What is the most important new Rolex product in 2021?

For watch lovers, today is Christmas, Coachella, and Super Bowl Sunday all rolled into one. Wednesday marked the opening of Watches & Wonders, now the industry’s largest trade show, and due to the digital nature of this year’s event, it felt like all the new goodies were announced at once. The result was a flood of new models to come in and digest. Patek Philippe announced new examples of its highly collectible Nautilus model. IWC is shaving a few millimeters off its largest watch. That’s all great! But there’s nothing from Rolex that will make collectors feel refreshed. It’s the new version of The Crown that everyone is talking about today.

Explorer Generation

Arguably the biggest news is the revamp of the Rolex Explorer line. Both the original Explorer and its little brother, the Explorer II, have been revamped.

First up, Rolex has given the Explorer a pretty big facelift, bringing it down from 39mm all the way to 36mm, which is pretty small by modern standards. There is historical precedent for the new measurement, though. The Explorer is now available in the same size as the one released after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. (They wore Rolex Oyster Perpetuals, but Rolex needed a way to capitalize on the achievement.)

The new size isn’t what’s got the watch community buzzing, though. What people can’t seem to get over is that after decades of the watch being exclusively available in stainless steel, the Explorer will now be available in a two-tone colorway of gold and steel. Many of Rolex’s professional watches come in this two-tone steel-and-gold combination, but as one of the more substantial pieces in the crown, the Explorer always managed to stand out. Today, it’s finally been invited to the party.

The Explorer’s successor, dubbed the Explorer II, has a slightly lighter feel. While the Explorer was designed for those who would brave the heart of a jungle or attempt to scale the highest peak on Earth, the Explorer II was clearly designed for the opposite purpose: It was originally designed for cave divers, who used the 24-hour luminous orange watch to keep track of whether it was day or night by hand as they delved deeper into the darkness. Now, on the occasion of the piece’s 50th birthday, Rolex is doing its best not to upset a good thing. Tweaks here include swapping out the glossy black hands for a collector-pleasing matte black, shrinking the lugs, and inserting a new, improved movement.

Of all the big watch brands, Rolex’s intentions are often the hardest to decipher. But let’s try to explain what the brand has done here. It’s no secret that Rolex has absolutely no problem moving its flagship professional watches like the Submariner, GMT-Master II, and Daytona, but the Explorer and Explorer II have always been slightly underrated. Rolex likely saw an opportunity to build up the Explorer models so that one day people will line up to buy them, too.

The Watch on Everyone’s Wish List Just Got a Little Hotter

Well, the complaints about the never-ending waiting list for Rolex’s hot Daytona aren’t going to get any quieter. The brand has unveiled the watch in white gold, yellow gold, and Everose gold (Rolex’s version of rose gold), all with meteorite dials. Meteorite is exactly what it sounds like: literally, “a rare natural material from outer space,” as Rolex puts it in a press release. A watch model that already commands an out-of-this-world price tag. Now, it’s made from a rare space rock. Guess what that does to the price?

The Datejust, on the other hand, has always been Rolex’s playground for more adventurous designs. This year is no different. There are two new dial designs: a gold version that looks like a never-ending mille-feuille, and a more playful palm pattern available in gold, gray, and a striking green. Consider it official: green is the undeniable color of watches for 2021. The new Datejust joins elite company today alongside the new Patek Philippe Nautilus, the new IWC Pilot’s Chronograph, the limited-edition Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and the all-new Tudor.