Editor’s Note
This definitive ranking navigates Rolex’s storied 119-year history, from the Daytona to the King Midas, to crown the very best.
From the Daytona to the King Midas, and including the Explorer, Submariner, and Sea-Dweller, dive into the history of the brand with the crown.
By Cam Wolf
Photography by Bowen Fernie
Translated and adapted by Alex Simon
December 27, 2024
Rolex may be the world’s greatest watchmaker, so, inevitably, creating a ranking of the best Rolex watches might seem absurd: how to choose among so many successes, iconic watches, and 119 years of history?
However, anyone who looks closely realizes that the brand hasn’t released that many different lines, preferring to perfect its icons over the decades. The biggest novelties in recent years have been the Daytona, with its slightly thinner rings around the dials, and a Submariner only one millimeter larger than the previous version.
This list also highlights how the crown brand designs its most important lines.
The waterproof technology of the Oyster Perpetual is used in the Submariner, which serves as the basis for the Sea Dweller (which allows for deeper diving), which itself gives birth to the Yacht-Master (which allows you to dive, then tan on a pontoon). Even when models don’t stay on the market for long, they seem to leave their mark on the brand’s DNA, as with the King Midas, which helped launch the playful side of the brand.
In this ranking of the 19 best Rolex watches, we consider a large number of parameters. Did the model represent new technology or aesthetic evolution? Did the watch have a lasting impact on the collector’s market and watch culture? To what extent is the model still sought after today? All these criteria were taken into account.
Without further ado, here is our ranking of the most important Rolex models.
Let’s start with the most chic design from the king of sports watches. The codes of the Pearlmaster made it a brazen luxury object: this model was only made in rare metals and was always set with precious stones.
After remaining in production for three decades, the Pearlmaster was discontinued in 2022. In a sense, it had been successful enough to no longer be necessary. The “high jewelry” aspect of this model, which served as a novelty for Rolex at its launch in 1992, has since influenced the brand’s entire stable.
After the Precision 1908, the Sky-Dweller is the second youngest Rolex in this ranking: this model was launched in 2012 as an alternative to the GMT-Master. If the GMT is for pilots, the Sky-Dweller is for private jet owners. It’s a “to die for” chic travel watch: most variants are in gold, and its 42 mm case was designed to compete with the large, flashy cases that were in vogue at the time.
The Prince might be the most offbeat watch on this list. It was in 1928 that Rolex began manufacturing this rectangular, Tank-style piece. Intended for grand occasions, the Prince eventually became very popular with a specific audience: doctors. Not only because it pairs well with white coats, but because its seconds dial allows measuring a patient’s heart rate. There are worse ways to establish a reputation as a maker of precise timing instruments, right?
The original Prince ceased production in 1940, before being resurrected in 2005 as part of the dressy Cellini line, then disappearing again in 2015.
The year 1953 marked a turning point for Rolex, with the release of the Explorer, the Submariner, and the Turn-o-Graph. While it didn’t reach the heights of the other two, the Turn-o-Graph made a major technical contribution to the brand’s history: it was the first Rolex with a rotating bezel, a feature that would become essential for the GMT-Master and the Submariner (the latter being released a few months after the Turn-o-Graph). Despite its technical prowess, the Turn-o-Graph was not manufactured for very long as a distinct line: it was quickly moved under the Datejust umbrella before being completely discontinued in 2011.
During the quartz frenzy era, Rolex spent five years developing a quartz movement meeting its highly demanding standards. The resulting watch is typical of the 1970s and features several characteristics of the time: its quartz movement, of course, but also its integrated bracelet, a feature also found on other stars of the period, like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Patek Philippe Nautilus, and the Vacheron Constantin 222. Although developed during a period of frenzy in the industry, the Oysterquartz remained in production for a surprisingly long period of 25 years.
In 2023, one year after the discontinuation of the Cellini, the Perpetual 1908 came to console its aficionados. This watch and the next two are ranked one after the other for a good reason: all represent Rolex’s most successful efforts to manufacture pieces that are both more dressy and capable of competing with its legendary tool watches. We love one of the 2024 versions of this model, featuring a glacier blue dial with a polished finish.
