We are pleased to present the first of what we hope to be many installments of Watchout’s Essentials series. The goal of this series of posts is to provide an unassuming base of knowledge that can act as an entry point into the intimidating world of watches.
Without further ado we present part 1 of 2 for Modern Rolex Essentials Professional Series. Yes, you read that correctly part 1 of 2! Rolex is sort of like The Beatles of watches if you tried to sit down and talk about all of their greatest hits you’d be at it for quite a while!
Rolex has split its line-up of watches into two product lines, the first is it’s Professional line known for being sporty, rugged, purpose built watches that are meant to act as a tool for the wearer. The second line is its Classic series of watches which focuses on a more elegant offering.
Rolex offers 8 different watches as a part of their Professional Series that each fill its own niche, whether it’s deep sea diving, jet setting across the world, climbing Mt. Everest rest assured these works of art will definitely do right by you! For the purposes of this article we are specifically sticking the stainless steel variations of these watches. While they are still beautiful in other case materials, most of the ruggedness and practicality is removed with the addition of gold cases, bracelets or diamond set dials or bezels.
In no particular order lets get into it!
Submariner(sub-mare-inner)
The Submariner is the prototypical sports watch and in our opinion the most versatile in the collection. The Sub was released in 1953 and while it was not the first of its kind it quickly rose to the top of its class due to its superior time keeping abilities, rugged case construction and overall aesthetic. This brand new watch from Rolex was water resistant and able withstand depths of 100 meters, a feat that no other watch manufacturer had been able to accomplish.
While the watch was surely a hit from the beginning the Submariner exploded in popularity when it was featured on the wrist of Sean Connery in the 1963/1964 James bond flick from Russia with Love. Since then the Sub has gone on to make several more appliances in the illustrious Bond franchise along with gracing the wrists of icons such as Steve McQueen, Tony Soprano & Tom Hardy to name a few. If Sub is good enough for James Bond it must be good enough for anyone!
Since it’s launch the Submariner has kept the same style while making some much welcomed improvements shaping it into the much desired watch we have today. Some of the improvements include; a stronger more reliable movement, increased water resistance of 300 meters, a sapphire crystal, and a ceramic bezel insert.
Who we recommend the Submariner for?
- The One Watch Collection
- The Diver
- The First (of hopefully many) Rolex’s You Own
Specifications;
Case: 40mm
Sea-Dweller
If the Submariner is the sly sophisticated Bruce Banner then that makes the Sea-Dweller the bulky, rugged, unforgiving Hulk. The Sea-Dweller is truly bigger and badder than the Submariner in every way. This purpose built watch was introduced to the market in 1967 due to the increased popularity in diving after World War II with personal hobbyists, commercial and military clients in mind. Besides the obvious size difference between the Sea-Dweller and Sub, the Sea-Dweller boasts and insane depth rating of 1,220 meters or 3,900 meters depending on the model. Additionally, it is equipped with a Rolex patented helium escape valve which was designed in partnership with the French diving specialists at COMEX. The helium escape valve is an extremely important feature of the watch as it allows gasses that accumulate at large depths below sea level to escape the watch. Without this feature the watch would virtually explode due to the internal pressure of the gasses on the watch itself.
All of this said, if you’re like us we can count a total of zero people that would get real world use of both the depth rating and helium escape valve…we’re not saying that the complications are useless only that they are very, very, very niche in today’s world. The Sea-Dweller is best known for accompanying James Cameron to the Mariana’s Trench in 2012 aboard his solo submarine called Deepsea Challenger.
Today you have two models to pick from under the Sea-Dweller line. The first being the Sea-Dweller at 43mm in diameter and 15.2mm in thickness, at this size on may still be able to wear the watch daily. The second is the Deepsea which comes in at a whopping 44mm in diameter and 17.7mm in thickness making the case for this watch being a casual wearer a stretch!
- The Professional Diver
- The Marine Biologist
- The Bigger Wristed Individual
- The Environmentalist Hollywood Film Writer/Producer/Director
Yacht-Master
Released in 1992 the Rolex Yacht-Master is arguably the least loved model in the Professional lineup of watches. Due to its brief run in the Rolex Professional Series this reference does not have the same history as its counterparts in the collection. It is widely believed that the Yacht-master was actually meant to replace the Sub, however, once the finished product was completed Rolex felt it strayed too far from the beloved watch eventually releasing the Yacht-Master on its own. Just in the Yacht-Master’s name alone this boujee Submariner alternative is meant for the seafaring gentleman or ladies who would prefer to spend their days on the water vs. land. In 2020 the Yacht-Master comes in 2 distinct models.
Yacht-Master I (Left) – This iteration of the watch looks like a fancy Submariner with its unique satin face and matte silver bezel. In our humble opinion while the Yacht-Master in steel is a very capable watch, it does not scratch any itch the Submariner can’t. The Yacht-Master I would be better suited in the Classic lineup as the true show stoppers in this collection are the ones in solid gold or platinum which would remove most of the watches professional series qualities. Our personal favorite is the gold variant featuring the matte black bezel insert!
Yacht-Master II (Right) – This beast features the most unique complication Rolex has to offer with its ability to set a regatta timer. For those that are not aware a regatta is series of sailboat races. You are reading this correctly, the main purpose of this watch it to time sailboat races…and tell the time of course! All this aside, in the right circumstances this watch can look pretty cool in a Miami greaser sort of way.
- The Person Who Wants a Submariner With More UMPH! (Yacht-Master I)
- The Person With Smaller Wrists (Yacht-Master I) Option for 37mm Case is Available!
- The Regatta Racer (Yacht-Master II)
- The Miami/LA Success Story (Yacht-Master II)
Specifications (Yacht-Master);
Daytona
Last but certainly not least is the Daytona. While Rolex began manufacturing its first chronographs in the 1930’s it was not until the early 1960’s that the Daytona was released and this beauty was officially off to the races. The name Daytona was placed on the dial to commemorate Rolex’s status as the official time keeper of the Daytona Speedway (home of the Daytona 500). The watch is aimed to fill a niche as the Rolex’s “drive watch” in the collection, built for going fast and of course looking cool while doing so.
The Rolex Daytona was originally released as a manual winding timepiece and remained so until 1988 when Rolex borrowed the famed “El Primero” movement from fellow watch house Zenith. It was not until the year 2000 when the Daytona was refreshed to include an in-house movement specifically for the watch.
Today the Rolex Daytona is the ultimate “flex” watch as it is by far the hardest Rolex to track down at retail, constantly selling on the secondary market for 2x the MSRP. The popularity for this watch is not only derived by its brand and looks, it has emerged as a staple in pop culture most notably for being on the wrist of actor and race car driver Paul Newman.
- The Car Enthusiast
- The One Who Enjoys The Chase
- The Flexer
Case: 40mm