New Rolex Releases for Watches and Wonders 2026

It’s called Watches and Wonders, but there’s really only one brand that’s the star of the show. There may be a record 65 brands participating this year, but by the time Tuesday morning comes, the entire industry is effectively waiting on one stand. And 2026 feels like one of those years where expectations are running slightly higher than usual.

Part of that comes down to timing. This year, we celebrate a century of the Oyster case – a true pioneer of watchmaking, with the world’s first waterproof case – and this is the centrepiece of Rolex’s new releases. 

First up is a new Oyster Perpetual in ‘Rolesor’: two-tone steel and yellow gold (echoing the gold of the 1926 original) which is liberally adorned with ‘100’ motifs. There’s a ‘100’ on the crown and instead of the usual ‘Swiss made’ at six o’clock, you’ll find the inscription: ‘100 years’. There are also shades of the company’s emblematic green colour: on the Rolex logo itself, and on the squares around the minute track-pad on the elegant grey dial. Now and in years to come, this will be a hugely collectable watch.

Price - £8,050

Going down a few sizes – to the classic 36mm – there’s a much more playful take on the history, with all the letters in the name ‘Rolex’ jumbled around to form a colourful mosaic that looks a bit like the ‘jigsaw’ models first seen three years ago. There’s a lot going on here as each of the 10 colours on the lacquered dial is applied individually using ‘pad printing’: a complex process that showcases Rolex’s legendary precision.

On that very topic, Rolex has also revised its Superlative Chronometer certification, with three new testing criteria added: resistance to magnetism, reliability over time and sustainability. Unlike the existing standards, these are assessed earlier in the process, during design and manufacturing, rather than solely through testing on the finished watch. The original benchmarks, introduced in 2015, remain in place and continue to cover accuracy, water resistance, automatic winding and power reserve.

Price - £5,600

The original gold Oyster was of course a dinky 33mm, and we now have two new Oysters sized at 28mm and 34mm in gold, which probably come closest to capturing the spirit of 1926. The diminutive 28 is made from 18 carat yellow gold with a green stone lacquer dial while the 34 features Everose gold with a blue stone lacquer dial. The hour markers at three, six, and nine o’clock are made from matching natural stone – which is a first for Rolex. Interestingly the gold is satin-finished rather than polished, giving it a more restrained feel.

Price - £25,100 for 28mm

Continuing the theme of green, the largely untouched Datejust 41 also gets a green dial – but this one is very much graduated, being much darker around the edges than it is in the middle. Combined with another Rolex hallmark – the fluted bezel – the end result is a watch that pays suitable tribute to a landmark year for the brand, with the added bonus that the date window is now much clearer to read, thanks to the contrast with the almost black dark green on the edge of the dial.

Price - £9,750

The Yacht-Master II returns in updated form, with a clear emphasis on tool watch usability and legibility. Featuring a completely redesigned case and a new movement, it’s more purposeful than ever.

At the centre of the changes is its regatta countdown function, an admittedly niche but defining feature. Rolex has simplified its operation by assigning programming entirely to the lower pusher, reducing complexity. The countdown now runs anti-clockwise, a small but practical adjustment intended to make remaining time easier to read during race starts. These updates are driven by the new 4162 calibre, which retains mechanical memory and synchronisation features but introduces revised engineering to support the changes on this 2026 version.

The dial has also been pared back, with larger hour markers to improve at-a-glance readability, while aesthetically Rolex has leaned further into nautical cues. The pushers take on a more sculpted form inspired by sailing hardware, and the familiar combination of a white dial and blue Cerachrom bezel reinforces the watch’s renowned maritime feel.

Available in Oystersteel or yellow gold, the latest Yacht-Master II doesn’t really attempt to broaden its appeal. Instead, it refines a highly specialised tool, making it more straightforward to use while keeping its focus firmly on regatta timing.

Price - £16,950 (Oystersteel) / £48,300 (Gold)

And then there’s the Day-Date, which turns 70 this year. Rolex rarely interferes with the classic Day-Date in any meaningful way, but it does use it as a canvas. This year, the 40mm Day-Date is treated to a new alloy appropriately called ‘Jubilee Gold’ – which combines the best of yellow, white, and rose gold – paired with a stunning green aventurine dial. It’s a described as a generally softer look that’s in keeping with the times, although luxury is emphasised by the diamond hour markers.

Finally, another icon has been revisited, which is perhaps the most impressive new Rolex release of them all. The Cosmograph Daytona is introduced in a new ‘Rolesium’ configuration, combining steel with platinum: a pairing that Rolex has traditionally used very sparingly.

The Daytona update is largely material-driven. A white enamel dial replaces more common lacquered finishes, offering a brighter and more uniform surface – but this is rarely seen on a sports watch. It’s paired with a new anthracite Cerachrom bezel, reinforced with tungsten carbide, and framed by a platinum outer ring. Like the Day-Date, the result is a more refined take on the Daytona, with contrast coming from texture rather than colour.

The tachymeter scale has also been reworked. Its numerals are now set horizontally, referencing early Daytona models, but rendered in a more contemporary typeface. Rolex describes them as ‘suspended’, sitting slightly apart from the bezel surface.

One of the more obvious changes though is on the caseback, with the movement visible through a sapphire crystal, held in place by another platinum ring. It’s a departure from Rolex’s traditionally closed case backs and signals a continued, if cautious, move towards showcasing its calibres.

That’s all we know so far – now it’s time to get a closer look and see if the reality actually lives up to the hype. Spoiler alert: it probably will….