Rolex Just Teased Its Biggest Watch Release in Years. Here Are My Three Takeaways

Every year, a few days before the biggest watch event of the year, Watches and Wonders Geneva, Rolex releases a cryptic teaser video across its social media channels.

Most of the time, these teasers contain quick shots of several new models, forcing watch media professionals like myself to go into detective mode as we try to come up with the most accurate predictions of what The Crown will officially unveil in just a few days’ time.

This year is a little bit different. Rolex has again released a cryptic preview video on social media. But it was a lot less detailed than in past years and may have only teased a single watch. But that single watch is a big one, and it may go down as Rolex’s most significant release in years. Here’s what I think is coming.

Rolex Is Launching an Integrated Bracelet Watch

Here’s the headline grabber, and it’s definitely happening: Rolex is finally joining its competitors by adding an integrated sports watch to its catalog. How do I know this? The video only features two clips of actual watches, and both clips appear to be of the same watch.

The first clip, seen in the lead image of this article, is the side view of a case that initially looks like a Datejust. There’s a fluted bezel and a cyclops on the crystal. But look closer. This isn’t an Oyster case. It’s thinner, its sides are flatter, and the clip notably cuts out before we see the lugs. This is a case made for an integrated bracelet.

Later in the video, we get our confirmation with a shot of the bracelet. Again, it looks like a Jubilee bracelet at first glance, but take a look at those links. They’re flat. Rolex doesn’t offer any bracelets with flat links, and the style is typically seen on integrated sports watches like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.

Rolex

This looks like a Jubilee bracelet had a baby with the Royal Oak’s bracelet, and there’s zero chance it won’t be awesome. Bracelets are one of the things Rolex does best, and I have no doubt this integrated style will instantly become a leader in the category.

Finally, take a look at the clasp. It’s a hidden crown clasp, a feature not seen on a men’s Jubilee bracelet in years. Granted, this isn’t a Jubilee bracelet — at least not a traditional one — but it’s still nice to see the hidden crown clasp return on a bracelet other than the Presidential.

A Syloxi Natural Escapement Will Drive the Watch

Rolex

The other two clips in Rolex’s new teaser video deal with a watch movement, and I assume it’s the movement that will be powering the integrated-bracelet watch.

The first clip shows an escapement. Or, to put it more accurately, a natural escapement. Rolex recently filed a patent for a new type of natural escapement that features two escape wheels instead of one. Compared to a traditional Swiss lever escapement, which Rolex and most other brands currently use, a natural escapement is more efficient, more precise and requires no lubrication, extending service intervals.

The trouble with implementing them up to this point has been the difficulty in producing them at scale, which Rolex — the master of industrialization — seems to have figured out. The new movement appears to rely heavily on the use of Syloxi, Rolex’s patented silicon material used to make its hairsprings.

Rolex

The material gets a shoutout in the teaser, with its name appearing on a hairspring, and both escape wheels visible in the clip of the natural escapement appear to be made of the same material, with its blue-purple hue being a dead giveaway.

So why do I think this new escapement will debut in the integrated watch? Well, the new watch bears a strong resemblance to Rolex’s original integrated watch, the Oysterquartz. That model debuted in 1977 as Rolex’s first quartz watch, debuting what was then groundbreaking technology. With the Syloxi natural escapement representing another technological leap, it makes sense to give it a similarly themed home.

The Land-Dweller Elephant in the Room

A couple of weeks ago, the watch world was abuzz with a supposed leak allegedly showing the watches Rolex would be releasing at Watches and Wonders this year. The most significant model in the leak was a watch with an integrated bracelet called the “Land-Dweller.”

At the time, I laughed it off and dismissed it as fake. I didn’t think the watch looked very good with its overly busy dial featuring a honeycomb pattern and 3-6-9 index layout, and I thought the name Land-Dweller was dumb.

Rolex currently makes the Sea-Dweller and Sky-Dweller, but those names make sense because humans don’t live in the sea or sky, so they embody a spirit of adventure. But humans do live on land, so Land-Dweller just sounds like, well, a regular dude. Rolex does own the trademark for Land-Dweller, but that’s likely to keep other brands from using a Rolex-esque name.

But with the release of this teaser, that leak is looking more authentic. The bracelet and case look very similar, and you can almost see a glimpse of a honeycomb dial in the video if you squint.

I’m still not convinced Land-Dweller will be the name of the new watch. It’s still a dumb name, and the way it appears on the leaked dial looks sloppy. But I no longer feel confident discounting it completely.

Either way, we’ll find out when Watches and Wonders kicks off on April 1 … no fooling.

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