One hundred years ago, Rolex introduced the Oyster and helped change the way we wear watches. Now, at Watches and Wonders 2026, the Crown is celebrating that milestone the only way it knows how — with a new collection of watches that looks back at where it all started while having a little fun along the way. The Oyster Perpetual naturally takes centre stage, with a special anniversary model, a colourful Jubilee dial and, for the first time, natural stone hour markers on the new gold OP 28 and 34.

But Rolex hasn’t spent the whole week looking through the history books. There’s a completely redesigned Yacht-Master II powered by the new calibre 4162, a Day-Date 40 introducing the brand’s new Jubilee Gold alloy, a green ombré Datejust 41 and a rather unexpected Cosmograph Daytona with a white enamel dial and grey Cerachrom bezel. From quiet changes to watches that nobody saw coming, Rolex’s 2026 releases give us plenty to talk about — so, let’s take a closer look at the new watches unveiled in Geneva.

Before we get into every watch, we had to pick a few favourites. These are the Rolex releases that stood out most to us at Many Men Magazine — whether for their design, technical changes, or simply because we didn’t see them coming.

• Best Overall: Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36
• Most Underrated: Rolex Yacht-Master II
• Most Surprising: Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 Centenary
• Most Luxurious: Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

• Brand: Rolex
• Model: Oyster Perpetual 41
• Reference: 134303-0001
• Diameter: 40 mm
• Thickness: 11.6 mm
• Material: Oystersteel & Yellow Gold
• Dial: Slate
• Calibre: Manufacture Rolex 3230
• Power Reserve: 70 Hours
• Water-Resistance: 10 Bar (100 metres, 330 feet)
• Price: USD $9,650

If there was ever a watch to kick off Rolex’s 2026 releases, it had to be the Oyster Perpetual. The Oyster is where the Rolex story really starts and, in many ways, where the modern wristwatch began to find its feet. Back in 1926, Rolex introduced a case with a screw-down bezel, caseback and crown, creating a sealed system designed to keep water and dust out. The crown had long been the weak point of early waterproof watches, and Rolex’s screw-down solution changed that.

Five years later, the Perpetual rotor arrived, automatically winding the watch as the wrist moved, meaning the crown no longer needed to be unscrewed regularly. So, for the Oyster’s 100th birthday, Rolex has gone back to basics with the Oyster Perpetual 41. The new yellow Rolesor model pairs an Oystersteel case and bracelet with an 18 ct yellow gold bezel and winding crown, leaving out the usual gold centre links you’d expect from a Rolesor Rolex. There’s even a little Ref. 6582 “Zephyr” flavour to the combination.

A new slate-grey sunray dial sits beneath yellow gold hands and hour markers, while green squares mark every five minutes, and the Rolex name is printed in that unmistakable green. The birthday touches are small, but that’s what makes them so good. “100 years” replaces “Swiss Made” at 6 o’clock, while a tiny 100 appears in relief on the winding crown. Inside, the in-house movement delivers a 70-hour power reserve and has passed Rolex’s updated environmental and reliability tests for 2026.

Gold on an Oyster Perpetual is a pretty big deal, but Rolex hasn’t gone overboard. The yellow gold is limited to the bezel and crown, leaving the OP as simple as ever — hours, minutes and seconds, with no date or complication getting in the way. The Daytona and Submariner might steal more of the spotlight, but the Oyster Perpetual is Rolex stripped back to the essentials. One hundred years later, that formula still works.

• Brand: Rolex
• Model: Oyster Perpetual 41
• Reference: 126000-0016
• Diameter: 36 mm
• Thickness: 11.6 mm
• Material: Oystersteel & Yellow Gold
• Dial: Multicoloured Lacquer
• Calibre: Manufacture Rolex 3230
• Power Reserve: 70 Hours
• Water-Resistance: 10 Bar (100 metres, 330 feet)
• Price: USD $6,750

Where the Oyster Perpetual 41 looks back at Rolex’s history, the Oyster Perpetual 36 turns up the colour. The multicoloured lacquer dial brings back the Jubilee motif first introduced at the end of the 1970s, with each colourful block carrying a letter that, together, spells out “Rolex” across the dial. No fewer than ten different colours make up the pattern, and they’re applied one by one rather than all at once. Getting every shape and letter perfectly lined up takes serious precision, but the result is one of the most playful Oyster Perpetual dials we’ve seen yet.

• Brand: Rolex
• Model: Oyster Perpetual 28 & 34
• Reference: 276208-0002 / 124205-0002
• Diameter: 28 mm / 34 mm
• Thickness: 9.2 mm / 10.6 mm
• Material: Oystersteel & Yellow Gold
• Dial: Green Stone Lacquer / Blue Stone Lacquer
• Calibre: Manufacture Rolex 2232
• Power Reserve: 55 Hours
• Water-Resistance: 10 Bar (100 metres, 330 feet)
• Price: USD $31,600 / USD $40,100

Two of the quieter surprises in Rolex’s 2026 line-up come in the form of the new Oyster Perpetual 28 and 34. The 28 mm is made entirely from 18 ct yellow gold and paired with a green stone lacquer dial, while the 34 mm is made from 18 ct Everose gold and paired with a blue stone lacquer dial. Despite all that precious metal, Rolex has kept things surprisingly restrained. The cases and Oyster bracelets are mainly satin-finished, giving the gold a softer, textured sheen and marking the first time Rolex has used this finish on a watch entirely made of precious metal. A polished domed bezel adds just enough shine around the dial.

The real surprise, though, is sitting at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. For the first time, Rolex has used natural stone for its hour markers, with heliotrope on the green OP 28 and dumortierite on the blue OP 34. Each stone is given an ogival cut to bring out its natural colour and structure while keeping reflections to a minimum. Inside, both watches run on the self-winding calibre 2232, offering around 55 hours of power reserve, while the Oyster bracelet comes with an Oyster clasp and Easylink extension for roughly 5 mm of adjustment. These two could easily get lost among Rolex’s bigger anniversary releases, but I have a feeling we’ll be hearing plenty about them.

• Brand: Rolex
• Model: Datejust
• Reference: 126334-0033
• Diameter: 41
• Thickness: 11.6 mm
• Material: Oystersteel & White Gold
• Dial: Green Ombré
• Calibre: Manufacture Rolex 3235
• Power Reserve: 70 Hours
• Water-Resistance: 10 Bar (100 metres, 330 feet)
• Price: USD $11,650

The Datejust is getting a new shade of green for 2026, and Rolex has given one of its longest-running watches a little more drama in the process. First introduced in 1945, the Datejust returns in a 41 mm white Rolesor case, pairing Oystersteel with an 18 ct white gold fluted bezel. The star here is the new green lacquer ombré dial, which starts bright at the centre before gradually fading to a deep black around the edges. Rolex applies green lacquer to the base plate before spraying black lacquer in concentric motions to create the gradient, marking the first fully lacquered ombré dial since the style returned to the catalogue in 2019.

That darker outer rim also creates a stronger contrast around the date window and Cyclops lens, making the display a little clearer without messing with the Datejust formula we already know. White dial inscriptions and Chromalight hour markers stand out against the green, while the fluted bezel and three-piece Oyster bracelet keep the rest of the watch unmistakably Datejust. Inside is the automatic calibre 3235 with around 70 hours of power reserve, and water resistance remains 100 metres. At $11,650, this might be one of the simpler Rolex releases of 2026, but that green ombré dial is going to get plenty of attention, as green dials are making a comeback.

• Brand: Rolex
• Model: Day-Date
• Reference: 228235JG-0003
• Diameter: 40
• Thickness: 11.6 mm
• Material: 18 KT Jubilee Gold
• Dial: Light Green Aventurine
• Calibre: Manufacture Rolex 3255
• Power Reserve: 70 Hours
• Water-Resistance: 10 Bar (100 metres, 330 feet)
• Price: USD $65,700

Now this is where things get really interesting from Rolex this year. The new Day-Date 40 introduces Jubilee Gold, an entirely new 18 ct gold alloy conceived, developed and produced in Rolex’s own workshops. Its colour weaves together tender yellow, warm grey, and soft pink, immediately setting it apart from traditional yellow gold and the warmer look of Everose gold. The new metal runs across the 40 mm Oyster case, fluted bezel, and President bracelet, giving the Day-Date a softer glow that shifts between warm and cooler tones depending on the light. Paired with a light green aventurine dial, this feels like a genuinely new Rolex rather than a familiar Day-Date with a different dial colour.

And what a dial it is. Cut from natural aventurine quartz, it combines soft green tones with darker accents and delicate veining, so each piece carries the stone’s natural character. Rolex then adds ten baguette-cut diamond hour markers, because this is still a Day-Date, after all. Inside is the automatic calibre 3255, delivering around 70 hours of power reserve, while the Oyster case remains water-resistant to 100 metres. Jubilee Gold is the big story here, but paired with that green aventurine dial, Rolex may have found the perfect watch to introduce it, and we think fans will definitely appreciate this piece.

• Brand: Rolex
• Model: Yacht-Master II
• Reference:126680-0001 / 126688-0001
• Diameter: 44
• Thickness: 13.9 mm
• Material: Oystersteel / 18 KT Yellow Gold
• Dial: White
• Calibre: Manufacture Rolex 4162
• Power Reserve: 72 Hours
• Water-Resistance: 10 Bar (100 metres, 330 feet)
• Price: USD $20,300 / USD $60,700

The Yacht-Master II might just be Rolex’s most mechanically significant release of 2026. The regatta chronograph is back with a completely revised design and movement, built around the new calibre 4162. The 44 mm case is available in Oystersteel or 18 ct yellow gold, paired with a new matt white lacquer dial that reduces reflections and contrasts well with the blue Cerachrom bezel insert. The dial has also been simplified for better legibility, with the countdown scale moved to a precisely positioned flange, while the two side pushers now take their shape from winches sailors use to wind a yacht’s ropes in or out.

The big story, though, is the redesigned programmable countdown. It still comes with mechanical memory and on-the-fly synchronization, but programming is now handled exclusively through the lower pusher rather than the old Ring Command bezel system. Better yet, the countdown minute and seconds hands now move counterclockwise — a first for Rolex — making the remaining time easier to follow as the race start approaches. Calibre 4162 makes it all possible, delivering around 72 hours of power reserve, and it wouldn’t be Yacht-Master without a water resistance of 100 metres. The Yacht-Master II has always been one of Rolex’s most technical watches, but for 2026, it finally feels easier to understand and, more importantly, easier to use.

• Brand: Rolex
• Model: Cosmograph Daytona
• Reference:126502
• Diameter: 40
• Thickness: 12.2 mm
• Material: Oystersteel & Platinum
• Dial: White Enamelled
• Calibre: Manufacture Rolex 4131
• Power Reserve: 72 Hours
• Water-Resistance: 10 Bar (100 metres, 330 feet)
• Price: USD $57,800

At first glance, the new Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 126502 almost looks like a new steel Daytona — but look a little closer, and things get much more interesting. The 40 mm watch is presented in Rolesium, Rolex’s name for the combination of Oystersteel and platinum, with platinum used for the bezel edging and the ring securing the sapphire caseback. The real star, though, is the bright white Grand Feu enamel dial, built from four separate enamel components — the main dial and three chronograph counters — before being fired at high temperatures. The result is a clean, almost “Albino” Daytona look, with the white subdials blending into the rest of the dial rather than creating the usual high-contrast layout.

Then there’s the anthracite Cerachrom bezel, made from tungsten-rich ceramic to give it an almost metallic grey appearance. Rolex has also rotated the tachymeter numerals horizontally, a small nod to early Cosmograph Daytonas from the 1960s, while the transparent caseback offers a view of the calibre 4131 — a first for a predominantly steel Daytona. The automatic chronograph movement delivers around 72 hours of power reserve. At $57,800, the price will certainly get people talking, but with its four-piece Grand Feu enamel dial, new anthracite Cerachrom bezel and subtle nods to early Daytonas, Ref. 126502 feels like the perfect watch to close out Rolex’s 2026 releases.

For us at Many Men Magazine, Rolex has delivered a strong collection for 2026. There is clear respect for the past, especially with the Oyster celebrating its 100th anniversary, but the line-up does not feel stuck in the past. The new-generation Yacht-Master II brings meaningful technical changes, Jubilee Gold gives the Day-Date a completely new character, and the Cosmograph Daytona in Rolesium is easily one of the more unexpected releases of the year. Overall, there is enough variety here to give every Rolex fan something to talk about.

But if there is one watch we cannot stop looking at, it is the Oyster Perpetual 36 with its multicoloured lacquer Jubilee dial. The ten-colour design is playful, different and a little unusual for Rolex, which is exactly why we think it could become one of the most asked-about pieces of 2026. We would not be surprised to see waiting lists grow quickly once collectors start seeing it on the wrist. Rolex may be celebrating 100 years of the Oyster, but for us, the colourful OP 36 could easily end up stealing the show.