更新日：2021年11月22日
The prediction of next year's new Rolex models has already begun! Will the new Rolex 2022 be a Milgauss? Air-King? Or is it something entirely different ? Let's take a look.
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Before we get into next year's predictions, let's take a look back at the new Rolex products presented at the Watches and Wonders 2021, held from April 7 to 13 this year. The highlights of the new Rolex releases in 2021 were the Explorer I 124270 & 124273 and the Explorer II 226570. This is in accordance with the recent trend of "renewing the collection with the latest movements", and for most of us, this was as we expected.
The movement of the Explorer I has been changed from Cal.3132 to the new generation Cal.3230, and the case size has been reduced from 39mm to 36mm, returning to the size of the previous generation 114270. The reference has been changed from 214270 to 124270.
2021 New Rolex Explorer 124270 124273
The movement of the Explorer II has been changed from Cal.3187 to the new generation Cal.3285 movement, which is also used in the GMT Master II. The case size remains unchanged at 42mm, and the reference has been changed from 216570 to 226570.
2021 New Rolex Explorer II 226570
Other new Rolex releases for 2021 includes the return of the Oyster bracelet for the GMT Master II 126710BLNR and 126710BLRO, and new dial variations for the Datejust and Daytona, but these are minor changes.
This trend is expected to continue next year, and the only Rolex collections that are not yet equipped with the new generation movements are the Milgauss and Air-King. Actually they both have the same Cal.3131 in common. That's why almost everyone agrees that one or both of these two models will be revamped and a new model will be released. So let's get right to discussing the new Rolex 2022!
The Milgauss is the watch that most people expect to be redesigned in 2022. It boasts a high anti-magnetic performance of up to 1,000 gauss, by the Paramagnetic blue and Parachrom hairspring. It's time for the current Milgauss 116400GV to be replaced to a "new Milgauss 126400GV"with a new movement! If the Milgauss is to be released as a new Rolex 2022, the most important concern is what the design will be like, not to mention the fact that it will be equipped with a new movement. To get a hint, let's start with a brief review of the history of the original Milgauss to the current model.
In order to predict the design of the new Milgauss, I would like to mention the Milgauss of the past, because it is common to reprint a part of the past design in a new model. The first Milgauss "Ref.6541" was equipped with a lightning-bolt-shaped seconds hand (known as the "inazuma" hand in Japan), which was said to represent magnetic force, and was available with either a rotating bezel or a fixed bezel. It was not well received and the production was discontinued after about three years.
Rolex 1st Milgauss 6541
The following second Milgauss "Ref.1019" eliminated the lightning-bolt-shaped seconds hand and rotating bezel, and the dial was available in two colors: black and silver. I guess the concept of "anti-magnetic" was too far ahead of its time, and the Milgauss 1019 was discontinued after the last serial number "R" in 1988.
Rolex Milgauss 1019
About 20 years later, in 2007, the Milgauss was suddenly reinvented as the "Ref.116400" with a white or black dial, and the "116400GV" anniversary model with a black dial and a green sapphire crystal developed by Rolex over many years.
The green sapphire crystal is highly scratch and corrosion resistant and is used only in the Milgauss among the many Rolex models. The entire crystal is a light green gradation, which maintains high legibility and has the property of turning luminescent at its bevelled edges.
While the electric blue dial, "Z-Blue Dial" was introduced in 2014, the black dial was discontinued in 2015, and the white dial was also discontinued in 2016, and now the Milgauss is only available in Ref. 116400 GV with green sapphire dial.
The current Milgauss model number is only 116400GV, with a case size of 40mm, made of stainless steel, and available in two dial variations: Z-Blue dial and Intense Black dial. The retail price as of September 2021 is 920,700 yen (tax included).
Rolex Milgauss 116400GV
The design of the current Milgauss is inspired by the original 1956 model, featuring clear lines, an orange second hand in the shape of a lightning bolt, and a green sapphire crystal glass. The black dial model has orange bar hour markers at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, the same color as the seconds hand. In both models, the hour markers are filled with a luminescent material that emits a blue light in the dark.
Rolex Milgauss 116400GV Z-blue
Since Milgauss is a simple 3-hand watch dedicated to anti-magnetic performance, it would be easy to change the movement from the current Cal. 3131 to the Cal. 3230-based movement found in the latest Oyster Perpetual 36mm & 41mm and Explorer I 124270. Just as the Cal.3131 was based on the Cal.3030, a new Cal.3231 movement based on the Cal.3230 with enhanced anti-magnetic performance will probably be introduced. If so, the reference will probably go to 126400GV.
The oscillator of the Cal. 3230 is equipped with a patented High-performance Paraflex shock absorbers for improved shock absorption. In addition, the power reserve has been significantly extended from about 48 hours to about 70 hours by improving barrel construction and escapement efficiency. When the new Cal.3231 movement comes out, we hope that it will be equipped with even higher anti-magnetic resistance, which is perfect for our modern, magnetic lives, just like the Cal.3131, which uses nickel-phosphorus alloy, a paramagnetic material, for its anchor and escape wheel to further improve its anti-magnetic properties and accuracy.
In fact, the anti-magnetic performance of the Milgauss is 1,000 gauss (=80,000 A/m) as the name suggests, while the IWC Ingenieur 500,000 A/m (Ref. 3508), released in 1989, is officially 500,000 A/m, but has been measured at over 3,700,000 A/m. Omega's Seamaster Aqua Terra 15,000 Gauss has achieved a high resistance to magnetic fields of 15,000 Gauss (= 1.2 million A/m) by using carefully selected non-magnetic materials in the movement itself.
Isn't it unpleasant for the "champion" Rolex to be in a situation where other brands have introduced far superior ultra high anti-magnetic watches? Isn't that the point of competition? If it's not 1,000 gauss, it's not "Milgauss" anymore, but the pastry "mille-feuille" doesn't actually have 1,000 pieces of pastry, so I think it's a metaphor.
We are expecting the appearance of the new Milgauss 126400GV equipped with a new movement, but we are also concerned about the design. This year, the size of the Explorer I was reduced to 36mm, and there is a noticeable trend in the watch industry to "reprint past models". It is also expected that the new Milgauss will have a rotating bezel like the first model.
Here's a guess of the design pattern. A simple black bezel like the first model would be nice, though a two-tone bezel like the GMT Master II, black and green or blue and green, would be fascinating!
Personally, I'm longing for the return of the "116400GV White Dial". White dials are popular for the new GMT Master II and Daytona. I wonder how the white dial through the green sapphire crystal will look like.
The price of all the new Rolex watches with the new movement has been increased so far. The Milgauss 116400GV has a list price of 920,700 yen (tax included) as of September 2021 but will it finally exceed 1 million yen?
And based on the fact that EXI's "Rolesol" model was introduced this year, I wonder if the SS x YG combination Rolesol model, "Ref.126403GV" will be also added to Milgauss next year.!
I would personally like to see how this Z-blue dial goes with the gold.
The list price of the current Milgauss 116400GV is 920,700 yen (tax included) but as of September 2021, the sales price market has soared above the list price. Let's take a look at the price changes in the last two years.
Milgauss 116400GV was selling at around 900,000 yen, which is close to the list price as of September 2019, but the price started to rise gradually from around March 2021, and as of September 2021, black dial is around 1.05-1.3 million yen, Z-blue dial is around 1.3-1.5 million yen .
Rolex's new model announcement for 2021 was in April. Just before that, the rumors of a model change started to appear, and the price started to rise. In the end, there was no new Milgauss model in 2021, but it seems that prices have continued to rise due to the anticipation of next year.
Along with the Milgauss, the Air-King is rumored to be the new Rolex 2022 model. The current model Ref.116900 is equipped with Cal.3131 same as the Milgauss. We expect that the "new Air-King 126900"with new movement will appear soon! The Air-King is the oldest existing Rolex model with a "pet name" and is popular as an "entry-level model" due to its relatively reasonable price among Rolex models. It is expected that a new Air-King with a new movement will be released. Let's review the history of the Air-King.
The Air-King was born in the late 1940's to pay homage to the golden age of aviation in the 1930's. After the Ref.4925 and Ref.6552, the long-selling Ref.5500 was introduced with the Air-King logo, a design font that has been carried over to the present. Ref.5500, a long-selling model with the "Air-King" logo, which is a design font that has been carried over to the current model, was introduced, and derivative models such as Ref.5501, a combination model, and Ref.5700, a model with a date and the name "Air-King-Date", were born one after another. It looks like a completely different model from the current Air-King.
In the 1990s, the Ref. 14000 was launched with a sapphire crystal and Cal. 3000, a high-beat movement 28,800 Bph.Various dial variations were created, and around 2001, it was replaced by the 14000M equipped with the Cal.3130.
In 2007, the Ref.114200 (smooth bezel), Ref.114210 (engine-turned bezel), and Ref.114234 (fluted bezel) were introduced with a new case. A variety of dials were created.
The Air-King series was sold until around 2014, when they were finally absorbed into the 34mm series of Oyster Perpetuals and the distinctive logo disappeared from all dials, effectively ending production. Only two years later, in 2016, it revived as the current model, Ref. 116900.
The current Air-King Ref.116900 has a 40mm case, a stainless steel case waterproof to 100metre (330 feet), a three-piece link Oyster bracelet, and a high-precision chronometer Cal. 3131 with a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. The reference list price as of September 2021 is 711,700 yen (tax included).
The case size was 6mm larger than the 34mm of the Oyster Perpetual, and it was introduced as a line of Rolex sports models, or "professional watches". What was most astonishing was its "pilot's watch-like" dial design.
When it was lined up in the "Oyster Perpetual" the simple design of its hour markers was changed with "Arabic numerals 3, 6, and 9" but if you look carefully, you can see that "Arabic numerals 3, 6, and 9" were left as they were, but in between, the minute scale with Arabic numerals 5 to 55 of "5 increments" was placed as the index. This is said to be an adaptation of the Rolex chronograph installed in the cockpit of the "Bloodhound SSC (Super Sonic Car), a supersonic car that was developed to set the fastest record on earth using fighter jets and rocket technology. For some reason, the official Rolex website doesn't mention it at all, but the yellow color of the crown is also the same. I wonder if it's because it's a car, even though it claims to be an aviation watch?
Another essential requirement for a pilot's watch is a high level of anti-magnetic resistance to protect the instrument from any magnetic field or force. The Air-King 116900 is equipped with the same Cal.3131 as the previously introduced Milgauss anti-magnetic watch. Air-King really has a great balance of practicality and price.
Just as we predicted for the "new Milgauss", we expect that the "new Air-King" will have a new movement, from Cal.3131 to Cal.3231 (tentative), and a new reference Ref.126900.
What I’m anxious about is the design. Now that it has become a professional model, it is hard to imagine that it will go back to the design of the Oyster Perpetual or earlier. We believe that this striking dial design, which symbolizes Air-King's identity, should be preserved. So, we thought of a rainbow design, which is very trendy.
It would be exciting to see a revival of the "concentric dial" that existed on the Air-King Ref.114200, but it might be a bit too aggressive to be a regular model.
The current Air-King has only a black dial, so it would be great to see more color and bezel variations like in the past. 40mm pink dials might be challenging, but blue or silver might be acceptable. As for bezel variations, it would be interesting to see the engine-turned bezel, which is hard to find anymore. It's a little plain, isn't it? Since the Explorer I also came out with a rolesol model, it would be nice to see the rolesol Air-King.
The reference list price of the current Air-King is 711,700 yen (tax included). The price is the same as the latest Explorer I 124270. The price will naturally go up if the movement is updated.
Like the current Milgauss, the current Air-King 116900, which is rumored to be discontinued, has seen its selling price increase rapidly since just before the announcement of Rolex new model in April 2021. Let's take a look at the sales price trend of Air-King 116900 for the last two years.
The reference list price of the current Air-King 116900 is 711,700 yen (tax included) and the market price was almost the same as the list price in September 2019, but it slowly started to exceed 800,000 yen around September 2020, and broke 900,000 yen just before the announcement of the new Rolex models. Eventually new model of Air-king was not announced, but like Milgauss, many people were convinced that "a new Air-King model is coming next year!" As of September 2021, the price is around 1-1.2million yen.
The Air-King is also priced in the 700,000 yen range, but the actual market price has reached 1 million yen. It seems like a long time ago when people used to say, "Air-King is the entry model of Rolex." Even if a new Air-King model is released in 2022, the list price will probably stop at around 800,000 yen, and since the list price of every new Rolex model goes up and up, professional models under 1 million yen will be getting rarer and rarer.
The Oyster Perpetual has been completely renewed as a new model for 2020, and a new candy-colored models have been added. The Oyster Perpetual is now available in five case sizes: 28mm, 31mm, 34mm, 36mm, and 41mm, of which 31mm, 36mm, and 41mm come in five new lacquer dial colors, which are now so popular that they are being sold at a premium. The new colors, candy pink, turquoise blue, yellow, coral red, and green, have been received quite favorably by the market（the variations vary by size）.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 31 Current series of ref.277200
Let's take a look at how much the Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches actually sells for.
Check out the market price of Oyster Perpetual 31 ref.277200, the list price of 277200 is 570,900 yen (including tax). As of September 2021, the 277200 with regular dials such as blue, silver, black, and pink are available for around 650,000 to 800,000 yen. On the other hand, the candy-colored models of the 277200 are priced at around 780,000 yen to 1.3million yen. The Candy Pink and Turquoise Blue models are over 1million yen but it seems to be very popular.
Next, what about the market price of Oyster Perpetual36 ref.126000? The list price of 126000 is 618,200 yen (including tax), but as of September 2021, the regular dials of 126000 such as blue, silver, and black are selling for around 850,000 yen to 1million yen. As with the 31mm model (ref.277200), candy pink and turquoise blue are popular.
The list price of the Oyster Perpetual41 ref.124300 is 653,400 yen (tax included) but as of September 2021, the 124300 with regular dials such as blue, silver, and black are selling for around 930,000 yen to 1.15million yen, and the 124300 candy color model is selling for around 1.35million yen to 2.5million yen.
Now let's take a look at the two sizes of Oyster Perpetuals with non-candy-colored models. The Oyster Perpetual 28mm ref.276200 has a list price of 559,900 yen (including tax) and is selling for around 540,000 yen to 690,000 yen in the second-hand watch market as of September 2021.
The Oyster Perpetual 34mm ref.124200, with a list price of 583,000 yen (including tax) is selling for around 650,000 yen to 780,000 yen as of September 2021.
We can see that their premium range is less than the models with candy colors.
As I have mentioned, all Oyster Perpetuals are sold at a premium above the list price, and the popularity of the candy-colored models particularly has exploded, and it's hard to find these watches in both official and parallel stores, so we hope that Rolex will increase the supply. If this is the case, we hope that new colors will be added to the Oyster Perpetual 28mm ref.276200 and Oyster Perpetual 34mm ref.124200, which are not yet available in candy colors!
Needless to say, the 28mm is a good size for women, but the same can be said for 34mm, so eagerly awaiting the addition of turquoise blue(reminiscent of Tiffany!) to the lineup. (It's just a wish.)
The Submariner lineup was updated in 2020 with an increase in size to 41mm, new generation movements (Cal. 3230 and Cal. 3235) for both date and non-date, and a slightly wider bracelet. We don't expect a major model change next year, but we do expect the possibility of additional color variations.
Let's review the Submariner lineup announced as new for 2020. The case material is SS (stainless steel) for the Submariner Non-Date, SS or SS x YG (yellow gold) combination, yellow gold or white gold for the Submariner Date, and the color variations are black, green, blue, etc. There are 8 models in total.
The previous Green Submariner 116610LV had the same green dial as the bezel and was a popular model called "Hulk", but the new Green Submariner 126610LV has a black dial, which means that the green dial has disappeared from the Submariner. It is always the case that Rolex watches soar when they are discontinued, but as of September 2021, the actual market price of the 116610LV is around 2.5 to 3 million yen, a tremendous increase.
It's been over a year since Rolex announced their new 2020 Submariner, but it's still hard to get. It seems a little unlikely that a new model will be added here, but I'd like to announce a prediction with faint hopes!
I would like to see the return of the green-dialed "Hulk", but that would be a bit uninteresting, so let's take a hint from antique Rolex and predict a new one in a different color.
In vintage Rolex, the so-called tropical dials, where the dial color has faded over time, are sold at a high price at auctions, and have become a target for enthusiasts.
Rolex SUBMARINER PURPLE DIAL Ref.16618
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a new product that pays homage to the "blue tropical" where the blue has faded to gray or purple? This is my first prediction. The current Submariner Date has a blue dial except for SS. That is, the rolesor 126613LB, yellow gold 126618LB, and white gold 126619LB. The violet dial is quite beautiful, isn't it?
In addition, the " return of the green dial" is a hope that is hard to throw away but it would be boring to just leave it as it is, so we dared to predict a new model inspired by the "Submariner 16610LV" with a faded green bezel called "Lime bezel".
What do you think? Isn't purple wonderful? Lime is also refreshing and nice. All brands are introducing more variations of the trendy green color, which is also the corporate color for Rolex. Well, well, well.
Now, as realistic predictions, the current combination (rolesol) models of the Submariner include the 126613LN with a black dial and bezel and the 126613LB with a blue dial and bezel, but shouldn't there be a Green Submariner as well! So we are also looking forward to the appearance of the Submariner Date 126613LV.
The current non-date Submariner Ref.124060 is only available in Oystersteel case with black dial. So, why don't you add Oystersteel and Yellow gold combination rolesol model Ref.124063?
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, the Explorer II has just been renewed for 2021, but its lineup is limited to only the SS model reference 226570, with black or white dial color. At the same time, we were surprised by the release of the 124273 rolesol model for the Explorer I. If the Explorer I has a rolesol model, why not the Explorer II as well?
It doesn't seem strange at all. Sports Rolexes are incredibly popular, and honestly, they will sell out no matter what they produce.... In addition, taking a hint from the red GMT hand of the old Rolex Explorer II Ref.16570, how about changing the orange GMT hands of the current Explorer II to red, and making the "EXPLORER II" logo the same red as the hands, like the red Sea-Dweller, to make it look like a rare model?
Now that we've come this far, let's explore all the possibilities of the new Rolex! This year's new Explorer I has a reduced case size of 36mm, making it accessible to women. In addition, the appearance of the candy color has rekindled the popularity of the Oyster Perpetual for the first time in decades, and taking all these factors together, we are expecting the addition of the Explorer I Candy Color. If the "Tiffany Blue" and "Pink" colors, which are especially popular among Oyster Perpetuals, are released, I can guarantee that they will become explosively popular.
In addition, EXI has introduced a SS x YG combination rolesol model ref.124273, and we expect that there is a possibility that a solid gold Explorer I ref.124278 will be added!
If we compare the same size Rolex watches, the current Datejust 36 also has a rolesol, but there is actually no solid gold model. 36mm solid gold models are only available for the Day Date, and they are quite expensive, starting at about 3.7 million yen. The list price of the Explorer I Rolesol 124273 is 1,201,200 yen (tax included). A solid gold Submariner is about 4.1million yen, a solid gold Daytona is about 4,550,000 yen, and if a solid gold model of Explorer I appears, it will probably be about 3.4million yen.
We've been telling you about our predictions for the Rolex 2022 new releases, including the Explorer II, Milgauss, and many other Rolesolesol additions, but this will be practically the last one. The current Rolex Deepsea is only available in the Oystersteel case Ref.126660, with two dial colors: black or D-blue. The D-blue dial, with its beautiful gradation reminiscent of the deep sea, is particularly popular. The list price is 1,434,400 yen (tax included), but as of October 2021, the actual market price in the second-hand watch market is around 1.8 million yen and up. That's why we thought it would be lovely if Rolex Deepsea D-Blue had a SS x YG combination rolesol model Ref.1266663!
I think blue and gold go well together. Although Rolex has publicly stated that they do not want to drastically increase the number of watches they produce in order to maintain quality, from a consumer, I would love to see more variations of Rolex Sport Watches.
"Daytona Beach is back!" Piazo says this every year, but please forgive us if this is a long-held wish of our staff. The COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA BEACH, first introduced in 2000, features an 18K white gold case with a colorful dial. We're wishing this will be upgraded and a new version will be released.
For more information about DAYTONA BEACH , please read our blog "Predictions for the new Rolex 2021: Daytona Beach is back! (Sorry, only in Japanese)
What do you think of our staff's predictions for the new Rolex 2022? There are many other predictions, both domestic and international. Here are some of them.
It's fun to read all these new predictions, which include a great deal of wishes! What are your predictions?
