Watches & Wonders 2026: The new Rolex models
It’s a bit like waiting for Santa Claus. Right on time for the start of Watches & Wonders, the brand with the crown usually rings the “bell” – and the waiting watch community is presented with the latest innovations. After the presents have been handed out, we will of course share them with you here as soon as possible.
Until then, online portals, social media channels, and podcasts will be filled with speculation about Rolex’s new products for 2026 and possible model discontinuations. We will (almost) refrain from participating in this game at this point. However, some facts and possible clues can already be identified.
While the magnetic field-resistant “Milgauss” was discontinued in 2023, the Day-Date has proven to be a playground for the brand’s designers in recent years.
The Rolex Day-Date turns 70
In 1956, the Day-Date was the first wristwatch to display both the date and the full name of the day of the week simultaneously in two separate windows on the dial. To this day, it is available exclusively in gold or platinum.
The weekday display is now available in 26 languages and covers numerous writing systems – from Latin and Cyrillic to Arabic and Hebrew to Japanese and Chinese characters. Even the Ge’ez alphabet used in the Horn of Africa is represented. According to Rolex, this emphasizes the cultural identity of the wearer with a wristwatch that is both personal and universal.
Tastes diverged widely in 2023 when Rolex presented watch enthusiasts with a “Day-Date” model that was completely “out of the box,” and not just for Rolex. The brightly colored 36-millimeter model was decorated with puzzle pieces, revealed a so-called inspiration calendar with terms such as “Love,” “Peace,” and “Hope” in the weekday window, and displayed a whole range of emotions in the date window—represented in the form of 31 emojis designed specifically for this Day-Date.
This creativity, which was excessive by Rolex standards, was also applied to the Oyster Perpetual in the same year – in the form of colorful “bubbles” on the dial.
However, it seems rather unlikely that Rolex will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Day-Date in a similarly spectacular fashion. Grand anniversary celebrations are not traditionally part of the brand’s DNA. A facelift, on the other hand, is entirely conceivable.
Is Rolex bringing back the Milgauss?
The Milgauss also saw the light of day in the world of watches in 1956. Rolex developed the watch specifically for scientists and engineers who worked in environments with strong magnetic fields, such as research laboratories or particle accelerators.
Today, even ordinary people are increasingly exposed to magnetic fields, which have long been part of our everyday lives: smartphones, laptops, induction hobs, electric motors, and high-voltage power lines—all of which can significantly disrupt the functioning of a mechanical watch. A Milgauss therefore has every right to exist in the here and now—and thus the potential for a comeback.
This assumption is reinforced by a patent that Rolex filed last fall concerning the manufacture of colored sapphire crystal. Back in 2007, there was a Milgauss with green sapphire crystal—a material that has not been used in any other Rolex model. To be continued? Possibly.
Last year, Rolex also presented a new escapement with the Land-Dweller: Dynapulse. It consists mainly of silicon components and is particularly resistant to magnetic fields. These characteristics are ideal for a modern interpretation of the Milgauss.
New colors for the Land Dweller?
Speaking of “Land-Dweller”: Rolex caused a sensation last year with this new line. A new collection – and a new, innovative technology in a watch. For Rolex, this almost seems like activism.
The face of the watch is currently available in white or ice blue – and always with a honeycomb structure. This is cut using a femtosecond laser, which is also used to etch the fine lines in the grooves between the cells. In addition, well-known techniques such as satin and sunburst finishes are used.
New colors for the dial, case, and bracelet in two-tone—and just like that, the new Rolex covetousness is created.
Is the padellone making a comeback?
The question posed last year by Coronet Magazine, which focuses on Rolex, is not actually worded quite correctly. This is because “Padellone” – the Italian term for “large pan” – was or is the nickname of a rare Rolex automatic watch (reference 8171) from the early 1950s, which was large for its time (38 mm).
It was equipped with a full calendar and moon phase – complications that are not found in Rolex’s current portfolio.
However, Rolex filed a patent last year describing a triple calendar with day and month displays at 12 o’clock and a central date hand—a configuration strongly reminiscent of the “Padellone” from the 1950s.
At the latest, the addition of “In addition or alternatively, a moon phase display may be available, for example” brings the reference 8171 to mind for Rolex specialists. And as “coincidence” would have it, Rolex has also officially registered the term “Padellone” as a trademark.
Until Watches & Wonders, all of this remains speculation. We will therefore put our crystal ball aside for now and report back here as soon as there is reliable information about the new Rolex models for 2026.
