Rolex's Special Birthday Party

Rolex is a brand that places the greatest emphasis on building its own value. Unlike other watch brands, It does not produce limited editions and rarely collaborates with or sponsors famous celebrities. The brand is known for steadily and gradually building value and meaning within its own unique collections. Once a collection is born, It rarely disappears unless there is a special reason and continues to grow steadily.

Therefore, After a certain period, Rolex releases products that are deeply infused with its identity and reflects on the meaning of the model. I think of this as a kind of birthday party, Because these products are released to commemorate the birth of a particular model. Let us take a chronological look at which models were born with this celebratory meaning.

50th Anniversary of the Submariner in 2003
Ref. 16610LV

ⓒ XUPES

Launched in 1953 as one of the diving watches, The Submariner released a model with a green bezel in 2003 to celebrate its 50th anniversary. When did green become the identity of Rolex? For reference, The green Rolex box was born in the 1970s. For a full 50 years, The Submariner world had only black bezels, So people at the time were curious about this green bezel. This model was nicknamed Kermit after the frog character. From then on, It led the green trend, Continuing with the Submariner Hulk (116610LN) and the Submariner Starbucks (126610LV). Some people still consider this 16610LV (also known as Kuku Green) to be the true green Submariner. I am curious to know what you think.

Submariner Date 16610LV

40mm, Black, Oyster

Submariner Date 116610LV

40mm, Green, Oyster

Submariner Date 126610LV

41mm, Black, Oyster

50th Anniversary of the GMT Master in 2005
Ref. 116718LN

ⓒ BACHMANN & SCHER

Two years after the Submariner, The GMT Master, Born in 1955, Also celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005. This time, The dial was released in green to commemorate the occasion. In Korea, This model is commonly called Nokgeum and is extremely popular among collectors.

50th Anniversary of the Milgauss in 2007
Ref. 116400GV

ⓒ LAFAYETTEWATCH

Two years later, It was time for the scientist's watch, Milgauss. The Submariner applied green to the bezel, The GMT Master to the dial, And for the 50th anniversary of the Milgauss, Green was applied to the sapphire glass. To this day, The Milgauss is the only model with colored sapphire crystal. The subtle green color emitted from the entire crystal changes to a luminous shade at the beveled edge, Giving a mysterious impression. With the addition of the Z-Blue dial in 2014, This model completed the most unique aesthetics among Rolex watches.

Milgauss 116400GV

40mm, Intense black, Oyster

Milgauss 116400GV

40mm, Z-Blue, Oyster

50th Anniversary of the Daytona in 2013
Ref. 116506

ⓒ BACHMANN & SCHER

This time, It was the Daytona's turn. The 50th anniversary of the Daytona, Which always stands out both in terms of attention and price. Are you not excited? Rolex, Which enjoys going a step further than people's expectations, Introduced the Daytona to the world this time with a new color combination instead of green. It is the harmony of a brown Cerachrom bezel and an ice blue dial. This was the first time a ceramic bezel was applied to the Daytona. In addition, The material was exclusively platinum, Surprising everyone with its price. It left a very unique impression in the history of the Daytona. From the beginning, The Daytona has always been produced in small quantities, So this combination is truly hard to find. However, I believe it is a work of unforgettable beauty once you see it.

Daytona 116506

40mm, Ice blue, Oyster

60th Anniversary of the Day-Date in 2016
Ref. 228239 (White Gold)
Ref. 228235 (Everose)

ⓒ Rolex

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Day-Date in 2016, Two new designs with olive green dials were released. Unlike the vivid green color previously introduced, A calm olive green color was chosen to match the dignity of the Day-Date. Without diamond settings, The Roman index and the unique President bracelet combine to create an elegant model. As the most recently released Anniversary commemorative model, It is currently attracting great attention in the market.

Day-Date 40 228239

40mm, Olive green/Roman, President

Day-Date 40 228235

40mm, Olive green/Roman, President

Rolex certainly knows how to celebrate anniversaries, And this often excites many Rolex enthusiasts. The quantity is already limited, But demand increases even more, Which leads to a premium in the market. We look forward to upcoming anniversaries, Including the 70th anniversary of the Datejust, Which is just around the corner.