The Oyster Perpetual Submariner is the quintessential divers’ watch, the benchmark in its genre. Introduced in 1953 during the pioneering era for scuba diving, it was the first watch to be water-resistant to 100 metres (330 feet). This iconic timepiece has since evolved with a series of patented Rolex technical innovations, guaranteeing its reliability and precision down to depths of 300 metres (1,000 feet). At home in the oceans, where it remains an indispensable instrument for every diver, the Submariner has also conquered terra firma as the watch of action with a rugged elegance of its own. The Submariner is available with and without the date function.

When the Hydra VIII mission by Comex (Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises) set the world open-sea diving record at a depth of 534 metres in 1988, the watch that accompanied the divers on their mission was a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller chronometer. This model was standard equipment for the world leader in marine engineering.

It was the only watch the firm’s elite divers fully trusted on their saturation dives to great depths – when precise timing is of vital importance at every stage – and the watch they had used on thousands of successful underwater missions in extreme conditions. Thanks to its Rolex-patented helium valve, this legendary watch was instrumental in the conquest of the deep. It is being reintroduced in an updated version that benefits from Rolex’s latest technical innovations while remaining faithful to the iconic aesthetics of the original model.

Inspired by the vintage "Steve McQeen" Explorer, the 24 hour hand of the Explorer II has returned to the arrow shape and the orange colour of the original 1971 model. Diamond like carbon matte coating on a 42mm case and signed PROHUNTER in orange on the dial. Finished with an anti reflective coating and individually engraved case backs (001-100).

The GMT-Master, introduced in 1955, was developed to meet the needs of international pilots. The GMT-Master II, unveiled in 2005, has proved to be even more invaluable to those whose professions involve long-distance travel. Featuring a rotatable 24-hour graduated bezel and a separate 24-hour hand, it allows those who travel the world to read three different time zones. Two simultaneously.

Extreme environments, such as the polar regions, have always been real-life proving grounds for Oyster watches. The Explorer II is natural heir to the Explorer as a reliable guide, a tool and a companion for explorers, speleologists and vulcanologists. When it was launched in 1971, the Explorer II set new standards for chronometric precision, strength, autonomy and clarity. It features a distinctive 24-hour hand, an invaluable aid to distinguish daytime hours from night around the poles and beneath ground.

Fifty-two years ago Rolex made watchmaking history when it joined the bathyscaphe Trieste, crewed by Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh, as the Swiss-designed bathyscaphe descended to the then deepest-known point in the ocean.

An experimental Rolex Deep Sea Special wristwatch was attached to the exterior of the Trieste when it touched the very bottom of the Mariana Trench on January 23, 1960, reaching a depth of 35,814 feet (10,916 meters). It successfully withstood tremendous pressure that no submersible, let alone watch, had confronted before and that no human could ever survive. The dive marked the culmination of a long association with Jacques Piccard and his father, Auguste Piccard, the inventor of the bathyscaphe, as they stretched the boundaries of deep-sea exploration. It was also the fruit of decades of unrelenting development of the waterproof wristwatch, which was invented by Rolex.

The Cosmograph Daytona, introduced in 1963, was designed to meet the demands of professional racing drivers. With its highly reliable chronograph and bezel with tachymetric scale, it allows drivers to perfectly measure average speeds up to 400 kilometres or miles per hour, as they choose. An icon eternally joined in name and function to the high-performance world of motor sport.