Rolex had just introduced the novelties for 2025, at Watches & Wonders. We take a quick look at the new launches and provide our commentary on these watches.
Press Release with commentary in italics. Images courtesy of Rolex.
This year’s Watches & Wonders saw the introduction of an all-new collection, in the form of the Land-Dweller. Other collections – in the form of GMT-Master II, Oyster Perpetual, 1908, Datejust, and Daytona – also saw some form of refreshment in the form of new dial options and bracelet.
Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller
The new Land-Dweller is certainly the talk of the town in Watches & Wonders 2025. This is an entirely new collection from Rolex, featuring a new case (available in both 36mm and 40mm) and an integrated bracelet. The relatively slim and sleek case profile (at 9.7mm) lends a nice touch as well.
Beyond the design, the watch also features the new Calibre 7135 – which is the first high-beat movement from Rolex. Other technological advancements include the Dynapulse escapement, as well as the new oscillator that features a high-tech ceramic balance staff.
While the design is slightly controversial for some, there is no doubt about the technical prowess of Rolex. However, one thing is for sure – this is going to be highly popular timepiece, without a shadow of a doubt,
Press Release
Reinventing the present lays foundations for the future. Rolex begins a new chapter in its history with the Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller. This most contemporary watch represents the culmination of the brand’s expertise today, fruit of more than a century of experience in watchmaking. The Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller is designed for those well-grounded men and women who build their own destinies, seeing opportunity in every moment.
Fitted with a bracelet that flows seamlessly from the case and is almost indistinguishable from it, this streamlined watch boasts a revolutionary calibre. Featuring an escapement with an innovative architecture and a new state-of-the-art oscillator, the movement was designed to beat at the high frequency of 5 Hz and deliver superlative performance in all circumstances. No fewer than 32 patent applications and patents pertain to the Land-Dweller, of which 18 are exclusive to this watch.
Integrating many horological accomplishments, conceived by the far-thinkers who are mapping out the future of watchmaking, the Land-Dweller is the watch of those who, today, are already designing tomorrow’s world.
Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II
Rolex had decided to incorporate its first ceramic dial on the highly popular GMT-Master II. This variant, which features the green ceramic dial, pairs beautifully with the black-and-green bezel that is of the same shade and material. This adds a level of boldness and style to the timepiece.
While the “Sprite” is already a popular model, the introduction of this green dial should take its popularity even further. Although the watch is currently only available in this guise with a white gold case and bracelet, we believe that Rolex will expand this line-up in time to come for the stainless-steel models.
Press Release
Rolex has chosen to introduce its very first ceramic dial on an 18 ct white gold version of the Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II. In the same material, with the same green colour and the same lustre, this Cerachrom dial and the daytime half of the green and black bezel insert echo each other perfectly.
Betokening the technical prowess of the brand’s engineers, this visual harmony stems from the mastery of high-technology ceramic: the dial and the bezel insert are made of exactly the same material. This new dial makes its debut on a GMT-Master II with the winding crown on the left, similarly to the introduction of the green and black bezel insert in 2022. The version presented this year is fitted on an Oyster bracelet with an Oysterlock safety clasp.
Thanks to the additional hand that displays a second time zone, the GMT-Master II helps travellers to attune the changing times on their journey to the immutable temporality of others. In its new version with a perfect pairing of dial and bezel, this watch continues to foster interconnectedness, inviting permanency regardless of distance and time differences.
Oyster Perpetual
Rolex went with a series of pastel colours – in the form of beige, lavender, and pistachio – to give the Oyster Perpetual a more mellow appearance. We like the soft touch to the watch, which gives us a new perspective to the Oyster Perpetual.
In return, Rolex had discontinued the controversial “Celebration Dial” from the Oyster Perpetual line-up. While we thought that it was a pity (personally, the author is slowly warming up to it), but we reckon that the new dial options will certainly gain favours from female collectors who is looking for a Rolex timepiece that is not as masculine or serious.
Press Release
A muted lavender, a warm sandy beige and a fresh pistachio green. The Oyster Perpetual is graced with new faces in an array of colours that celebrate the meeting of pastel shades, vibrant lacquering and a smooth, matt finish.
The lavender dial is available on the Oyster Perpetual 28 and the beige dial on the Oyster Perpetual 36. The pistachio dial is presented on the Oyster Perpetual 41, a model whose proportions have been slightly reworked, introducing a redesigned case and a slimmer Oysterclasp.
The soft new dial colours that have joined the range in tandem with the f lowing lines of the new Oyster Perpetual 41 reaffirm the original promise of the Oyster – to be a simple, reliable and robust watch that looks good on every wrist; a watch whose infinite variety of faces continually suggest exciting new possibilities.
Perpetual 1908
Press Release
Rarely has solid gold felt so supple and light on the wrist. The Perpetual 1908 in 18 ct yellow gold is now available on a bracelet fashioned entirely in this precious metal. An innovative geometry endows this seven-piece link bracelet with refinement and comfort in all-round elegance.
The scintillating Settimo bracelet, composed of very small links, is the first metal bracelet dedicated to the 1908. Its exquisite construction and slightly contoured links, polished on every surface, produce a sublime and sparkling display of reflected light.
Equipped with a concealed Crownclasp, its well-proportioned design evokes the jewellery-inspired bracelets of some vintage watches. It therefore captures the original spirit of the 1908, conceived in homage to watchmaking tradition.
Oyster Perpetual Datejust
Press Release
Just like the last rays of the sun piercing the horizon at nightfall, the dial of the new Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31 presents a communion of light and shade. The red ombré dial displays a subtle transition between the fire at its centre and a deep darkness at its edge – a chiaroscuro enhanced by the sparkling diamonds set on the bezel and dial.
This is the first time that Rolex offers a red ombré dial, a colour that is highly complex to obtain via the process of PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition). The brand’s dial-making expertise, coupled with the craftsmanship of its master gem-setters, engenders a watch dial that comes alive and shows different faces according to the intensity of daylight or the evening’s shadows. This exclusive dial is presented on the Datejust 31 in 18 ct yellow gold.
