We’re just a couple of weeks out from Watches and Wonders Geneva, the watch industry’s biggest and most influential annual trade show.
Dozens of major brands exhibit at the show every year, but when the doors open at the Palexpo in Geneva on April 1, all eyes will first turn to one brand: Rolex.
The watch industry’s brightest star will unveil a number of new timepieces at this year’s show, and just like every year, we really have no idea what Rolex is going to do. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make a few educated guesses.
Below, I’ve come up with five Rolex watches I think we could see revealed at Watches and Wonders this year … with perhaps a bit of wishful thinking involved on my part.
No-Date Submariner in Yellow Gold
Rolex, Photo Illustration by Gear Patrol
For being Rolex’s most famous model, the Submariner doesn’t get much attention from the brand. Currently, Rolex only offers eight versions of the iconic diver.
The Submariner Date is available in Oystersteel with a black or green bezel, Rolesor (two-tone) with a black or blue bezel, yellow gold with, once again, a black or blue bezel, and white gold with a blue bezel. The No-Date Sub, which is technically called just called the Submariner, only exists in one variant: Oystersteel with a black bezel.
Given the popularity of No-Date Subs in the collector community, it would make sense for Rolex to make more than one version. But since this is Rolex we’re talking about, I don’t expect to see another steel version. Instead, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the brand produce a No-Date Submariner in yellow gold to really drive collectors nuts.
Explorer II in Titanium
Rolex, Photo Illustration by Gear Patrol
One of the prevailing rumors heading into this year’s Watches and Wonders is the belief that Rolex will likely expand its use of titanium. Currently, the brand makes only two watches in the lightweight material: The Yacht-Master 42 and the Deepsea Challenge.
Both come from two of the brand’s least-popular product lines, and the Deepsea Challenge is practically unwearable. So given that Rolex has gone to the trouble of producing its own titanium alloy, RLX Titanium, it seems like only a matter of time before the material gets a true moment to shine.
I think that moment may come in the form of the Explorer II. Speaking of ignored product lines, there are just two Explorer II models: one with a black dial and one with a white dial, both in stainless steel. A titanium version would bring some much-needed energy and excitement to the classic spelunking watch while also instantly shooting it up the rankings of everyday sports watches.
While both versions of the current Explorer II feature bright orange accents, I think a stealthier monochrome look with gray accents would better match the industrial look of titanium.
Maybe those predictions were a year early. Rolex is officially celebrating the 70th anniversary of the GMT-Master this year, and while the brand doesn’t often make a big deal over its myriad anniversaries, the GMT is a particularly popular and important watch for the brand.
The original GMT-Master of the 1950s had a red and blue bezel, but given that Rolex already has several Pepsi bezels in its catalog, I doubt we’ll see another. Instead, the brand may honor the current version of the GMT, the GMT-Master II, which debuted in the 1980s with a Coke bezel.
But again, I don’t expect a steel version. Rolex loves giving fans what they want but in a far more expensive version, so I expect the Coke GMT to be in white gold. And to make it extra special for the anniversary, it will come with the option of an Oysterflex bracelet.
The Oysterflex isn’t currently offered on any GMT-Master II, but it’s the perfect mate for the travel watch. Plus, Rolex has shown more of an interest in cross-pollination of its bracelets in recent years, such as the addition of the gold Jubilees to the Sky-Dweller last year.
Milgauss with Integrated Bracelet
Rolex, Tissot, Photo Illustration by Gear Patrol
Out of all of my predictions, this one is certainly the biggest pipe dream. But it would absolutely break the internet if it happened.
The Milgauss was discontinued in 2023, and it’s sorely missed by the enthusiast community. The scientist’s watch was one of the original purpose-built anti-magnetic watches and has a robust history, with the original version having debuted in 1956.
But, as cool as it was, the Milgauss was technologically outdated when it bit the dust. 1,000-gauss magnetic resistance just doesn’t cut it these days when METAS-certified watches from rival Omega and even sister brand Tudor can withstand magnetic fields 15 times stronger.
So when the new Milgauss returns, it definitely needs some beefed-up magnetic resistance to once again make it the envy of the world’s top scientists and engineers. It also could use a stylistic makeover, so why not an integrated bracelet? The throwback style has precedence in the anti-magnetic genre with models like the IWC Ingenieur and Zenith Defy Gauss, and I think an integrated bracelet would be a perfect match for the Milgauss.
Not only that, but an integrated sports watch is the most glaring style missing from Rolex’s catalog, having not been seen since the days of the Oysterquartz. If the Milgauss comes back, I’d like to see it get its own identity with an integrated bracelet rather than seeing its lightning bolt seconds hand shoehorned into an Air-King case again.
Polar Explorer
Rolex, Photo Illustration by Gear Patrol
Every year I expect Rolex to release an Explorer with a white “Polar” dial, and every year I’m disappointed. There’s not much to explain here. The Explorer II comes in a black or white dial, so the Explorer I should as well.
It would be the simplest thing in the world — I’m literally just talking about a dial change here — and would require far less engineering and investment compared to every other speculative watch on this list.
But the combination of its obviousness, the fact that everyone wants it and the simplicity in creating it tells me that Rolex will almost certainly not give us a Polar Explorer. The brand just doesn’t do what we expect (or often want) them to do.
Maybe once everyone stops talking about a Polar Explorer, Rolex will finally make one. But it probably won’t be this year.
Rolex, Photo Illustration by Gear Patrol
