Celine Simon

While it’s not uncommon to hear nicknames for other watch brands, the phenomenon is widespread among Rolex circles.

One of the most revered Swiss watch manufactures of all time, Patek Philippe is considered by many to be the pinnacle of fine timepieces. While the independent family-owned brand may not have the same global recognition of other luxury watch companies due to the company’s preference for restrained production, if you have even the slightest interest in high-end watchmaking, then you know the prestige that Patek brings to the table.

While several luxury watch brands like to dabble in unusual case materials or unique gold alloys, there’s something to be said about the classics. And when it comes to timepieces, it doesn’t get more classic than 18k yellow gold. Although yellow gold has been somewhat overshadowed by its rosier sibling pink gold in recent years, it’s time to welcome the archetypical precious metal for luxury watches back into the conversation. Say hello to yellow (again) with this fantastic selection of yello...

Holiday season is right around the corner and for many of us, that means traveling somewhere to spend some quality time with family. Whether you’re flying across the country for Thanksgiving, to another country for winter break, or voyage frequently as part of your day-to-day life, here are some of our favorite Rolex watches for women who travel.

Once upon a time, chronograph watches were considered to be essential tools, used in a variety of fields including astronomy, engineering, medicine, and sports. A chronograph, which is a type of watch that includes a stopwatch function, was exceedingly practical because of its ability to measure and record elapsed time.

Among all the trends threading through the luxury watch landscape today, there is one that is emerging as the most popular: stainless steel watches with blue dials. Even watch manufactures that have historically stayed away from this style are breaking from brand tradition and following suit.

Given that the Speedmaster became world-famous as the watch that traveled to the Moon in 1969, it’s no surprise that Omega would celebrate big on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Among the commemorative Speedys that debuted in 2019, the steel Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 11 50th Anniversary was a fan favorite.

As the then-new sport of scuba diving rapidly expanded in the 1950s, divers needed a particular type of watch to wear during their subaquatic adventures. Specifically, these dive watches needed to water-resistant, legible in dark environments, and able to keep track of how long a diver spent underwater. Most of the watches we will be highlighting below were born during this important decade and have since become icons of their genre.

A relic from the mid 20th Century, the Panda dial has proved its staying power six decades later. Defined as a chronograph dial with a white background and black sub-dials (and nicknamed after the cute creature with that recognizable face), the Panda dial is as fresh looking today as it was when it first appeared.

Whether you call it the “Fat Lady,” the “Sophia Loren,” or the “Coke,” the GMT-Master II ref. 16760 marked an important turning point for Rolex’s flagship pilot’s watch collection.

In the watch-collecting community, it is common to hear plenty of nicknames when referring to specific models. After all, it is much easier to remember a catchy nickname than the long string of digits that make up the official reference number of a watch. Although some watch enthusiasts object to the use of nicknames, it is a widespread practice that is here to stay.

Rather than a traditional hour center hand that sweeps around the dial pointing to 12 indexes, jump hour watches use a digital display (not to be confused with modern digital watches) to indicate the current hour.

Similar to what haute couture is to fashion and haute cuisine is to food, haute horlogerie represents the highest standard in watchmaking. The direct translation of “haute horlogerie” from French to English is “high watchmaking” but the label encompasses much more.

This particular decade that we are currently in has seen plenty of significant changes to Rolex’s lineup. Some standard favorite Rolex models have been revamped with new sizes and designs; two new in-house calibers have paved the way for a new batch of references, and some collections welcomed new metal options. As we approach the end of this decade, let’s look back at the Rolex developments, introductions, and innovations that took place in the 2010s.

While Rolex certainly has an arsenal of very popular watches like the Submariner, GMT-Master, Datejust, and Daytona, they also have some watches that aren’t as famous. For example, the Rolex Thunderbird. Officially known as the Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph, this particular watch is an important model in Rolex’s history.