Hodinkee
Vintage Watches: A 1970s Porsche Design By Orfina, A 1972 Rolex GMT-Master, And A 1978 Tudor Submariner
It's all treats and no tricks in this week's selection of vintage watches in the HODINKEE Shop.
2,491 articles · 1,984 videos found · page 54 of 150
Every Rolex Submariner from 1953 ref. 6204 to today: years, dials, bezels, movements, nicknames.
The 1953 Rolex diver. James Bond's watch and the template every dive watch copies.
Hodinkee
It's all treats and no tricks in this week's selection of vintage watches in the HODINKEE Shop.
Teddy Baldassarre
It’s easy to see Rolex exclusively as a sport watch brand, if even a luxury oriented one, thanks to collections that have helped to define their respective genres, such as the Submariner, the GMT-Master, the Explorer, and the Daytona. While they undoubtedly are just that, Rolex has another dimension to be discovered in more formal territory, and it’s a side we probably don’t see as often as we should, at least if their latest 1908 collection is anything to go by. Following the discontinuation of the Cellini collection in 2023, Rolex revealed its replacement in the 1908, sporting a familiar yet novel design language, and an entirely new movement in the caliber 7140. It was an immediate breath of fresh air, and a rare truly new release from the brand. [toc-section heading="Some Rolex Design History"] Rolex has more than a century’s worth of design language to draw upon, and it would do exactly that with the design of the 1908. From the shape of the case, to the details of the bezel, and even the design of the hour numerals, the 1908 feels like a love letter to the history of Rolex. As a result, it’s a design that doesn’t feel entirely formal in nature, landing in a more versatile space than you might imagine, especially in the right spec. This is a watch that feels appropriate in a wide range of uses, from dressed to the nines in a suit and tie, all the way down to t-shirt and jeans affairs, this is a truly dynamic platform. From the first oyster style cases ...
Monochrome
Many companies have that one model that really epitomises the brand, even if it’s not the flagship product. Toyota has the Camry, Omega has the Speedmaster, and Rolex has the Datejust (you thought I was going to say Submariner). It’s among the longest running models in Rolex’s portfolio and boasts many of the signature features […]
Teddy Baldassarre
My first Rolex was an Explorer II 216570 with black dial and I absolutely loved that watch. It was rarer than the GMT-Master II or Submariner, and didn’t have the ceramic bezel, which I found to be a little too glossy and “luxe” for what I was looking for in a watch at the time. I kept and wore the heck out of that watch for almost six years until I just felt like it didn’t speak to me anymore. The 42mm wide “Maxi” case seemed too big and the big, thick hour and minutes hands just began to bug me. I can’t explain why I was so dead set on the 216570 rather than the older 16570 at the time but I can certainly say that now, in 2025, the Rolex Explorer II 16570 is not just my preferred iteration of the modern spelunking watch, but an all-timer from Rolex. I’ve started to refer to the 16570 as a “Forever Rolex” because it ticks all the boxes - size, reliability, dual-time functionality, and discrete aesthetics - all while remaining one of the few Rolexes that isn’t immediately recognizable to every casual observer. Let’s take a look at why I’m such a big fan of this old-school Rolex. Case and Specs: The Other Rolex GMT Measuring 40mm wide and 12.2mm thick with a 47mm lug-to-lug height, the 16570 is an eminently wearable Rolex. And while this is very obviously a sport/tool watch, these proportions make for a very versatile and subdued piece. No, there isn’t a rotating bezel with a nickname-ready color combo here. Rather, there is a demure, fixed ...
Fratello
Another Sunday, another showdown! This week, we’ll dive headfirst into the world of luxury dive watches, and two examples with legendary lineage will go head to head. The first is the latest iteration of the Rolex Sea-Dweller, a watch that finds its roots in the late 1960s as the professional brother of the Submariner. The […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech BOC IV Vs. Rolex Sea-Dweller Ref. 126600 to read the full article.
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Teddy Baldassarre
The Rolex Yacht-Master occupies a prominent but, for many, difficult-to-define area within the company’s overall portfolio. It’s regarded as a popular dress watch but is firmly positioned within the “Professional” collection. It looks a lot like a Submariner but isn’t really a dive watch, so it’s really not like a Submariner at all. It’s designed as a men’s watch but has become a canvas for some very feminine executions. And unlike other Rolex models that offer an original “I” and a second-generation “II” version, like the GMT-Master and Explorer, the Yacht-Master I and II are scarcely related in their design or functions at all. And yet, the Yacht-Master remains a top-tier timepiece both for Rolex and its legions of fans, and in its relatively short span on the market has welcomed a number of innovative materials and technologies into the Rolex fold. Read on to discover more about the Rolex Yacht-Master (in all its various versions) and what makes the model unique among its Oyster Perpetual brethren. 1967 - 1969 - The Prototype: Cosmograph Yacht-Master Rolex Cosmograph Yacht-Master, circa 1967 (photo: Rolex Magazine.com) While the Yacht-Master as we know it today traces its genesis only to 1992, the name appeared on a Rolex dial several decades before - on a watch that resembled more an evolution of the Daytona than of the Submariner - indicating that a sailing-themed watch was something that Rolex had been tinkering with as an organization for...
Teddy Baldassarre
From the beginning of 1953 to the end of 1954, Rolex had perhaps the most productive and impactful period that any watchmaker had ever managed in a two-year stretch. The Explorer, the gold standard of adventure-oriented luxury watches, debuted in the summer of 1953 and the first Submariner, the quintessential diver’s watch, was manufactured that same year. The Submariner’s public debut wasn’t until 1954 at the Basel Watch Fair, but it wasn’t the only trendsetting Rolex watch the Crown released that year: the other was the original GMT-Master, the dual-time travel watch against which all others are measured. Photo: Matthew Bain We all are familiar with the three iconic Oyster Perpetual timepieces above, but few may be aware that Rolex released another tool watch in 1953, whose production not only preceded that of the Submariner and GMT-Master but whose signature design feature influenced the look of both. That watch is the Rolex Turn-o-Graph, the first serially produced Rolex tool watch equipped with a rotating bezel that could be used for timing intervals. (To be thorough, it should be noted that it was not the very first Rolex watch with such a feature: the Zerographe Ref. 3346, made way back in 1937, takes that honor, along with the distinction of being the first Rolex watch with a movement made in-house - with a flyback chronograph, no less. The rarest of unicorns, the Zerographe (below) is nearly forgotten today, rarely mentioned in official Rolex literatur...
Teddy Baldassarre
Only at Rolex can a watch dubbed a King be described as humble compared to other watches with less lofty but still commanding titles like Master. The Rolex Air-King, despite being the oldest existing model in the mega-brand’s star-studded lineup, has never attained the levels of mainstream popularity and collectability enjoyed by household-name watches like the Daytona, Submariner, GMT-Master, and (arguably) even the Yacht-Master. Rolex hopes to change that this year, however, making the newest version of the Air-King a headliner of its 2022 collection, unveiled this week at Watches & Wonders 2022 in Geneva. Aviation History The Rolex Air-King (technically Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King) traces its history all the way back to 1945, when it was launched as part of a trio of timepieces called the “Air Series” that celebrated the accomplishments of Britain’s Royal Air Force in World War II, alongside the discontinued Air-Giant and Air-Tiger. The Air-King, the last survivor of that collection designed “to honor the pioneers of aviation,” went through a number of evolutions throughout the years. The original model’s 34mm case (considered large at the time, believe it or not), cream-colored dial and manual wind movement would eventually be replaced by the now-familiar design most recently updated in 2016: a black dial with a 60-minute scale and inverted triangle at the 12 o’clock/60-minute position (a feature of historical pilots’ watches); large 3, 6, and ...
Teddy Baldassarre
The Rolex Explorer is in many ways the quintessential dressy tool watch from Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual collection - less flashy than the GMT-Master, less bulky than the Submariner, while still rooted, like those two models, in a history of adventure and discovery. While it has changed very little since the 1950s, today’s Rolex Explorer is the culmination of many decades of aesthetic and technical evolution, guided by a watchmaker for whom the subtlest details make all the difference in the world to its avid legions of fans. Underpinning the Explorer: Oyster Case and Perpetual Caliber The Rolex Explorer, like all Oyster Perpetual timepieces in Rolex’s Professional collection, is an expression of two technical milestones that Rolex and its visionary founder Hans Wisdorf contributed to watchmaking history. The first is the so-called Oyster case, developed in 1926, which revolutionized the construction of watch cases with its dustproof, waterproof, hermetically sealed structure, secured by a threaded caseback and a crown that screwed tightly into the case. In 1931, Rolex made history again with the creation of its first “Perpetual” movement (below), whose self-winding mechanism was driven by an oscillating rotor. The marriage of these two inventions gave rise to the “Oyster Perpetual” line of timepieces that remain at the heart of Rolex’s collection today, beginning with the Datejust in 1945 and coming to full fruition with the tool-oriented, yet still luxuri...
Time+Tide
There’s no Baselworld this year, but in April we will have the “phygital” Watches & Wonders to look forward to. Thirty-four brands will be in attendance, among them Rolex and Patek Philippe – two horological heavyweights whose potential novelties will, as always, be eagerly awaited. Back in September we saw Rolex refresh the Submariner collection, … ContinuedThe post Predictions: Will we see new Rolex Explorer watches in 2021? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Revolution
In this episode of Povey Talks, Revolution’s Mr. Tudor tells us all about the Tudor Submariner.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Timex Waterbury Heritage Automatic GMT: the first mechanical movement in the Waterbury Heritage line, with Rolex GMT Master-inspired bezels.
Teddy Baldassarre
It's the start of Watches & Wonders 2026, and Rolex has announced their newest additions to their catalog. New dials, new metals, new exclusive references and even a new movement. Watch the video to find out what's new for this year at Rolex
Hodinkee
Rolex introduces a special Datejust 41 with a green lacquer ombré dial to mark 100 years of the Oyster case.
Hodinkee
The new Day-Date utilizes 'Jubilee Gold' on the case, bezel, and President bracelet, using a more subtle 18-karat gold alloy for the first time, developed and produced in-house by Rolex.
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SJX Watches
This year’s Watches & Wonders got off with a strong start. Rolex unveiled a number of new models, with a strong accent on novel materials and precious metals. A first for the sporty landmark chronograph, the new Cosmograph Daytona comes with an enamelled dial. Initial thoughts Rolex is known in modern times for their mastery of both industrialised mechanical watchmaking and sound material science. The new Daytona is a product of the latter - it benefits from a new sort of ceramic bezel and notably a white enamel dial done a bit differently. At first sight, the new model reminds of the “Porcelain” Zenith-powered Daytonas. A sought-after configuration of pre-2000 Daytonas, the “Porcelain” was nicknamed as such due to the glossy finished white dial, which carried some resemblance to classic porcelain. Among Rolex’s most beloved models, the Daytona has seen a fair share of makeovers over the years. Most special editions took advantage of the motorsport heritage of the chronograph and others added gems and precious alloys to the mix. The main selling point of this latest Daytona configuration is the enamel dial - a classic element which doesn’t normally connect to Rolex or to sports watches in general. What Rolex successfully did was raise the appeal of the Daytona beyond just a sports chronograph, without resorting to any loud gem setting or full precious metal construction. Instead, the brand opted for a quiet (but modern) enamel and a new bezel configurat...
Hodinkee
In the first episode of our brand new podcast, Author Pierre-Yves Donzé unpacks the business history of Rolex and why the brand's success isn't just about its watches.
Fratello
Perhaps “caught between a rock and a hard place” is a bit of an exaggeration, but it seems that Jaeger-LeCoultre is trapped between status and prestige. A Rolex on the wrist is a status symbol, and a Patek Philippe is the prestigious choice. But what does a JLC on the wrist say about its owner? […] Visit Jaeger-LeCoultre Is Trapped Between Status (Rolex) And Prestige (Patek Philippe) to read the full article.
Time+Tide
Zach drops a bombshell: a brand-new Rolex Land-Dweller 36, kept secret for a full month. Can Andrew win this 3-Watch Throw Down?The post Rolex Land-Dweller surprise reveal + Credor, Cartier & more - Zach’s 3-WATCH THROW DOWN appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Compare Omega Railmaster vs Rolex Explorer. See which quiet luxury tool watch delivers better accuracy, comfort, and usability, based on our hands-on verdict.
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Two Broke Watch Snobs
Christopher Ward introduces The Green Fifteen, a one-week dive watch collaboration drawing from military Rolex design cues.
Hodinkee
Deal to partner with the Saudi Arabia-backed golf circuit will expose Rolex to new regions and potential controversy.
Fratello
Welcome to another Sunday Morning Showdown, dear Fratelli! This week’s battle is a bit different. Our fearless leader, RJ, served up a provocative proposition during our last editorial meeting: “Why don’t we do a battle between two editors’ personal watches for a change?” Okay, RJ, we hear you. We’re ready and prepared. Let’s get personal! […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Thomas’s Rolex Datejust Ref. 1601 Vs. Daan’s Cartier Santos Galbée XL to read the full article.
Fratello
It’s Sunday, which means it’s time to wake up with a nice cup of coffee and another Sunday Morning Showdown. This week, Mike and Jorg will go up against each other in a matchup that you could see coming a mile away. They picked two gold heavy hitters and natural rivals from Omega and Rolex. […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch “Reverse Panda” Vs. Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Le Mans” to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
"Under-appreciated" is not often a term associated with Rolex. In fact, many may tend to argue the exact opposite when it comes to the historic brand. However, there are some models in the catalog that we believe don't quite get the recognition they deserve. See here what those models are, and why we consider them unde
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