The Sports Watches
In the 2023 lineup, Rolex is producing variations on eight Sports watches. They include from left to right the GMT-Master II, Explorer, Air-King, Sea-Dweller.
Also, they have the Cosmograph, Yacht-Master and Submariner
Each year Rolex introduces and deletes models. Some are resurrected, with designs based on old models like the GMT-II this year. The fact is the new models are somewhat irrelevant, since only people on waiting lists at official Rolex dealers can buy them. Estimates vary, but for popular models some say the wait can be ten years. It is widely believed that dealers favor their best regular customers, so if you regularly buy diamond jewelry, or other stuff from a dealer they “may” advance you on the list.
Many folks get on the lists for any watch, and when called on they buy it only to immediately sell it on eBay or Chrono24 as an “unworn” new watch, usually for thousands more than they paid for it. Rolex frowns on this, and any dealer learning that a customer is reselling their Rolex watch will remove and ban them from being on their waiting list(s). Still, this is the only way for a “normal” person to buy a new Rolex; i.e., it will be preowned and registered to someone else. This does not invalidate the new watch warranty, so buying an unworn Rolex is fine, but that rarely happens from an official dealer which opens the door to customer worry about fraud.
Older Models
Since a brand new Rolex from a dealer is out-of-the-question for most of us, this website will focus on older Sports models that are available and how to safely buy one. Feel free to join a waiting list, if you even have a Rolex dealer nearby, as of 2023 there were 317 official retailers in the US.
