Make Way For The King – Quick Overview Of The New Rolex Datejust 36 Collection From Watches & Wonders 2021
Editor’s note: Like you, we are also excited for the releases from the Watches & Wonders 2021. Our coverage is going to be split into 3 categories: deep-dive hands-on, shorter Gut Reaction Reviews (Grr…), and nut-shell previews. This is the Quick Overview of the new Rolex Datejust 36. For our other detailed hands-on reviews, please head to our dedicated reviews section here.Â
Remarkably Different
Stunned! Bowled over and knocked out. For a brand that’s all about their legacy, the quest for accuracy and water-resistance, and incredible marketing, stunning is not the first word I usually associate with modern Rolex watches.
Incredible. Sure. Innovative. Sure. Elegant. Sure. Perhaps the leading brand in the world. Sure.
But revolutionary different enough to stun on first look. Not really. That’s more the domain of independent brands anyway. But the green palm dial of the new Rolex Datejust 36 from 2021 is breathtakingly refreshing, and stunning amazing.
This is Rolex stepping out of its comfort zone and how.Â
Embracing Nature
From the lush green forests to your wrist, Rolex is enthusing fresh life into its Datejust series. Inspired by nature, designed by the horological powerhouse, the new Datejust 36 have been released in six new variations, with three of them featuring fluted dials. Yes, you read that right. Rolex’s fluted bezels are so iconic that they are now a dial pattern in themselves.Â
Talking about these new dials, we wanted to find out a bit more about how they were made. We reached out to Rolex and they have explained that these dials aren’t simply a print and paste job. A fair amount of detailing and workmanship has gone into these. They are engraved on a sunray-finish dial base using high-technology equipment called a femtosecond laser. This femtosecond technology mastered in-house directs bursts of ultrashort (billionth of a microsecond) laser pulses onto the dial surface at a rapid repetition rate (of several megahertz). This technology, which produces no heat, etches the surface of the dial very precisely and selectively, to produce patterns only a few tenths of a micrometre (micron) deep.
Basic specifications
Featuring the Manufacture Rolex Calibre 3235 — a movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex that was released in 2015 and has been in use since 2018 — that boasts of an impressive −2 /+2 sec/day accuracy after casing, it is to COSC-certified, features 31 rubies and provides with an increased 70-hour power reserve.Â
The star of the show here is the glossy olive green with palm motif, that forms as a beautiful backdrop for the 18 ct. white gold hour markers in-filled with highly legible Chromalight blue glow and 18 ct. white gold hands again in-filled with highly legible Chromalight blue glow.Â
Versions
The 36mm green dial version ($9990 AUD) comes with a domed Oystersteel bezel and a solid link three-piece bracelet.
The ref. 126200 is obviously 100m water-resistant and comes with an international five-year guarantee.Â
The ref. 126231 features a similar silver palm design dial with an oystersteel case and 18 ct. Everose gold case fluted bezel on a five-piece solid links jubilee bracelet with centre links in 18 ct. Everose gold.Â
The ref. 126233 features a similar golden palm design dial with an oystersteel case and 18 ct. yellow gold case fluted bezel on a three-piece solid links oyster bracelet with centre links in 18 ct. yellow gold.
There are also the fluted dial versions which are very similar and you can check them out below.
That’s All Folks!
These Rolex watches bathe in their glorious heritage and for yet manage to embody a contemporary vibe.
One of the most iconic watches ever, having made their presence felt in literature, cinema, popular culture and of course the world of horology, the Datejust just went from being an icon to a modern legend.
Stay tuned for a more detailed review coming soon. To find out more about the new Rolex Datejust 36 collection and Rolex watches, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise specified are © Rolex. Make sure to check out our reviews of other Watches & Wonders 2021 releases here.
