From Land, Air and Sea, Rolex unveils its 2022 releases at this year's Watches And Wonders trade show
Watches And Wonders 2022 is currently underway in Geneva and Rolex has pulled back the curtains unveiling this year's collection. Rolex's anticipated releases ranged from the left-handed Oyster Perpetual GMT Master II and an all-new Rolex Air King, both in full Oystersteel construction. Not to forget the Rolex Yacht-Master 42, refined in yellow gold for the first time ever.
Rolex GMT Master II
The Rolex GMT Master II - Image credit Rolex.
The long-rumoured Rolex GMT Master II takes on a new colour variant for its 24-hour Cerachom bezel, standing out in a green and black design joining the ranks of bezel-icons like Pepsi and Coke. The case measures at 40mm in a complete Oystersteel construction, of course, accompanied by an Oyster bracelet. Looks aside, the new GMT Master II is powered by Rolex's 'new-generation movement', the calibre 3285. This new COSC-certified movement is entirely manufactured in-house by Rolex, which has filed 10 patents for its design and features a Chronergy escapement for a power reserve of 70 hours.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air King
The Rolex Air King - Image credit Rolex.
The teasers hinting at Rolex's move skywards finally make sense. An update on their steel sports watch, the Air King. At first glance, the watch looks the same as its 6-year-old predecessor. Look closer, and you'll notice little tweaks with all the same class we got from the original Rolex Air King.
The same 40mm stainless steel case now comes with a big crown guard for a sportier feel and a smooth polished fixed bezel. The dial now features an '05' numeral over the old '5', giving the dial a bit more symmetry. These numerals are now filled with luminescent Chromalight, much like Rolex had done with the updated Explorer 39mm. This makes the dial much more legible this time around, with about 8 hours of lume.
Rolex has opted to fit the Air King with an existing movement, a calibre 3230 which was released in 2020. Though it didn't receive a brand-new movement like the GMT Master II, it boasts the same 70-hour power reserve thanks to the patented Chronergy escapement.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht Master 42
The Rolex Yacht Master 42 - Image credit Rolex.
We have previously seen the Rolex Yacht Master in white gold, but this is the first time Rolex has issued its Yacht Master 42 in 18 ct yellow gold, with matching Oysterlock safety clasp on its Oysterflex bracelet. It looks purely refined, really standing out against its black dial and bezel. Like the original model first launched in 1992, there's a bidirectional bezel with raised markers and a Cerachom insert. A Rolex 3235 calibre powers the new Yacht Master 42 for up to 70 hours, a movement that was first conceived back in 2015.
Finishing off its 2022 collection, Rolex has also released a variety of new Datejust, Lady Datejust and Day-Date models. Not to forget the updated Deepsea featuring the same 3235 calibre we saw on the new Yacht Master. All models come in various sizes and materials, from your Oystersteel to platinum, white and yellow gold to everose gold.
