The Best Rolex Black Friday Deals for 2021 (Really)
Rolex watches do not go on sale — unless it’s one of a few Rolex Black Friday Deals that are happening in 2021. After all, a luxury watch brand wouldn’t survive for more than a hundred years if it were throwing sales all the time. Whether you’re one of the myriad men who have entered into the horological fold over the last few years or are a longtime collector, this Black Friday you may find your Swiss-movement glass slipper at a price that might not come around again. And if you’re looking for more brands, check out our Black Friday Watch Deals here.
Today’s Best Rolex Black Friday Deals
Rolex Submariner Watch, 41mm, New — $19,804, was $22,004
Rolex Submariner Watch, 40mm, Pre-owned — $21,250, was $28,333
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner — $19,804, was $22,004
Why Buy:
The classic Submariner was introduced in 1953
60-minute luminous graduation on a black dial for underwater visibility
Unidirectional bezel to accurately monitor dive time
“Oystersteel” steel case, waterproof to 1,000 feet
Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal
Rolex introduced the first Submariner in 1953, intending its use for underwater exploration. As such, it was made to take a hell of a beating, from its stainless steel case, sapphire crystal, screw-down crown — to keep the hatches battened — and luminous hands to carefully monitor the amount of time elapsed. This would work in conjunction with a unidirectional bezel, which would be set to mark your dive time and essentially monitor the amount of oxygen left in your tank.
But a funny thing happened: Because of both its reliability and dependability, men began adopting its popular silhouette on shore, and then inland, until its name has become nearly as well-known as Rolex itself. Even the landlocked man will appreciate this watch’s Swiss movement that, when properly serviced, is guaranteed to not lose more than two seconds a day. While fully mechanical, it is perpetually wound through consistent wear, allowing you to focus on the task at hand and not what’s around your wrist. True, there are many luxury watch brands — but there’s only one Rolex.
Rolex Submariner Watch — $21,250, was $28,333
Why Buy:
While a Rolex is a Rolex, this has to be considered a Rolex Plus
The green bezel is subtle yet distinct
A three-o’clock date distinguishes this model from other options
Its refurbished distinction means you can save some bucks on a luxury piece that will undoubtedly outlive you
The classic dive watch is synonymous with longevity and durability
The true Rolex connoisseur knows that its hued faces and bezels are so sought after that they carry their own names: Pepsi, Hulk, Batman, Clint Eastwood. The point is that even among the elite who wear this luxury watch brand, there are levels. This Submariner is next-level.
Its green face may be the most obvious distinction of this watch, but there are plenty of others, including its date at the right and subtle script under its hands. It also carries the line’s classic touchpoints: The famous Calibre 3135 Swiss movement — self-winding, also called perpetual, with a 48-hour reserve — its steel bracelet and case, a scratch-resistant crystal, and 1,000-foot waterproof performance.
In short, this watch is everything one might expect from a Submariner, but with a few extras that those in the fold will both notice and appreciate.
Editors' Recommendations
This Rolex Is Made Using Eye-Surgery Lasers
Although traditionally a repository for analog skills and long-established craftsmanship, today’s luxury watch industry has developed the canny capacity to source high-tech innovations from sectors that have no connection with the watch world whatsoever.
The high potential strength of carbon fiber—realized in 1963 at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, a research facility owned by the British Army, for use in jet engines—is now routinely employed in high-end watches. Deep reactive-ion etching, developed for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), is now also used to make silicon watch parts that have transformed watchmaking thanks to their anti-magnetic properties (metal watches with continually moving parts understandably loathe magnets).
TAG Heuer, building on a process first developed at the University of Utah, is attempting to grow carbon nanotube hairsprings, tiny spirals at the heart of a mechanical watch that drive the oscillations of the escapement, which itself, with each oscillation, allows one tooth of the driving wheel to “escape” and advance the watch’s hands. They are supposedly less fragile than their silicon counterparts; they’re similarly anti-magnetic but have better shock resistance and are easy to assemble for the watchmaker.
Titanium-ceramic compounds found in today’s watch cases were created for dental and military uses. Panerai’s Carbotech material was actually developed for brake pads.
And the list goes on. Basically, practically any new material used in watch cases was not, in fact, developed for watches. Watch brands are exceedingly good at looking out for new stuff and incorporating it into their field.
Still, while new materials, fabrication techniques, and engineering processes have flown thick and fast from the likes of the automotive and aviation sectors, eye surgery might seem a less likely source of technological inspiration.
However, Rolex this year has turned to a laser technique used in the removal of cataracts in its quest to industrialize the creation of unique, flawless decorations for its dials. The latest version of its classic self-winding Datejust model—a timepiece first made in 1945 to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary, in which tropical palm fronds jag their way across a green sunburst dial where the face is lighter in the middle and darker at the edges in semi-abstract fashion—uses this very process.
The palms are etched onto this sunburst dial base using femtosecond laser technology, which was first developed for surgical purposes in the early 1990s.
During cataract surgery, ultra-short laser pulses (a femtosecond amounts to one-millionth of a billionth of a second) are used to cut with precise geometry into the surface of the eye, allowing the cataract material to be cleared away with the kind of exactitude a surgeon’s hand could not achieve.
A Look at Some Interesting Caseback Engravings That Have Appeared on Rolex Watches
Continuing our exploration into the world of watches, we now look to one area of the watch often gets overlooked — the caseback. While it is true that the majority of the value of a watch rests in the dial, and that the subtle changes throughout the years tell the history of the particular watch brand, solid caseback engravings hold more personal stories and celebrate the owners’ of the watch.
A dying custom, led by the astronomical prices that Rolex sports models now command, caseback engravings are often reserved for those that can take the financial hit on their investment or those who never plan on selling their watch. Normally done to commemorate an event or achievement — like the recent Rolex watches Keanu Reeves gifted his team for the wrapping of John Wick 4 — auction houses are striking gold in the sale of personalized watches owned by notable individuals. A few historic examples are the $2 million USD sale of Marlon Brando’s Rolex GMT-Master and John F. Kennedy’s infamous Rolex Day-Date (aka the Presidential) gifted from Marilyn Monroe.
Much like how we looked at some of the interesting variants of the Rolex Submariner, this feature sheds light on some of the lesser-known cosmetic changes that have appeared on Rolex’s iconic watches. Joined once again by Paul Altieri of Bob’s Watches along with Watchfinder & Co., and Fog City Vintage, he are some interesting caseback engravings that have graced the Explorer II, Daytona, Submariner, and Oyster Perpetual.
Rolex Explorer II 22 Special Air Service
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Founded in 1941 as a special operations division of the British Army, the Special Air Service (SAS) is regarded as one of the most respected military organizations in the entire world. In 2021, Rolex granted active members of the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment the opportunity to buy an exclusive version of the Explorer II reference 216570 and subsequently produced a special order of approximately 100 examples. Rolex made both black and white dial versions of the SAS Explorer II 216570, and all of the watches have caseback engravings that feature the regiment’s name (“22 Special Air Service”) with its famous winged dagger emblem, along with the unit’s motto (“Who Dares Wins”) engraved on the 9 o’clock side of the case.
Rolex Daytona Sports Car Series Champion
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The Rolex Sports Car Series was the name of the premier automotive racing series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association before it became known as United SportsCar Championship. While the prize money was certainly significant, the winners also received Rolex Daytona watches – and for the drivers, it was all about winning the watch. Unlike a trophy that sits on a shelf or money that goes into the bank, the Daytona watches awarded to the winners were status symbols among competing drivers that were frequently worn and cherished by their owners. While the timepieces themselves are standard two-tone Rolex Daytona watches, their caseback engravings that have the Rolex Sports Car Series logo (along with the word “Champion”) make them entirely more special and desirable to today’s collectors.
Rolex MilSub
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Within the world of vintage Rolex sports watches, few names are more revered than the MilSub. A true “grail watch” by all definitions of the term, the Rolex MilSub is a specially modified version of the brand’s iconic Submariner dive watch that was issued to members of the British military between the late 1950s and the end of the 1970s. Along with a handful of other military-specified additions such as sword-shaped hands, a fully-demarcated bezel, and fixed bars between the lugs, Rolex Milsub watches also have their casebacks engraved with their military-issued stock numbers and the Broad Arrow symbol, which signifies that the watches are property of the British Ministry of Defense.
Rolex COMEX Submariner
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Along with the military-issued MilSub, the COMEX Submariner is the other private-label edition of Rolex’s legendary dive watch that sits at the top of countless vintage collectors’ wishlists. COMEX is a French deep-sea diving company that partnered with Rolex between the 1970s and 1990s and served as a real-world testbed for Rolex’s various dive watches. The COMEX Submariner exists across several different references, with the most desirable examples being those with the iconic COMEX logo printed on their dials. Additionally, as these watches were issued to COMEX divers, each one has a caseback engraving with the COMEX name and the watch’s individual number.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 116000 Domino’s Pizza
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Part of Rolex’s ongoing relationship with Domino’s Pizza, and while not as colorful as the earlier Air-Kings, this Oyster Perpetual was awarded to Domino’s managers who could Sell $25,000 USD worth of pizzas for four weeks in a row. The watch sees subtle co-branding in the form of a bronze Domino’s plaque fixed to the bracelet and a Domino’s logo engraved at the caseback. Each manager awarded the watch was also presented with an official letter from Domino’s Pizza.
Rolex Explorer II 216570 Attack Helicopter
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This is a special order version of the Explorer II made for the British Military’s Attack Helicopter Regiment — the same one Prince Harry served in 2010 where he eventually went on to command his own Apache attack helicopter. With only 48 ever made, the association with the military, not to mention its rarity and special Union Jack/Apache caseback engraving, this is a highly sought-after collectible timepiece. Only four have surfaced for auction.
Rolex Submariner 16610 Cinderella Man
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This special watch was previously gifted by Russell Crowe to a crew member and was purchased in Toronto in 2005 to commemorate the filming of Cinderella Man. The 2004 Rolex Submariner ref. 16610 sees special engravings in the form of “Cinderella Man 2004” at the top and “Vincit Qui Se Vincit – RC” at the bottom. While the owner did attempt to sell it for some cash, word has it that Russell Crowe himself bought the watch and returned it to the seller.
In other watch news, Artisans de Genève combines blue and rose gold for the skeletonized “Honey Pearl” Patek Philippe Nautilus.