An Overview of the New Rolex 2022 Watches

If we say that Rolex is amongst the leaders in luxury watches, then we won’t be wrong. Given its immense popularity, people are always looking forward to its new additions. 2022 didn’t disappoint with five magnificent models of Rolex, which were released at the Watches and Wonders Geneva 2022. Let’s look at each of them in detail!

Reference

Dial Color

Material

Bracelet

Movement

Price

Air King - (Reference 126900)

Black

Oystersteel

Oyster, flat three-piece links

Calibre 3230

€7.000

GMT - Master II (Reference 126720VTNR)

Black

Oystersteel

Oyster, flat three-piece links

Calibre 3285

€10.700

Day - Date 40 (Reference 228236)

Ice blue

Platinum

President, semi-circular three-piece links

3255

€61.500

Yacht Master 42 (Reference 226658)

Black

18 ct yellow gold

Oysterflex

3235

$26.900

Datejust 31 (Reference 278274)

Azzurro blue

White Rolesor - a combination of Oystersteel and white gold

Oyster, flat three-piece links

2236

€9.600

Air-King (reference 126900)

Rolex Air-King (reference 126900) VariLeer blog article

Photo credit by Rolex

The Air King is one of the most talked-about watches in recent history because of its rather unique dial that resembles a pilot’s watch due to its large 3, 6, and 9 markers, a large triangle as the 12 marker, and combined numerals every 5 minutes.

Despite keeping these prominent features, this year’s Air King has numerous changes. The case is modified by making the lugs and case bands sharper and straighter. The bezel is thinned down, the dial has been made bigger, and a 0 has been added before the 5 numeral. Furthermore, there are crown guards.

The bracelet has an Easylink comfort extension and the applied markers of the dial are now luminous.

GMT-Master II (reference 126720VTNR)

 Rolex GMT - Master II (Reference 126720VTNR) VariLeer blog article

Photo credit by Rolex

The latest addition to the GMT-Master II line’s reference, VTNR, pretty much explains its dial colour. It means verte-noire, which translates to green and black. The crown is on the left side, and you get two bracelet options, Jubilee and Oyster.

The few difference between the new 126720VTNR and the previous GMT-Master II models are the date-mechanism modifications to the movement and the two-toned ceramic bezel. Watch gurus aren’t really fazed by the watch a lot, but at least, they believe, it’s bolder than the previous models.

We've wrote an in-depth about this new GMT-Master II. Click here to check it out.

Day-Date 40 (reference 228236)

Rolex Day-Date 40 (reference 228236) VariLeer blog article

Photo credit by Rolex

The Day-Date is the first-ever wristwatch that showed not only the date but the day of the week as well. Similar to its previous versions, the Day-Date 40 Ref. 228236 is a treat to the eyes with its magnificent ice blue dial.

It is a complete platinum model with a fluted bezel, which is the first for Rolex models made from this material. There are hints of dark blue in the dial, which add further beauty to it. It has stylised Roman numerals and comes with a President bracelet as expected by a watch of this calibre.

Yacht-Master 42 (reference 226658)

Rolex Yacht-Master 42 (reference 226658) VariLeer blog article

Photo credit by Rolex

The Yacht-Master 42 was first introduced in 2019 and was made from white gold. The new model is somewhat the same but is made from the classic yellow gold.

It has a ceramic bezel with polished numerals that shine against the matte black background. Similar to the previous version, it comes with a rubber bracelet, formerly known as the Oysterflex, and has the signature oversized markers and hands, which, in this version, are made from yellow gold.

Datejust 31 (reference 278274)

Rolex Datejust 31 (reference 278274) VariLeer blog article

Photo credit by Rolex

The new Datejust 31 is absolutely gorgeous in look with its 24 flowers, each of which has a diamond at its centre. It is an astonishing combination of three different finishes: sunray, matt, and grained.

Similar to its previous versions, it’s also powered by the 2236 movement. You can get this watch in three different versions:

  • Rolesor version – Azzurro-blue dial and an Oyster bracelet
  • 18 ct yellow gold version – Olive-green dial and a President bracelet
  • Everose Rolesor version – Silver dial and a Jubilee bracelet

1 comment

Great overview. Thanks, Thomas

Manuel May 14, 2022

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