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Rolex Highlights from Watches and Wonders 2025

02/04/2025 by George Wadsley Posted in News

Watches and Wonders 2025 kicked off in Geneva on April 1st, 2025, and whilst we are unable to be at the event, what better way to share our thoughts, likes and dislikes than the creation of a week-long series which extracts all the watches from the biggest watch brands on the planet to provide the spotlight on the models that they believe are going to be winners. 

Is 2025 going to be a boom or bust year? Are previous models going to outshine their new counterparts? And are we finally going to get an updated, slimmer Tudor Black Bay Pro with the new METAS certified GMT movement with its slimmed profile! Let’s find out. 

What is Watches and Wonders?

Watches and Wonders 2025 is the world’s premier luxury watch exhibition, taking place from April 1 to April 7, 2025, at the Palexpo Exhibition Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. This highly anticipated event serves as a global stage for horological innovation, bringing together the most prestigious watch brands, industry experts, collectors, and enthusiasts.

With 60 renowned brands participating, including Rolex, Patek Philippe, TAG Heuer, and Audemars Piguet, Watches and Wonders 2025 will showcase the latest advancements in watchmaking, from groundbreaking mechanical movements to exquisite high-jewellery timepieces. The event provides an exclusive opportunity for industry professionals to explore upcoming trends, engage in insightful discussions, and network with key figures in the luxury watch sector.

Watches and Wonders
Image source: Watches and Wonders

Why is Rolex the crown, or is the crown Rolex?

Rolex is often called “The Crown” due to its iconic five-pointed coronet logo, which symbolizes prestige, excellence, and dominance in the luxury watch industry. The name also reflects the brand’s reputation as the pinnacle of horology, much like a crown represents royalty.

Rolex releases 2025 – What have they launched this year?

New Rolex watches were revealed in an uncharacteristic way. In recent years, the trend of ‘leaks’- where photos, ads, and even physical watches are spotted on celebrities has grown (I am looking at you and Mr Bond – more about that here) before their planned release date. Rolex is usually extremely tight-lipped, but our friends over on the Rolex reddit forum were quickly able to scan the Rolex website and piece together various photo-stills of their new watches nearly a week in advance of Watches and Wonders 2025. It almost felt like a schoolboy error, or some not-so creative marketing when Roger Federer was spotted on the Sunday leading up to the new Rolex release event with one of their entirely new models – the Rolex Land-Dweller. 

We haven’t covered the existing models where Rolex has spiced them up by adding a magnitude of different diamonds, lighting up the wrist like Las Vegas, but we have covered the ones we think you are going to be interested in.

Roger Federer Rolex Land Dweller
Image source: @Rogerfederer

Rolex Land-Dweller

The Rolex Land-Dweller, strange name – we all dwell on land don’t we? Anyway, keeping in line with their Rolex Sea-Dweller and the Sky-Dweller, the Rolex Land-Dweller 40mm price starts at £13,050 whilst the Rolex Land-Dweller 36mm starts at a smidge over £12,000. 

Eye-watering for an equivalent, integrated bracelet Rolex Datejust? Well, the Rolex Land-Dweller can only be purchased in white gold, rose gold and the big hitter – platinum. For the Land-Dweller platinum model, prices start at £54,600… yes, you read that correctly. 

Unpicking the model

  • New movement – The Rolex Land-Dweller movement is an all-new calibre (7135), consisting of a brand-new double wheel escapement which has been coined as the Dynapulse. This is important as Rolex is known for being conservative, and this release has broken their norm. Whilst having a lower power reserve of 66 hours, it is 30% more efficient than the conventional Swiss lever escapement (what is found on the majority of their current line). 32 patented parts can be found within the Land-Dweller, with 18 only being found here. 
  • Integrated bracelet – A brand-new integrated flat-linked jubilee-esque bracelet makes a nod to vintage Rolex Oysterquartz watches. 
  • Hexagonal texture dial – The honeycomb pattern on the dial, coupled with 6 & 9 numerals (where diamonds are not present) attempts to add depth to its new design.

Our thoughts?

  • Movement – 10/10. We would love to see this movement reach the Rolex Explorer line, as the slimmed down-case profile and additional accuracy would be perfect.
  • Wearability – 8/10. With the Rolex Land-Dweller’s size meeting the needs of those with smaller wrists and larger wrists alike, we can’t argue with its wearability when combined with the reduced case profile (20% thinner than an existing Rolex Datejust at a mere 9.7mm).
  • Design – 2/10. The integrated flat link bracelet is appealing, but the dial is hideous. In isolation, the honeycomb would be great. When a date window with a protruding cyclops is thrown into the mix, I am not sure where to look. 
  • Price – 3/10. For 50% more than a standard Rolex Datejust, it feels slightly absurd. Whilst the movement might be better, the reduction in its power reserve is one of the only ‘real life’ issues we all face, rather than accuracy in timings.
Rolex Land-Dweller
Image source: Rolex
Image source: Rolex

Rolex GMTs – The new ‘Super-Sprite’ and the stone-dialled Root beer

Green Rolex GMT Master II

The new Rolex GMT Master II with a green ceramic dial is a further variation of the Destro (left-handed) launched at last year’s Watches and Wonders 2024. This time it has been launched in white gold with no steel counterpart, but the good news is the steel variant has not been discontinued. There isn’t too much to say about this, but the standout feature of this watch is the brand-new ceramic dial.

This new Rolex GMT Master 2 is the first Rolex to ever have a ceramic dial. Rolex’s decision to create a Cerachrom dial, made from the same material as the GMT bezel insert was down to the colourway, and they were able to create a gradient green dial to extract the most out of the split bezel.

Our thoughts?

Well, it’s hard to breakdown the watch due to it being a variation of an existing Rolex model. However, the white gold only material and the first of its kind dial has pushed the price into the upper-echelons of silly. All yours for £40,900… hard pass for us. We would much rather stick with the original Rolex ‘Sprite’ from last year in stainless steel. Being a lefty myself, I love the appeal of a watch designed to be worn on the right wrist, but the daft date window still does not sit right with me. 

Rolex GMT‑Master II
Image source: Rolex

New Rose Gold Rolex GMT

Again, not a huge amount to say on the new release, but the Rolex Root beer GMT has a new dial which looks incredibly fitting for the tiger king. The dial is made from tiger iron, a metamorphic rock which contains three minerals: Tiger’s eye, red jasper and silvery hematite. The end result? A dial which will be unique on every single watch made, bringing hints of orange and black with radiating gold accents. 

It is not going to be the first Rolex GMT in anyone’s collection, but the uniqueness of the dial means it should be classed as a future grail (if you like gold that is). 

Rolex GMT Rose Gold
Image source: Rolex

Other notable mentions – the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 2025

The refreshed Rolex Oyster Perpetual has brought us 5 new colours, including a delightful pistachio offering. As Rolex has coined it, a ‘new fresh look’ has swept across the entire range with the proportions of all models across the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 and Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 receiving subtle case changes, and a new, slimmer Oysterclasp for increased wearability.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41
Image source: Rolex

Concluding thoughts

Whether these releases are hits or misses is subjective, but in our eyes, the new Rolex watches for 2025 are largely a miss. Yes we know, a new model in the Rolex Land-Dweller should be heralded as the next best thing, and mechanically it is, but the design is just terrible. I can’t quite picture a scenario where the Land-Dweller would be lusted for over a Rolex Datejust or a Rolex Explorer. If they can sort the dial out on future releases, it would become an instant classic; no Tissot PRX comparisons here. 

The rest of the releases fall into a similar pattern that has plagued Rolex over the last few years – a lack of innovation and seriously heavy price rises. Rolex does not appear to be content with punching at the level which they are well known for – mass luxury. They want to be on the same playing field as AP or Patek, but the biggest blocker they have is that the lack of hand-finishing, which will always hamper them. We still love Rolex, the same as almost any other watch enthusiast, lover or collector, but this year is not theirs and the podium of the best releases at Watches and Wonders 2025 is still up for grabs. 

For anyone looking for a conclusive guide on all Rolex changes, the below outlines the new Rolex models, and the discontinued Rolex models in 2025. 

GMT Master

Sky-Dweller

One new dial for Yellow Gold Rolex Sky-Dweller on an Oysterflex strap.

Daytona

The Daytona gets new dial variants, including a Rolex Tiffany blue dial. 

Day Date

Two new dials for the Rose gold 36mm Day Date, and on the surface the diamond white-gold Rolex Day Date has been discontinued.

Date Just

The Floral motif dial set with diamonds has been discontinued. To make up for it, there is a new dial for the 31mm Yellow Gold and White Gold Rolex Date Just.

Oyster Perpetual

Out with the old and in with the new! We can’t say we are going to miss the controversial Rolex Oyster Perpetual Celebration dial. 

1908

The new metal bracelet on the Rolex 1908 is exactly what it needed to bring the dress watch into the modern age. 

It wasn’t all change this year, as the Rolex Submariner, Rolex Deepsea, Rolex Sea-Dweller, Rolex Yacht-Master, Rolex Airking and the Rolex Explorer had no new releases or changes that we know of. Let’s see what the year ahead has to hold but we hope it has a bit more punch than this time round. 

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