Comments:
There are photos all over IG of the new explorer.
Looks nice. But not super excited by it. If true.
I will keep an eye on Rolex, but to be honest, I am more impatient to see what Tudor has for us.
Is the 1926 Rolex Oyster being re-released as a new model?
When you look at the blown up recreation of the "original" oyster watch, it doesn't look like a watch from the 1920s:
1) the case is unibody. ie. the lugs and case is a single piece. A 1920s watch would have had true wire lugs, where the lugs are welded to the case.
2) the crystal is a clearly a domed sapphire crystal. If it was plexiglass, it would have been polished uniformally, so the sides would not be opaque. It would have been cut like a sapphire cystal.
3) the crown stem tube assembly is far more complicated than any 1920s watch I've seen.
4) the clear piece sandwiched between bezel and mid body appears to be a transparent rubber O ring. Did watches have o rings in the 1920s? I don't know. I dont think so though.
5) the dial in the video is also intriguing. While guilloche dials did existing in the 1920s, I think the originals all had silver or porcelain dials. Would Rolex really have gone to the trouble of making such an elobrate dial for a "sports watch" in the 1920s. Again, I don't know. Also, the bottom of the dial reads "SWISS MADE", and although this term was sporadically used in the 1920s, its far less common than a dial marked "SWISS".
So either this is a CGI of the "original" oyster, but not 100% periodic accurate, or it's a NEW watch.
Hmm, good points. With machine finishing being so good in 2026, Rolex may be seeking to have the same visual finishing (via naked eye) as the mass produced Trilogy retail brands.
Surely the mainstream brands use machines too, so they know what their future has for the Big Box Stores. This could be why true hand crafting and art of finishing is now being prized over the 1970s brands like my grandfather's old watch?
My wife's 36mm Rolex's Land-Dweller movement, via the naked eye, looks every part as you see on the other 'better' retail brands.