Rolex Watches We’re Loving This Season
As the weather is heating up in most parts of the country and summer is just over the horizon, now is a great time to do a little watch wardrobe updating. Whether that means buying a new watch, dusting off some old favorites to put into your current rotation, or switching out some bracelets and bands for something more summer-ready, there are several ways to go about updating your timepiece lineup. If you’re looking for some inspiration, we’re here to help! We’ve combed through our incredible selection of used Rolex men’s watches and picked out the ones we’re loving this season. From classic pieces to sporty numbers, here are some of our favorite Rolex models right now that’ll look great this summer and beyond.
Rolex Daytona Panda
The Rolex Daytona Panda ref. 116500LN immediately became one of the hottest Rolex for sale in the market ever since its debut in 2016. And now, after only seven years of production, Rolex has discontinued it (along with all the other Daytona 1165xx references) to make way for the new generation Daytona collection, announced at Watches and Wonders 2023.
Whether or not the latest 126500LN will become as popular as the Daytona 116500LN remains to be seen, but what we are sure of is that the recently discontinued ceramic Rolex Daytona Panda will forever remain one of our favorite Rolex models.
The watch features a 40mm stainless steel case, which is topped with a black Cerachrom ceramic bezel. Although Rolex offered the 116500LN with either a white or black dial, the white “Panda” variant is the true show-stopper. This classic combination of a white dial punctuated with black subdials is a throwback to vintage chronograph watches; it’s a design that Rolex has leaned on for decades, stretching back as far as four-digit vintage Daytona models from the 1960s and 1970s.
Rolex Submariner – Green
The Rolex Submariner, used or new, has always been one of the most sought-after Rolex models, regardless of the season. Yet, if there’s one Rolex watch that embodies summer vibes, it’s the Submariner diving watch — particularly in green.
There are actually three green Submariner Rolex watches to choose from: the vintage ref. 16610LV “Kermit,” the discontinued 116610LV “Hulk,” and the current production 126610LV “Starbucks.” All of these models have green bezels (the Kermit has an aluminum one and the other two have ceramic ones) but the Submariner Hulk is the only one with a green dial.
The Starbucks 126610LV is the largest one of the lot, featuring a 41mm stainless steel case instead of the once-customary 40mm measurement of past Submariners. Regardless of the reference, green Submariners are always a good idea.
Rolex GMT-Master II – Yellow Gold
Rolex announced the return of yellow gold to the GMT-Master II collection at Watches and Wonders 2023 in the form of the gold GMT-Master II ref. 126718GRNR and two-tone GMT-Master II ref. 126713GRNR. And these releases got us thinking about how much we love old-school yellow gold GMT-Master Rolex watches!
Some of our top picks for this season include a full yellow gold GMT-Master II 16718 and a vintage two-tone GMT-Master 1675, both paired with Jubilee bracelets — which offer a touch of glamour to these sporty Rolex watches. Unlike beefier modern models with Cerachrom bezels, these have more restrained proportions and are furnished with aluminum bezels. There’s a certain classic charm to these older GMT-Master Rolex watches that is supremely appealing.
Rolex Datejust – Two Tone
One of the best-value used Rolex watches for sale on the market right now is the two-tone Datejust ref. 116233, which is no longer part of the current catalog but features all the updates you’d want from modern Rolex watches.
With its combination of yellow gold and stainless steel, fluted gold bezel, and two-tone Jubilee bracelet, this is exactly what we picture when we say a classic Rolex watch. While Rolex makes a bevy of dial colors for the Datejust collection, white and champagne are the most classic shades. And a dash of diamonds on the dial doesn’t hurt either!
The Datejust, particularly a two-tone variant, is the most recognizable luxury watch ever made and a design like that never goes out of style. So if you’re a fan of timeless designs, then the Rolex 116233 is a solid choice.
Rolex Day-Date – Stone Dials
At Watches and Wonders 2023, Rolex unveiled some new Day-Date watches fitted with stunning stone dials. However, this is far from new for Rolex — if we dig into the company’s archives, we see that stone and other exotic materials have long been used to create striking dials for Rolex models such as the Datejust and the Day-Date.
A few Day-Date 36 watches with special dials that we’re loving this season include the vintage Day-Date ref. 18238 with a ferrite dial, the yellow gold Day-Date ref. 118398BR with a bull’s eye dial, and the Everose gold Day-Date ref. 128235 with an Eisenkiesel dial. Of course, these are all crafted from solid 18k gold, fitted with iconic President bracelets, and feature a pair of windows on the dial to indicate the day and date.
Ferrite is an iron compound that lends a beautiful textured black and grey finish to the dial while the bull’s eye stone dial offers a rich brown striped pattern. Eisenkiesel is German for “iron pebble” and it’s a quartz stone that comes in a variety of shades. Rolex opts for the dark brown-hued ones with beautiful lighter brown veins running through them. Regardless of the specific material, stone dials add another beautiful element to an already superb Rolex watch.
Pre-Owned Rolex Watches at Gray & Sons
Gray & Sons is proud to offer a wide selection of pre owned watches from popular luxury brands such as Rolex. If you’re looking for a Rolex pre owned, then browse our collection of vintage, neo-vintage, and modern used Rolex watches for sale. Alternatively, if you’re looking to sell your pre owned watch, then Gray & Sons buys used Rolex watches too.
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