If in the past Fake Rolex was a pioneer of epochal innovations such as the waterproof Oyster case or the self-winding Perpetual movement but this is only the tip of the iceberg, today the Geneva Maison is more oriented towards a gradual evolution consistent with its past. This does not mean that there is a lack of interesting innovations in its recent collections, but that these are part of a philosophy of continuous improvement without upheavals.
So let’s find out which are the 5 Rolexes that have stood out the most for innovation, always according to the canons of the Maison over the last 20 years.
1.Rolex Oyster Perpetual Milgauss with green sapphire crystal (2007)
This model introduced the characteristic green sapphire crystal, not the first to color it but undoubtedly a novelty for the watchmaking field, a detail that has become a distinctive sign of the Milgauss, the first watch – which came into the world in an analogue era – for those worked in the presence of strong electromagnetic fields such as nuclear or power plants. Today, elements of a mechanical movement are also built with sapphire but only twenty years ago very few were able to give it color.
2.Rolex Deepsea Challenge with 12,000 meter water resistance (2012)
Developed in collaboration with James Cameron, this watch set a pressure resistance record by reaching a depth of 10,916 meters exactly as the Deep Sea Special had done in 1960, fixed to the outside of the bathyscaphe Trieste, piloted by US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard, Swiss explorer and engineer. In November 2022, Rolex released the Deepsea Challenge with a titanium case.
3.Rolex Yacht-Master II with programmable chronograph (2007)
Having gone out of production in 2024, 17 years earlier, the Rolex Yacht-Master II was the first watch to have a programmable countdown chronograph with mechanical memory, a complication designed specifically for regattas. Its movement, the caliber 4161, integrates over 360 components and is one of the most complex ever developed by Rolex. The innovative Ring Command bezel allows a unique interaction between the movement and the bezel itself for simple management of the chronograph.
4.Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41 with caliber 3235 (2016)
In the usual Rolex style, where everything always seems as before, the apparently “simple” Datejust 41 from 2016, available in yellow Rolesor or Everose Rolesor, brings together several advanced solutions that still characterize the brand’s mechanics today. The then completely new caliber 3255 with 70 hours of power reserve is regulated with the Chronergy escapement, first seen in 2015 – with skeletonized escape wheel for further lightening, and made of nickel-phosphorus an alloy insensitive to magnetic fields . Rolex declared an overall efficiency 15% higher than a normal escapement.
5.Rolex Sky-Dweller with annual calendar and dual time zone
The Sky-Dweller stands out for its innovative calendar marked in an essential but ingenious way. The SAROS is a sophisticated mechanism that takes its name from the astronomical phenomenon of the same name, it displays the date at 3 o’clock and the month via a red marker that jumps from month to month in the distal part of the 12 hour markers. Like all annual calendars, the SAROS requires only one adjustment per year, at the end of February. The Sky-Dweller also offers a practical dual time zone function. With the demise of the Yacht-Master II chronograph, it is the most complicated Rolex to date.