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This year, Rolex is celebrating 100 years of the Oyster, the watch—or watch case, to be more precise—that quietly remains the hub around which the brand’s line-up has revolved for a full century. That a watch could be submerged was astounding enough in the 1920s to cause throngs to gape at the Oyster cleverly displayed ticking away in a fishtank in store windows, and in 1927, Mercedes Gleitz wore a Rolex Oyster during a 10-hour swim across the English Channel, a feat of which Rolex made great marketing use.
The term Oyster still dominates Rolex nomenclature, as any fan of the brand knows, with the word “Perpetual” added along with auto-winding in 1931. If you own a Rolex, you likely own an “Oyster case,” and you also likely own an Oylsterflex rubber strap and/or three-link Oyster Bracelet, perhaps made of Oystersteel. The ubiquity of the term should be clear enough.
This year, it is little surprise that Rolex has leaned into the Oyster Perpetual line to create the 2026 novelties, with some subtle and not so subtle editions on offer. Other notable introductions include clever new movement for the revived Yachtmaster II, a new alloy for a special Day-Date, and several unique celebratory models that will be very desirable and very hard to get.
Let’s dive in and discover what’s new for this year from the Crown.
Clearly this is going to be the watch everyone is clamoring for this year, and it’s likely going to be hard to get. With a technicolor lacquer dial that reminds us of something Andy Warhol might have had a hand in creating, the OP 36 Jubilee Edition is a study in dialmaking expertise.
It would be difficult to explain how technically challenging it would have been to get all of those colors interwoven so perfectly in lacquer, which is effectively a rather fussy paint. Each color has to be applied individually, and to get it all aligned is, well, let’s just say that task is suited to the Swiss watchmaking temperament. We will never know exactly how Rolex did it (the brand is notoriously secretive about manufacturing processes, and pretty much everything else). The brand is telling us that the “Jubilee motif” seen here is reminiscent of the late 1970s celebratory models.
At 36mm, this watch is going to fit pretty much everyone, and if previous “special dial” editions of the Oyster Perpetual tell us anything, these will be made in limited supply and allocated only to the most loyal clients of the brand.
Two other dial variations are offered in mauve and black, which should prove easier to come by.
Size: 36 mm
Material: Oystersteel (stainless steel)
Price: $6,750
The hardcore Rolex nerds (present company included) will instantly notice that this watch sports a gold bezel and crown (a.k.a. two-tone colloquially or, in Rolex speak, Rolesor), but the bracelet is 100 percent Oystersteel (stainless steel). Two things to note here: this is a nod to early Oyster watches, and this configuration is also entirely novel for modern Rolex, making this model highly collectible.
There’s more to distinguish this model, of course, but it’s all subtle. Below the 6-o’clock marker we find “100 Years” printed as a quiet nod to the 100th anniversary of the Oyster, and “100” also appears on the winding crown.
Touches of green, the color Rolex drags out for all anniversary models, adorn the watch face, specifically the Rolex logo and the 5-minute markers outside the batons around the outside of the dial.
Again, this is going to be one of those watches everyone will want a taste of and very few will get to own. We’re calling this the pick of the litter this year, with its subtle appearance and quiet nods of exclusivity upon closer inspection. Well played, Rolex.
Size: 41 mm
Material: Yellow gold and Oystersteel (stainless steel)
Price: $9,650
Following with the green celebratory theme, this model is not entirely new, but the color and configuration certainly is. We’ve seen ombre dials in the Datejust 41 before and they are stunning. This green ombre dial brings the anniversary colorway to center stage, and packages it up with a white-gold and steel Rolesor case and bracelet.
It may be hard to appreciate at first glance why this watch is so special, but that’s down to the classic theme of Rolex’s celebration this year. We’re willing to bet the green ombre dial is going to come and go as swiftly as this anniversary year, and that subtle white gold and steel two-tone metal is a stealth wealth touch that will make this watch sparkle with a depth that steel just can’t achieve on its own.
Again, very well played, Rolex. This one will be a classic.
Size: 41 mm
Material: white gold and Oystersteel (stainless steel)
Price: $11,650
The Yachtmaster II disappeared quietly about a year ago, and now it’s back—and no, it’s not the III, just the II again, oddly enough.
Rolex’s sailing watch is a count-down chronograph with a programmable timing function for the difficult task of nailing the start of a sailing race. That may sound like something you don’t need, even if you are a racer of sailboats, but this Rolex is a mechanical marvel of horological interest. First of all, one now programs the countdown function via the lower pusher on the side of the case, and the countdown minute- and seconds-hands now turn counterclockwise, which is a more intuitive configuration for tracking receding time.
Getting anything to run backwards in a watch that is otherwise running clockwise requires reverse-gear mechanisms that are beyond the scope of this article to explain. However, you can likely imagine easily enough that it’s not a simple thing to execute, and that Rolex did it while also making this watch thinner than its predecessor is in keeping with Rolex’s commitment to technical excellence. The nerds among us will be talking about Calibre 4162 for years to come.
You can get this one in Oystersteel or solid yellow gold.
Size: 44 mm
Material: Oystersteel (stainless steel) or yellow gold
Price: $20,300 in steel; $57,800 in yellow gold
We’ve seen other brands play with the color of standard yellow gold, and now it’s Rolex’s turn. At first glance, Jubilee Gold may look like yellow gold, but upon closer inspection we can see that this is a more muted alloy, one which Rolex tells us is “glowing with tones of tender yellow, warm grey and soft pink.” However one describes it, this metal is new and, indeed, different.
Paired here with a pale green Aventurine dial, the effect immediately recalls the Stella dials of the 1970s, but the overall effect is less saturated. Diamonds are featured as hour makers, and the bracelet is, as it should be for any Day-Date, the President model.
This is one of those watches we know Gen Alpha will be bidding up at auction in 2046 as nostalgia for the early 21st-century Rollies kicks in. Chances are Rolex will not make a lot of these very special Day-Dates.
Size: 41 mm
Material: Jubilee Gold
Price: TBD
Rolesium, the two-tone steel and platinum combo, was first used in the Yachtmaster in 1999, and this is the first time it has appeared in a Daytona. It’s hard enough to get your hands on any Daytona, but this one is going to be pretty much impossible to get.
As with all things Daytona, it’s the little details that get collectors excited. Here we have the tachymeter scale numerals presented horizontally, a nod to the original Daytonas. And in another rarity for Rolex, the movement is visible through a sapphire rear window framed in platinum. This is something Rolex has been learning into lately, with the dressy 1908 models showing their movements first, then last-year’s Land-Dweller showing off its innovative movement. Purists may object, but Rolex’s modern movements are quite lovely to behold.
Other details include the enamelled dial with what Rolex is calling a “metallic effect,” and this is paired with an anthracite gray Cerachrom bezel surrounded by a platinum ring.
Everything about this watch exudes exclusivity through subtle nods to the history of the Daytona.
Size: 40 mm
Material: Rolesium (Oystersteel and platinum)
Price: TBD
These watches use materials previously unavailable in a Rolex, specifically the stone hour markers at 3, 6 and 9 and the “stone lacquered” dials. These watches are also mostly satin finished, which softens the appearance of the gold in a manner that feels commensurate with this year’s overall subtlety.
The 28-mm model is offered in yellow gold with a green dial and heliotrope markers. Variants with dials in black, turquoise with diamonds and mother-of-pearl with diamonds are also available at slightly higher prices.
The 34-mm model is offered in rose gold (Everose) with a blue lacquered dial and dumortierite markers. A black variant as well as brown dial and diamonds and mother-of-pearl dial with diamonds are also available at slightly higher prices.
Size: 28 mm and 34 mm
Material: yellow gold and Everose
Price: $30,000 for 28 mm, $38,100 for 34 mm