Steel tool watches built for divers and pilots sit next to solid-gold status pieces and a few retired oddities collectors still chase. Pick the one you'd actually strap on.
1DatejustIntroduced in 1945 as the first self-winding chronometer wristwatch with a date that changed automatically in a dial window.1000pts
2SubmarinerRolex's dive watch, introduced in 1953 with the reference 6204, which was water-resistant to 100 metres.974pts
3Sea-DwellerA saturation-diving watch introduced in 1967 and fitted with a helium escape valve that releases gas built up during decompression.625pts
4Land-DwellerIntroduced in 2025 with an integrated bracelet and the calibre 7135, whose Dynapulse escapement beats at 5 Hz.566pts
5ExplorerA three-hand sports watch introduced in 1953, the year of the first ascent of Mount Everest, which Rolex ties to the model.500pts
6DeepseaIntroduced in 2008 with a 3,900-metre depth rating; the 2022 Deepsea Challenge version is rated to 11,000 metres.500pts
7Day-DateLaunched in 1956 as the first wristwatch to show both the date and the day of the week spelled out in full, and made only in precious metals.500pts
8Sky-DwellerIntroduced in 2012, it combines a second time zone with an annual calendar that needs adjusting only once a year, set through a rotatable Ring Command bezel.423pts
9Oyster PerpetualRolex's time-only entry model, named after the waterproof Oyster case of 1926 and the Perpetual self-winding rotor patented in 1931.423pts
10MilgaussAn anti-magnetic watch introduced in 1956 for scientists, built to withstand fields of 1,000 gauss, and discontinued in 2023.423pts
11Air-KingAn aviation-themed watch whose current dial pairs large 3, 6 and 9 numerals with a prominent five-minute scale for reading flight times.423pts
12Cosmograph DaytonaRolex's chronograph line launched in 1963; a reference 6239 once owned by Paul Newman sold at Phillips in 2017 for $17.75 million.227pts
13GMT-Master IIA dual time-zone watch with a 24-hour bezel, descended from the 1955 GMT-Master made for Pan Am crews and launched as the GMT-Master II in 1983.227pts
14Yacht-MasterA sailing-themed sports watch introduced in 1992 with a bidirectional rotatable bezel, offered in steel, precious metals and titanium.227pts
15OysterquartzRolex's in-house quartz line, launched in 1977 with an angular integrated-bracelet case and produced until the early 2000s.227pts
16Explorer IIIntroduced in 1971 for cave explorers and polar researchers, with a fixed 24-hour bezel and an orange 24-hour hand to tell day from night.227pts
17Perpetual 1908Rolex's dress-watch line launched in 2023, named after the year Hans Wilsdorf registered the Rolex brand, with a display caseback.227pts
Photo credits
- Milgauss — Defiancekofb (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Oysterquartz — Clyde94, CC BY-SA 4.0
