Rolex is the most popular luxury watch brand in the world, and deciding on what Rolex to purchase is an important decision. It’s also not always an easy one. However, you can make things simpler by narrowing down the vast field of Rolex options.
One way to do this is to ask yourself what category of Rolex would you like — professional or classic? In today’s blog, we’ll talk about the difference between the two Rolex collections and the most popular models in each. Let’s dive in.
Rolex categorises its watches into two distinct collections, Professional and Classic.
Each collection includes many different models and sub-models, but the top of the categorization hierarchy starts with these two iconic collections.
Generally, the Classic and Professional collections can be differentiated by one simple factor. Classic Rolex watches tend to be dress watches (or dressier than your average watch), while Professional Rolex watches are sport or tool watches.
Of course, things aren’t always so cut-and-dry since style evolves with each era. There are plenty of Professional Rolex watches that would look great with a suit at a black-tie event, and there are plenty of Rolex dress watches that would look right at home with jeans and a T-shirt. Ultimately, it’s up to your personal style preferences, but Rolex does make the distinction between the two.
Rolex Classic watches are going to feature timeless designs befitting the “Classic” moniker. You truly can’t go wrong when picking up a Rolex Classic, as they will continue to be in style for years and years to come. With that being said, here are some of the most popular models in the Classic Collection.
You may be surprised to learn that the annual calendar complication has only been around since 1996. The pioneering brand that brought the first annual calendar to market was Patek Philippe, with its Ref. 5035 watch. This groundbreaking timepiece adjusts the day, date, and month and requires just one correction per year. Since releasing the first annual calendar watch, Patek Philippe has iterated on the model and released options with moon phase calendars, power reserve indicators, flyback self-winding chronographs, and more.
Whether you’re looking for something sporty or something more like a dress watch, Patek Philippe has you covered with its annual calendar selection. As always, Patek Philippe is known for making stylish and timeless watches, so you can’t go wrong with any of them.
The popularity of the Rolex Datejust led to the addition of the Lady-Datejust collection in 1957. As the name implies, the Lady-Datejust was specifically marketed to women and featured a smaller case size.
Along with the smaller and slimmer size, the Lady-Datejust is often characterised by luxury materials like gold or rose gold and embedded precious jewels on the bezel or dial face.
The Rolex Day-Date is the quintessential Classic Rolex for many people. The watch, sometimes referred to as the President watch, is an impeccable example of a dress watch and is characterised by its incredible craftsmanship and beauty. The President moniker is fitting, as the watch is often made with fine materials, like yellow gold.
The watch was first introduced in 1956 and featured a date window along with the full day of the week on the watch dial. Rolex would make history again, as it was the first waterproof and self-winding timepiece that would have a day and date display. When it comes to dress watches, you simply can’t go wrong with a Day-Date, and there are plenty of options available.
Sky-Dweller
The Rolex Sky-Dweller is one of the newest entries to the Classic collection. First released in 2012, the Sky-Dweller has quickly become a favourite Classic watch for travellers. This watch comes equipped with a complication that allows you to see two time zones simultaneously and an annual calendar complication that only needs to be reset once per year.
The Sky-Dweller comes in several variations, such as solid gold or two-tone options with stainless steel and other gold options.
Now, let’s move on to the watches available in Rolex’s Professional collection. These timepieces skew sportier in their design and are tool watches for the most part, serving specific functions with the features and complications contained within. Let’s have a look at the Professional Rolex options.
One of Rolex’s most popular Professional watches is the Submariner. Introduced in 1953, the Submarine was Rolex’s first official diving watch. Initially designed to be water-resistant up to 100 metres, Rolex has since released models that can withstand depths of 200 metres and 300 metres. Each watch is equipped with rotating bezels to track dive times and luminous dials to help with undersea visibility.
Whether you’re a professional diver, someone who does it for sport or someone who just appreciates a well-designed sporty watch, the Submariner is a timepiece that will always look good.
Originally released as a collaboration between Rolex and Pan American Airways, the GMT-Master has since taken on a life of its own. Although it was technically designed for pilots, this is the ultimate traveller’s watch, thanks to its dual time zone feature. This allows pilots and jet setters to see their home time zone as well as the time zone of their destination.
The GMT-Master II would later be released in the 1980s and displayed three time zones, with a function to adjust the secondary hour hand separately. The GMT-Master has numerous popular variants, such as the Coca-Cola, Root Beer, Pepsi and Batman.
As you may be able to guess from the name, the Daytona is Rolex’s quintessential racing watch. Named for the Daytona International Speedway in Florida, this watch is intrinsically tied to the world of racing.
This watch is equipped with a tachymeter scale that can measure elapsed time and average speed while racing, but it’s a beautiful watch even if you don’t need it for speed. Rolex Daytona watches are highly coveted and sometimes difficult to find, even second-hand.
For those who crave adventure, the Rolex Explorer can go the distance with you. This Rolex was designed to withstand the harshest elements and the most daring expeditions. It was originally released to commemorate the expedition where Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited the unforgiving Mount Everest while donning Rolex watches, no less.
Rolex would release the Rolex Explorer II in the 1970s, which added a 24-hour time scale feature.
While the Rolex Submariner is a fantastic diving watch, the Sea-Dweller takes water resistance to the next level. The Sea-Dweller was made for saturation divers and features a helium escape valve that allows it to function at depths of up to 1,220 metres.
Not content to stop there, Rolex then released the Rolex Deepsea in 2008, which can go to impressive depths of up to 3,900 metres.
Whether you’re in the market for a Classic or Professional Rolex watch, BQ Watches has you covered. We have a full selection of beautiful pre-owned Rolex watches in our inventory.
Browse our online Rolex inventory today or come by our London showroom to try on some watches in person.
Here at BQ Watches, we want to ensure you get your dream watch. Our friendly and knowledgeable team is always ready to help you pick out the perfect watch from our vast selection. Or, if you have something particular in mind, we’re happy to source a watch for you if we don’t have it on hand. The team at BQ Watches is here to help. Browse our inventory today and get in touch with the contact form below if you’re ready to purchase or if you have any questions.
