Stunning Concepts
Rolex is one of the most well-known and recognizable watch brands. The company produces quality, luxury, and complex watches. Over the years, Rolex has launched a variety of watches to fit every industry and taste, with a plethora of styles and features.
If you are starting your watch collection, it is crucial to find the right model for you. Be sure to choose a watch that fits your style, personality, and budget. It’s not always an easy decision. At Atlas Watches, we help our customers find the right timepiece from our wide selection of well-sourced pre-owned Rolex watches. Which ones are the most popular in the Rolex collection? This article provides the five most popular Rolex watches that have been delighting timepiece connoisseurs across the globe and the history of each model.
Rolex Daytona
Rolex Daytona was first released in 1963. In the early 1900s, Daytona Beach was a favourite spot for drivers. The beach has hard-packed sand that offers a perfect space for motorsports. Malcom Campbell, a man recognized as king of speed, had several great world records, including the World Land Record. Malcom wore an early Rolex Oyster watch when he set his records, which marked the bond between Rolex and motorsports. After the launching of Daytona International Speedway in 1959, Rolex turned out to be the official watch and has held this title since then. When Rolex reinvented their chronograph timepiece in 1963, they named it after the speedway, hence Rolex Daytona.
Rolex Daytona is the only chronograph the company makes. It features accurate, reliable tachymeter and chronograph scales. If you value speed, performance, and luxury, Daytona is the right choice for you.
Currently, the Rolex Daytona is among the most bought Rolex model in the market. Purchasing one from an authorized dealer is almost impossible. So, buying a pre-owned one may be the only option.
Rolex GMT-Master
Rolex started producing tool watches for different professions after the second world war. In 1954, the firm developed the GMT-Master and Submariner, both of which had rotating bezels. Pan American World Airways requested Rolex to make the GMT-Master to help pilots track local and GMT time.
The GMT-Master was released a year after the Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph, which featured a rotating bezel for keeping track of time.
In 1955, Rolex launched GMT-Master Ref. 6542, which was slightly different as it had an additional central hour hand to the movement. It rotated once every 24 hours. This model could be rotated backwards or forward and read with the smaller 12-hour hand to show local time while the 24-hour hand showed GMT time. It was easier to use though not like modern GMT watches that feature an independent hour hand.
Rolex upgraded GMT-Master in 1959. The updated GMT-Master Ref 1675 was marked with an aluminium anodized bezel and crown guards. The company stopped producing this model in 1980 after launching its updated version, GMT-Master Ref. 16750. This updated model became the first GMT-Master to provide a quickset date function.
In 1983, Rolex produced the GMT-Master II, Ref 16760, which became the first model to have an independent hour hand.
In 1988, Rolex updated both the GMT-Master and GMT-Master II with a new case and a sapphire crystal.
Rolex Sky-Dweller
The history of Rolex Sky-Dweller is very short. This version was launched at Baselworld in 2012. It is among the few complicated watches Rolex has produced as it bears a special, purpose-made complicated movement. The model is a dual-timezone watch with 14 patents.
Sky-Dweller comprises a yearly calendar indicating date and month, a second-time zone and a 24-hour display.
Sky-Dweller functions include:
- 24-hour display
- Second time-zone through an independent hour hand
- Annual calendar displaying dates and months
- Central seconds, minutes and hours
- Stop-seconds – user can stop the movement by hand
The Sea-Dweller
Rolex is the first company to invent a water-resistant watch. The origin of the Sea-Dweller watch can be traced back to 1927 when Rolex founder gave Mercedes Gleitze the Oyster waterproof watch when she swam the English Channel. After ten years in the water, the swimmer still had the watch operating perfectly. It marked the beginning of Rolex’s water exploration.
In 1967, Rolex launched the first Sea-Dweller that went up to 4,000 feet and kept perfect time underwater.
Years later, in 2012, a Titanic and Avatar director, James Cameron, went to the ocean’s deepest depths in a vessel known as the DeepSea Challenger. Rolex equipped him with a specially made water-resistant watch called the Rolex DeepSea Challenge. The watch kept perfect time up to 12,000 meters. In honour of the expedition, Rolex made a unique model, Rolex DeepSea Sea-Dweller, James Cameron versions.
The Sea-Dweller has chroma light hour markers and offers a blue glow for visibility in dark underwater situations, making it ideal for deep-sea divers and adventurers.
Yacht-Master
Rolex introduced Yacht-Master in 1992. It became the company’s first luxury sports watch for the open seas. Other Rolex previously launched sports watches included the submariner for diving and the Daytona for racing.
Rolex did not make any upgrade to Yacht-Master until 1994 when they introduced the Ref. 68628 and a women’s edition of the model, Ref. 69628. Two years later, the brand released a two-tone (gold and steel) Yacht-Master
In 1997, they introduced the Rolesium version, which comes with a steel body combined with a platinum bezel and dial.
At the Baselworld 2007, Rolex launched Yacht-Master II. The original version of Yacht-Master II came only in yellow and white gold. Yacht-Master has since then been upgrading and is popular with men and women. It comes in a range of finishes to match any style.
The best thing about the Rolex collection is that the watches are forever, so different versions and styles keep emerging as fashions change with time. You will always enjoy an excellent time keeping ability. Keep in mind that you can also buy Rolex watches for investment purposes. So, when purchasing a watch, pay attention to its likely future worth.