Head over to the HODINKEE Shop to check out that entire collection, and read on to explore a few of our top, highlight-worthy picks of the week.

With its striking, contrasted dial and famous case silhouette, there is no other watch quite like the Rolex Daytona. This example, the ref. 116520, was launched by the brand in 2000, replacing the ref. 16520 that had been in production since 1988. Most importantly, it included Rolex’s first in-house chronograph movement, the caliber 4130.

In the metal, the watch is really striking and immediately recognizable as a Daytona – its 40mm steel case, screw-down pushers and crown, and steel bezel provide a distinctive canvas for the unmistakable black-and-white dial configuration. Applied hour markers and a 12 o’clock Rolex crown punctuate the style, while a pair of lume-accented baton hands steadily indicate the time. The ref. 116520 was replaced in 2016 by the ceramic-on-steel ref. 116500, a watch that’s remained nearly impossible to find in the six years that have passed since it was released. With demand on the 116500 not slowing down, we think it’s about time to revisit Rolex’s OG in-house Daytona.

The Yacht-Master is Rolex’s youngest, flashiest sport watch. First introduced in 1992, the Yacht-Master is easily recognizable for its bezel execution, a graduated 60-minute, bidirectional design, with numerals raised in relief. As Rolex is known to do, we’ve gradually seen incremental updates to the Yacht-Master’s design language. Since 1999, the Yacht-Master has been famous for its tone-on-tone, two-metal construction that combines a stainless steel (Oystersteel) case and bracelet with a platinum bezel. In 2015, the Yacht-Master was updated with an attractive blue dial and bright red accents, and in 2019, the brand equipped the line with its state-of-the-art self-winding caliber 3235, as seen in the new ref. 126622.

This ref. 216570 is, at its core, a no-frills GMT sport watch, and importantly one that helped update the collection from the previous 16570 reference and bring the Explorer II line into the modern era. With a solidly built 42mm stainless steel case, matching triple-link Oyster bracelet, and a fixed 24-hour outer bezel, the watch is instantly recognizable as an Explorer II, albeit one notably more robust than any prior iteration. On the dial, Rolex’s efforts toward modernization are even more apparent, with its “Maxi”-type dial featuring some of the boldest features ever seen in the collection, inclusive of enlarged hands and hour markers, in addition to smart uses of contrast in both colors and textures.

Powering the model is Rolex’s caliber 3187, an automatic movement capable of 48 hours of running autonomy and protected via a Rolex signature solid caseback. Notably, when the ref. 216570 was discontinued in 2021 in favor of the now current reference, the 226570, it was at first glance only the movement of the Explorer II that saw the most significant update, with the 70-hour power reserve caliber 3285 further speaking to the success of the original 216570 design. Naturally, the 226570 has become a hard watch to find – but good quality 21670s are still around, just like the full-set example we have available now.

The Rolex Milgauss, as a model line, dates all the way back to 1956 with the launch of the ref. 6541. At the time, it was one of the first wristwatches capable of keeping time accurately when exposed to strong magnetic fields. In its development and original production, the Rolex Milgauss served a niche market segment of scientists needing a timepiece able to withstand high levels of electromagnetism. From its launch, the Milgauss remained within Rolex’s catalog and saw steady design updates along the way for three decades before finally being discontinued in 1988. Fast-forward to 2007, Rolex re-launched the collection, introducing the original ref. 116400, which we see here.

Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the dial of the ref. 116400 is a colorful and slightly playful combination of whites, oranges, and blacks, with the collection’s signature lightning bolt seconds hand accompanying a pair of baton hands for the hours and minutes, and the brand’s signature 12 o’clock applied Crown emblem. Importantly, the 116400 was the last reference within the Milgauss line to not include what has since become another signature of the collection, a specially developed green sapphire crystal, also known as glace verte in French, or “GV” for short. Will Rolex update the Milgauss this year? We’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, it’s as good a time as any to snag the first modern Milgauss, in the 116400.

Few watches in the history of Rolex are so distinct as the Datejust Turn-O-Graph, also known as the Thunderbird. At first glance, it looks like a standard Datejust, but a closer inspection reveals the namesake rotating white gold bezel with 60-minute scale, providing a distinctive aesthetic element, as well as additional functionality on the wrist. The origin of the name “Thunderbird” comes from the nickname of the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, established in 1953, which was the first supersonic aerobatic team. As the story goes, one pilot started wearing a Turn-O-Graph, and it eventually became the squadron’s go-to wristwatch – the nickname quickly followed.

It has now been a decade since the final ref. 116264 was released, and there’s no time like the present to experience the watch in your collection.

The Rolex Submariner might be the most recognizable watch in the world, and when crafted in two-tone steel and yellow gold, it becomes even more of a representation of serious luxury. We love six-digit Submariners from this era for the refined cases and bracelets, the ceramic bezel insert, the svelte 13mm thickness, and the excellent caliber 3135 with date and 48 hours of running autonomy.

In 2020, Rolex released a new, slightly larger 41mm Submariner with slimmer lugs, a wider bracelet, as well as the new (to the Sub) 3230 movement. While Rolex is easily the most conservatively incremental brand when it comes to updating its classic designs, some collectors felt that the new Submariner went – however microscopically – a little too far. And so, in the last two years, 40mm “six-digit” Submariners, like the two-tone 116613 we have here, have become certifiable “classics” worth targeting for any collector.