worn on a fine leather strap and is not available with metal bracelets.
What the Cellini is for the gentleman, a Pearlmaster can be for the elegant lady. This exceptional collection combines the arts of watchmaking and jewelry in a particularly intimate way. A Pearlmaster is always made of gold and set with diamonds to a greater or lesser extent, lending its wearer a truly extraordinary, captivating radiance on the red carpet and at similar occasions.
