Rolex Models Explained

Datejust — the everyday reference point

The Datejust is Rolex’s benchmark dress-sport watch and the one the rest of the catalogue gets compared against — introduced in 1945 as the first self-winding chronometer to show the date in a window at 3 o’clock, magnified by the Cyclops lens on the crystal. It comes in more metal, dial, and bracelet combinations than any other Rolex line, including the smaller Lady-Datejust, which is why it’s usually the first Rolex someone buys and often the one they keep longest. See the current Datejust range on Rolex’s own site for what’s sold new today.

Case sizes: 28 mm (Lady-Datejust), 31 mm, 36 mm, and 41 mm — the widest size spread in the current catalogue.

Bezel and bracelet: Fluted (grooved, usually gold) or smooth domed bezel; Jubilee, Oyster, or President bracelet depending on metal and reference.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 16013, 16014, and 16233/16234 turn up constantly from the 1980s–90s two-tone era; 116233 and 126334 are the common 2000s-and-later steel-and-gold pieces.

Who it suits:

• anyone who wants one watch that works with a suit and a T-shirt equally well
• a first Rolex — it's the most broadly available reference across condition and budget

None in stock at the moment. When a Datejust is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Day-Date — the President

The Day-Date is Rolex’s most formal watch and the only line sold exclusively in precious metal — 18k gold or platinum, never steel. It spells out both the day of the week and the date in two dial windows, which is where its nickname, the “President,” actually comes from: the three-piece bracelet it debuted on in 1956, not a claim about who wears it. See the current Day-Date range on Rolex’s own site.

Case sizes: 36 mm on vintage and most pre-owned pieces; 40 mm on the Day-Date II (2008–2015) and the current generation since 2015.

Bezel and bracelet: Fluted bezel is the classic look, though smooth and gem-set versions exist; always the three-piece semi-circular President bracelet.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 1803 and 18038 are the recognizable 1970s–80s vintage references; 118238 and 218238 cover the 2000s–2010s in yellow gold.

Who it suits:

• someone who wants the most formal watch Rolex makes, for a suit-and-tie context
• a buyer set on solid gold or platinum rather than steel

None in stock at the moment. When a Day-Date is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Submariner — the reference dive watch

The Submariner is the dive watch every other dive watch gets measured against, launched in 1953 with a 100 m water resistance rating that looked absurd at the time and now reads as conservative. Submariner No Date keeps the dial plain; Submariner Date adds a 3 o'clock date window under a Cyclops.

Case sizes: 40 mm on references through 2020; 41 mm on the current generation.

Bezel and bracelet: Unidirectional rotating bezel with a 60-minute dive scale — ceramic (Cerachrom) since 2010 on most references, aluminum before that; Oyster bracelet only.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 5513 and 1680 are the classic vintage no-date references; 16610 covers the 1990s–2000s; 116610LN and 126610LN are the modern black-ceramic pieces most often seen pre-owned.

Who it suits:

• anyone who wants one watch that can genuinely take a beating
• a buyer who wants the most universally recognized Rolex sport model

None in stock at the moment. When a Submariner is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

GMT-Master II — the traveler's watch

The GMT-Master II adds a fourth hand and a two-color 24-hour bezel to track a second time zone independently of the main dial — built originally for Pan Am pilots, still the standard travel watch of the catalogue. The bezel color pairing gives each version its nickname: red-and-blue is "Pepsi," black-and-blue is "Batman," red-and-black is "Coke."

Case sizes: 40 mm across every reference, vintage through current.

Bezel and bracelet: Two-tone 24-hour ceramic or aluminum bezel; Oyster or Jubilee bracelet.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 16710 is the most common 1990s–2000s pre-owned reference; 116710LN (black) and 126710BLRO/126710BLNR (Pepsi/Batman) are the current-generation pieces most requested.

Who it suits:

• frequent travelers who want to read a second time zone at a glance
• anyone chasing a specific bezel color — Pepsi and Batman are the two most requested

None in stock at the moment. When a GMT-Master II is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Sky-Dweller — second time zone plus a calendar

The Sky-Dweller, introduced in 2012, is Rolex's most complicated current watch: it combines a second time zone with an annual calendar that only needs correcting once a year, at the end of February. The Ring Command bezel sets both functions by rotating and pulling the crown, with no separate pusher.

Case sizes: 42 mm — the one size it's offered in.

Bezel and bracelet: Fluted Ring Command bezel; Oyster, Jubilee, or rubber Oysterflex bracelet depending on metal.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 326934 (steel, blue dial) is the reference most people mean when they say Sky-Dweller pre-owned; 326933 is the two-tone steel-and-gold version.

Who it suits:

• frequent travelers who also want a calendar complication, not just a second time zone
• a buyer who wants the newest complication in the current catalogue

None in stock at the moment. When a Sky-Dweller is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Yacht-Master — the nautical dress-sport line

The Yacht-Master is Rolex's nautical dress-sport watch — related to the Submariner in spirit but built for the marina rather than the dive boat, with a bidirectional bezel instead of a one-way dive bezel and a broader run of case sizes and metals.

Case sizes: 35 mm, 37 mm, 40 mm, and 42 mm, across steel, gold, platinum, and two-tone.

Bezel and bracelet: Bidirectional rotatable bezel in matching metal or ceramic; Oyster bracelet or the rubber-and-metal Oysterflex.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 16622 (steel-and-platinum) and 116622 are the references seen most often pre-owned.

Who it suits:

• someone who wants Submariner styling with a dressier, two-tone-friendly bezel
• sailors and non-sailors alike — it wears more as a lifestyle watch than a tool

None in stock at the moment. When a Yacht-Master is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Yacht-Master II — the regatta chronograph

The Yacht-Master II is a genuine regatta chronograph, built around a programmable countdown that syncs to a race's start sequence — the Ring Command bezel sets the countdown length, and the movement does the rest. It's the largest and most mechanically complex Yacht-Master.

Case sizes: 44 mm — its only size.

Bezel and bracelet: Ring Command bezel with a countdown-flag graphic; Oyster or Oysterflex bracelet.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 116680 (steel) and 116681 (two-tone) are the pre-owned references most often listed.

Who it suits:

• sailors who actually use a regatta countdown function
• collectors who want the most mechanically unusual watch in the Rolex sport lineup

None in stock at the moment. When a Yacht-Master II is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Sea-Dweller — the Submariner's deeper-rated sibling

The Sea-Dweller is the Submariner's deeper-rated sibling, built for professional saturation divers with a helium escape valve that bleeds off gas during decompression — a problem recreational divers never face, which is why the Submariner stays the more common daily watch of the two.

Case sizes: 40 mm on references through the mid-2010s; 43 mm on the line since the 2017 refresh.

Bezel and bracelet: Unidirectional ceramic dive bezel; Oyster bracelet with the Glidelock clasp extension on current pieces.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 16600 and 16660 ("Triple Six") are the vintage-leaning pre-owned picks; 126600 is the current 43 mm generation.

Who it suits:

• divers who want genuinely professional depth ratings, not just dive-watch styling
• anyone who wants a Submariner-adjacent watch with a larger, more substantial case

None in stock at the moment. When a Sea-Dweller is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Deepsea — the extreme-depth specialist

The Deepsea takes the Sea-Dweller's diving pedigree to an extreme: a Ringlock System case engineered to survive 3,900 meters, well beyond the working depth of almost any diver alive. It exists to prove the engineering more than to solve a wearing need — and it's noticeably thicker on the wrist than that fact suggests.

Case sizes: 44 mm — its only size.

Bezel and bracelet: Unidirectional ceramic dive bezel; Oyster bracelet with Glidelock and a fliplock diver extension.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 116660 and 126660 are the two pre-owned generations most commonly listed.

Who it suits:

• a buyer who wants the largest, most technically extreme Rolex tool watch
• collectors specifically drawn to the Ringlock System engineering story

None in stock at the moment. When a Deepsea is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Explorer — the plainest, most legible Rolex

The Explorer is Rolex's plainest, most purpose-built watch: no date, no complication, just a highly legible 3-6-9 dial designed for climbers who need to read the time at a glance in poor light — descended from watches worn on the 1953 Everest expedition.

Case sizes: 36 mm through most of its history; a 39 mm option ran 2010–2021 before the line returned to 36 mm and added a new 40 mm variant in 2023.

Bezel and bracelet: Smooth polished bezel, no rotating function; Oyster bracelet.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 1016 is the classic vintage reference; 14270 and 114270 cover the 1990s–2000s 36 mm run.

Who it suits:

• someone who wants the simplest, most legible Rolex on the wrist
• a buyer prioritizing a smaller, easier-to-wear case size

None in stock at the moment. When a Explorer is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Explorer II — the 24-hour orange-hand Explorer

The Explorer II adds a fixed 24-hour bezel and an orange GMT hand to the Explorer's simplicity, originally built for cave explorers who needed to distinguish day from night without natural light. The orange hand and high-contrast dial are its signature.

Case sizes: 39 mm on the 1655 ("Steve McQueen," 1971–1985); 40 mm on 16550 and 16570; 42 mm on the current generation since 2011.

Bezel and bracelet: Fixed engraved steel 24-hour bezel; Oyster bracelet.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 1655 is the vintage collector reference; 16550 and 16570 are the common 1990s–2000s pre-owned pieces; 216570 is the 42 mm modern version.

Who it suits:

• anyone who wants Explorer simplicity with a genuinely useful 24-hour indicator
• a first sport Rolex for someone who finds a dive bezel unnecessary

None in stock at the moment. When a Explorer II is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Air-King — the aviation-heritage entry point

The Air-King honors Rolex's early-20th-century aviation watches and has long been the plainest, most affordable route into the Oyster Perpetual sport family — the current version's oversized 3-6-9 dial and industrial-yellow accent are a deliberate homage to that history.

Case sizes: 34 mm on vintage references through the 1990s–2000s; 40 mm on the current generation since its 2016 relaunch.

Bezel and bracelet: Smooth polished bezel, no rotating function; Oyster bracelet.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 5500 and 14000 are common vintage-to-'90s pre-owned references; 116900 is the current 40 mm reference.

Who it suits:

• someone who wants sport-Rolex proportions at a lower price point than a Submariner or GMT
• a buyer drawn to the oversized, high-legibility dial

None in stock at the moment. When a Air-King is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Oyster Perpetual — the entry point

The Oyster Perpetual is Rolex's entry point — no date, no complication, built around the waterproof Oyster case that gave the whole brand its name in 1926. Recent generations lean into bright, playful dial colors the rest of the catalogue doesn't touch.

Case sizes: 26 mm, 28 mm, 31 mm, 34 mm, 36 mm, and 41 mm — the widest size spread of any current Rolex line, spanning both legacy and current sizes.

Bezel and bracelet: Smooth domed bezel; Oyster bracelet.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 1002 and 6564 are vintage no-date picks; 114300 and 176200 cover the 2000s–2010s; 124300 is the current 41 mm reference.

Who it suits:

• a first Rolex bought new rather than pre-owned, at the lowest price point in the catalogue
• anyone who wants a bright, colorful dial the sport lines don't offer

None in stock at the moment. When a Oyster Perpetual is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Oysterdate — the vintage Datejust ancestor

Oysterdate is Rolex's mid-century name for a date-equipped Oyster Perpetual, sold before "Datejust" consolidated as the modern line's name — it's effectively a vintage Datejust ancestor, and the two terms overlap heavily in how sellers describe the same watches.

Case sizes: Typically 34 mm, consistent with the era's Oyster Perpetual case sizing.

Bezel and bracelet: Smooth bezel; Oyster or riveted-link bracelet, both period-correct.

References you’ll see pre-owned: References here are usually dated by case shape and movement caliber rather than one memorable number — ask us for the specific reference if you're comparing two listings.

Who it suits:

• vintage collectors specifically searching for pre-Datejust-naming pieces
• anyone comparing "Oysterdate" and "Datejust" listings and wanting to know they share a lineage

None in stock at the moment. When a Oysterdate is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Oyster Precision — the manual-wind Oyster ancestor

Oyster Precision is the vintage, no-date, manually wound line the modern Oyster Perpetual descends from — "Precision" refers to the hand-wound movement inside, before Rolex's Perpetual automatic rotor became standard across the catalogue.

Case sizes: Typically 34 mm on the pre-owned examples most commonly listed.

Bezel and bracelet: Smooth bezel; Oyster or riveted-link bracelet.

References you’ll see pre-owned: As with Oysterdate, these are usually identified by case and caliber rather than a single family number — ask us for the exact reference on any specific piece.

Who it suits:

• vintage collectors interested in Rolex's manual-wind era before the Perpetual rotor
• a buyer who wants period-correct 1950s–60s proportions

None in stock at the moment. When a Oyster Precision is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Precision — the general vintage manual-wind name

Precision, used on its own, is Rolex's general vintage designation for a manually wound movement — it appears on dials across several period case styles rather than naming one specific model, so sellers use it as a catch-all for pre-Perpetual manual watches from the same era.

Case sizes: 31–34 mm on most pre-owned examples.

Bezel and bracelet: Smooth bezel; leather strap or period bracelet depending on the specific case.

References you’ll see pre-owned: References vary by case style; sellers typically date them by movement caliber and case shape rather than a single family number.

Who it suits:

• vintage collectors comfortable researching a specific dial and case combination
• a buyer looking for the most affordable route into pre-Perpetual Rolex history

None in stock at the moment. When a Precision is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Daytona — the racing chronograph

The Daytona is Rolex's chronograph, named for the Daytona International Speedway and built for endurance racing — the manual-wind steel examples from 1963–1988, especially "Paul Newman" dial variants, are now among the most sought-after Rolex references in the secondary market.

Case sizes: 37 mm on the vintage manual-wind generation (1963–1988); 40 mm on every automatic generation since.

Bezel and bracelet: Tachymetric bezel — engraved steel on most references, black ceramic Cerachrom since 2016; Oyster bracelet.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 6239 and 6263 are the vintage manual-wind collector references; 16520 covers the 1988–2000 automatic transition; 116520 and 116500LN are the common modern pre-owned pieces.

Who it suits:

• collectors specifically chasing chronograph function and racing heritage
• a buyer aware this is the hardest current Rolex sport reference to source at retail, which is why the pre-owned market matters most here

None in stock at the moment. When a Daytona is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Milgauss — the antimagnetic specialist

The Milgauss is Rolex's antimagnetic specialist, built for engineers and technicians working near strong electromagnetic fields — the name means "1,000 gauss," the field strength it's rated to resist. The lightning-bolt second hand is its most recognizable detail.

Case sizes: 40 mm across the modern references most commonly seen pre-owned.

Bezel and bracelet: Smooth or fluted bezel depending on reference; Oyster bracelet.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 1019 is the vintage collector reference; 116400 and 116400GV (green-tinted crystal) are the modern pieces.

Who it suits:

• anyone drawn to a genuinely technical, less common Rolex complication
• collectors who want the green-tinted crystal or orange lightning-bolt hand as a talking point

None in stock at the moment. When a Milgauss is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Cellini — the dedicated dress line

Cellini is Rolex's dedicated dress line — no Oyster case, no rotating bezel, worn on a leather strap rather than a metal bracelet, built for a suit rather than a sport context. It sits apart from every other family on this page, by design.

Case sizes: Typically 39 mm across the most recent Cellini generation.

Bezel and bracelet: Fluted or smooth bezel depending on reference; leather strap, not a metal bracelet.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 5310 is a common older-generation reference; 50509 and 50519 are typical of the current-era Cellini Time and Date.

Who it suits:

• someone who wants a Rolex that reads purely as a dress watch, strap included
• a buyer who specifically does not want a metal bracelet

None in stock at the moment. When a Cellini is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Land-Dweller — Rolex's newest architecture

The Land-Dweller is Rolex's newest model line, introduced in 2024 around a new in-house Dynapulse escapement and an integrated Flat Jubilee bracelet — the most significant new watch architecture the brand has released in years, and one still working its way into pre-owned inventory in meaningful numbers.

Case sizes: 36 mm and 40 mm at launch.

Bezel and bracelet: Fluted bezel; integrated Flat Jubilee bracelet, a first for this design on a Rolex line.

References you’ll see pre-owned: 127234 and 127334 are among the references from its 2024 launch.

Who it suits:

• early adopters interested in Rolex's newest movement architecture
• anyone who wants an integrated-bracelet sport-dress watch outside the Datejust/Day-Date mold

None in stock at the moment. When a Land-Dweller is added to the feed, it will appear here — and get its own page — automatically.

Case sizes, at a glance

Across the families above, Rolex case sizes run from 26 mm on the smallest Oyster Perpetual up to 44 mm on the Yacht-Master II and Deepsea — nearly every size in between is represented somewhere in the modern and vintage catalogue. A useful rule of thumb: 34–36 mm reads as a classic, vintage-leaning size; 39–41 mm is the modern default across most current sport and dress lines; 42 mm and up is reserved for a handful of tool watches built around a specific complication or depth rating.

The most common size question we get is about the Air-King: the current reference (116900, since 2016) is 40 mm, while vintage Air-Kings from the 1990s and 2000s run 34 mm and wear noticeably smaller and dressier. If a size isn’t mentioned above for the family you’re after, ask us directly — pre-owned availability varies by size within a family day to day.

How to read a reference number

Rolex reference numbers grew longer as the catalogue did. Four-digit references (1950s–1970s, like 1016 or 5513) predate any standardized bezel-color suffix. Five-digit references (late 1970s–1999, like 16610 or 16700) introduced sapphire crystals and are the most common vintage-to-modern transition pieces you’ll see pre-owned. Six-digit references have been standard since 2000, and since roughly 2010 most carry a letter suffix that identifies the bezel: LN for black, LV for green, BLRO for blue-and-red, and BLNR for blue-and-black — the combinations that give references like 126710BLRO their colloquial names. For what those colloquial names actually mean, see our Rolex nicknames guide.

For a deeper dive into how collectors group references by generation, Hodinkee’s Reference Points series is a good next stop. We don’t publish serial numbers online — a serial is unique to one physical watch, and we’ll show it to you directly on any piece you’re considering.