What to expect from Rolex in 2023
A new year is always an exciting time for Rolex but everytime January rolls round the world’s biggest watch brand leaves its fans in the same quandary.
Will Rolex raise its prices? Will our favourite watches finally be discontinued? Which new models will come out?
Much will be revealed at Watches and Wonders 2023 on March 27, with Rolex set to showcase on the first day of the event.
What 2022 gifted
2022 had some of us spellbound with the release of the first left-handed green GMT master II (126720VTNR) With a crown on the left-hand side along with the date display and cyclops magnifier, the green was bang on trend but no one saw the left side move coming. Still, it sold incredibly well.
Then there was a new Air King (126900) which had little tweaks and refinements but really it was the Oyster case and sporty crown guards that had us all wanting more.
But what can we expect for 2023 in terms of new models?
Our predictions for new offerings
Datejusts are selling very well right now, especially for women; so we wonder if there’s a stainless steel 37mm offering in the pipeline for the ladies out there. If not a Datejust, we certainly see a sporty offering of something similar in 2023. We certainly think a solid yellow gold rose gold version Datejust on a jubilee bracelet is on the cards in a larger dial size for men.
For the Submariner, it’d be nice for Rolex to try out some more exciting dial colours. We loved the Tiffany blue dial on the Oyster Perpetual. Perhaps a red dial to catch on with the craze capitalised on by IWC and Omega, might prove incredibly popular.
A New GMT Master II in two-tone might be a nice offering for the new year since Pepsi re-emerged. One with a green or Tiffany blue dial would be awesome.
The new year marks 60 years of Rolex’s iconic Daytona chronograph so we would love to see an update of the watch.
Saying goodbye
Hearing what is being discontinued is almost more interesting than what’s being released for some collectors, with eager beavers regularly checking the Rolex website to see what has gone.
Milgauss was expected to go in 2022 but seeing as it shares the same case as the Air King which was updated, it seems the Milgauss deserves another chance to shine. to discontinue but it seems to be hanging on but this may well happen and with it reappearing in a few years. The current generation of this quirky watch debuted in 2007 and characterised by a two-part inner case. We would expect to see an updated version in 2023.
We believe other models to bite the dust could include Batman, Pepsi, Kermit and the Wimbledon Datejust.
Prices
Like many other luxury brands, Rolex have maintained high watch sales despite price increases last year but will not increase prices for 2023.
Rolex has recently entered the secondary market – pre-owned programme selling refurbished used watches from authorised dealers with new bags of goodies.such as new pouches and new two-year warranties.
We weren’t sure if prices would follow grey market ones but these watches do fetch high prices and someone will pay expensive prices for pre-owned models.
Come to see us
If you fancy grabbing a discontinued model before they go for good, visit our Epping boutique. If we haven’t got one in stock, we’ll see if our talented buying team can work its magic.