Rolex has begun updating its prized Professional collection — the iconic Submariner watch has been given a slightly larger case to house a new-generation movement.

Submariner

There’s an army of Rolex fans with millions of recruits who always enjoy a good debate to establish the year when a particular model was created by the greatest Swiss luxury watch manufacturer and international brand.

Some insist that the birth of Millgauss, Explorer, Submariner, GMT-Master, AirKing and similar Professional assortment watches can be traced back to their first mention in historical records, i.e. by the press, while other fans argue that these watches were born on the date Rolex released the new models for sale, which always remains a proud secret.

However, that’s really curious: almost of them were released in 1953, according to information from the manufacturer's archives. It turns out that the Submariner celebrates its 67th birthday this year. Since then, it has been updated once every 15 years or so. It was given a Cyclops Lens in 1969, which is "Rolexish" for the date aperture at 3 o'clock with its tiny yet mighty magnifying glass.

The dial was given a new look in 1984, with applied markings and indices. From 2010, Rolex began making cases from grade 904L steel, particularly resistant to corrosion and scratches, and called "Oystersteel" in Rolexish.

The bezels are made from a Cerachrome-like substance that doesn’t fade over time due to UV light degradation, and is also virtually impervious to scratches. It turns out that there was a completely objective and perfectly valid reason for the fourth and latest extraordinary update of the Submariner — it was given a brand-new engine.

The replacement of the iconic self-winding in top Professional watch models Oyster Perpetual and Day-Date elicited gasps in 2015. The new Calibre 3235 was undeniably more sophisticated than the old Ref. 3135. The movement's entire kinematic train was optimized, from the balance spring to the self-winding module and the mainspring barrel.

The new-generation balance spring that replaced the previous Parachrom hairspring was patented by Rolex under the name Chronergy. It’s insensitive to magnetic interferences, thanks to its nickel-phosphorus alloy. The balance wheel-hairspring assembly oscillates at a frequency of 28,800 vph, with an increased power reserve of 70 hours.

A change in the geometry of the escape-wheel teeth, the use of new materials, and new high-performance lubricants developed by Rolex engineers have improved the escapement efficiency of Calibre 3255 by 15 %.  Together, these modifications have allowed Rolex to attain a new level of chronometric precision. Its average daily timing rate is -2/+2 seconds, which is more than double the precision benchmark set by COSC (-4/+6 seconds of variation per day), and exceeds Omega Master Chronometer standards (-2/+3 seconds per day).

The nickel-phosphorus alloy was chosen over the highly popular silicon hairspring due to two very important reasons. This alloy is not as fragile as silicon, and it’s far more shock-resistant. Apart from that, silicon hairsprings and other balance components cannot be repaired in local service centers. Dread to imagine what would happen if even a fraction of the world's Rolex clients began sending all their watches to Rolex Servicing Switzerland in Biel for regular repairs!

In 2015, conservative fans of old-fashioned luxury were comforted by the fact that the 3135 still has a place to call home in the Professional watches. Not anymore. The Calibre 3220 is now housed in the classic three-hand Rolex Submariner without a date aperture, and the other two versions are equipped with the 3235, which is essentially the same 3220, but with a Submariner Date with a Cyclops Lens.

All three of the new Submariners have a 41 mm diameter case (1 mm larger than the predecessor). The Ref. 124060 has a black bezel and dial. The Ref.126610 LV has a very unusual appearance with a green bezel and a black dial. The previous fully green models were endearingly nicknamed the Submariner “Hulk” by Rolex fans, who likened them to the green comic-book hero.

The Ref.126619 LB shares a conceptual similarity. What sets it apart is its colorway. It has a royal-blue bezel paired with a white-gold case and Oyster bracelet. Last but not least, the Submariner 126613 LB with its royal-blue dial and blue bezel has a bracelet with Rolex's popular combination of Oystersteel and yellow gold, otherwise known as Rolersor in Rolexish.

No other design, functional and technological changes have been made to the Submariner. The unidirectional bezel still only rotates counterclockwise. The Cerachrom disk has a graduated 60-minute scale, which is still molded by casting, then the precious metal filling is poured into the recessed numerals and markings as inserts, and everything is polished up. It has a lacquer dial, with hands and markers fashioned from 18 carat white gold and filled with Rolex's proprietary Chromalight luminescent insert.

The case is waterproof to 30 ATM, the equivalent of 300 meters. The Oyster bracelet features a folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Rolex Glidelock extension system (the band can be expanded to about 20 mm in 2 mm increments). The new Submariners are priced from 7700 Swiss francs (an increase of 200 compared to the previous cheapest model) to about 36,000 francs Swiss for the full white-gold model.

Sky-Dweller

One of the new models that deserves a mention is the "semi-professional" Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller watch for world travelers. It has a proprietary time indicator module for a second time zone, which has a month indicator and operates in the annual calendar mode. It comes in a yellow case with a black dial (Ref.326238), and also in a pink Everose gold case with chocolate (Ref.326235) and white dials (Ref.326235). The model is worn on the Rolex Oysterflex rubber bracelet. Prices start at 36,000 Swiss francs.

Oyster Perpetual

The new Calibre 3220 is at the heart of a whole array of new Rolex Oyster Perpetual models without a date aperture in cases which are 41, 36, 31 and 28 mm in diameter. Rolex bucked the trend for conveniently interchangeable bracelets in different colors by introducing conveniently interchangeable watches with a range of colorful dials. Most of the models have steel cases, but there are some in white gold. Now that's an assortment fit for a king or queen.

The launch of a new rainbow of Rolex colors is worth mentioning, which the brand has named candy pink, green, yellow, coral red and turquoise blue. The three men's 41mm models have dials with silver, bright black and green sunray finishes. Prices range from 5,600 Swiss francs to 15,000 Swiss francs for the white-gold model for her with a royal purple dial encrusted with 46 diamonds.