A Brief Rundown
As expected, Rolex introduced some new novelties at Baselworld 2019. What was not expected, however, was what they actually released. Where people thought there would be a slimmer Submariner and a cool new Milgauss: there’s a 42mm Yacht-Master in white gold and a two-tone Sea-Dweller. I don’t think anyone will be terribly shocked at these new releases, though.
Yacht-Master 42
Source: Rolex
This is it. This is the big one that Rolex has been teasing. It’s a Yacht-Master, but instead of 40mm it’s 42mm. It seems to be a throwback to the early 2000s era of oversized cases. The Oysterflex bracelet is pretty solid, as it will have to be to carry such a large chunk of gold. The movement is the Cal. 3235, which is a next-gen Rolex movement with a Parachrom hairspring. It’s not the slimmed down Submariner that people were hoping for, but there will probably be a (short) waitlist for it nonetheless.
Retail Price: $27,800
Sea-Dweller
Source: Rolex
A fat 43mm in two-tone yellow gold: the new Sea-Dweller is reminiscent of the old Deep Sea Special. It also comes with the Cal. 3235, which is found in pretty much all of their new watches with a date wheel (including the Yacht-Master 42). It’s water resistant up to a whopping 1220m (4000ft), so there won’t be a problem taking it snorkeling or on a stroll along the beach. Two-tone has become very niche, so it’s a bit odd to see this marketed as such a groundbreaking release, but Rolex did it anyways.
Retail Price: $16,050
GMT-Master II
Source: Rolex
When the old Batman reference got discontinued, Instagram was abuzz with whether or not anything would replace it. It turns out Rolex was just updating the BLNR under a new reference. It’s still the classic 40mm Oystersteel case with the blue and black ceramic bezel that so many people love. It is equipped with the Cal. 3285, which is the next-gen GMT movement from Rolex. The most controversial part of the new BLNR is the Jubilee bracelet, which honestly still works with the aesthetics of the watch. I expect this one to have a decent waitlist.
Retail Price: $9,250
It is worth noting that there are also two new white gold GMT-Master IIs. Both have Pepsi bezels with Oyster bracelets, but one has a blue dial and the other has a meteorite dial. They are priced at $36,750 and $38,400 respectively.
Other Models
Rolex also released new Day-Date 36s, Datejust 36s, and Datejust 31s. They’re all equipped with modern Rolex movements, and include some new dial variations. Nothing out of the ordinary with those. I’m sorry, but there’s no new Milgauss here.
To learn more about the new Rolex watches, click here.
Time of Horology 