One of the fascinating things about Rolex is that people who aren’t even closely related to the watch brand are greatly familiar with the brand name and its symbolism. This is mainly due to Rolex’s unmatched brand value, innovativeness, and easily recognisable design that make it so desirable globally.
If you already own a Rolex, you must be familiar with the hype and the attention the watch gets everywhere. This kind of treatment also stands true in the secondary market, where buyers are willing to offer a handsome value if you sell Rolex. Also, why not! Today the brand has achieved a stature that makes it truly difficult for other names to surpass.
Rolex watches flaunt a particular design code that makes the timepieces unique to the brand. This includes the various watch parts: bezel, dial, bracelet, and many more. You must have come across many articles that discuss the Rolex dials, which Rolex is very possessive about & the classic Rolex bracelets.
But not many have spoken about the ‘Battle of Bezel’. Not to sound dramatic or anything, but Rolex offers too many bezel options that indeed makes it difficult to choose from. Many are unaware of the various bezel types and hence, end up selecting from the only known ones.
Today, we’re going to cover all of it. So, if ever anyone talks about the ‘Battle of Rolex’s bezel’, you can participate too!
What is a Rolex bezel?
The bezel is the ceramic or metallic ring that beautifully surrounds the watch face on the case’s exterior. Thanks to its prominent placement, the bezel significantly impacts the watch’s overall design and functionality.
There are very few parts of a watch that influence the overall look and contribute to its functionality. The bezel is one of them. It integrates and highlights the face of the watch and functions to make it more practical.
What are the different types of Rolex Bezels?
Rolex uses various bezels depending on the specific watch model and the purpose it aids. Over the years, the luxury watch manufacturer has used numerous bezels, many of which are still in use, and others are a part of history.
Rolex started using bezel in 1926 with the first Oyster timepiece. The Oyster, as you know, was the first waterproof watch and to ensure total water resistance, Rolex used the bezel.
This is where the journey starts.
4 Rolex Bezel Types are:
1. Fluted Bezels
The fluted bezel is perhaps Rolex’s most significant and iconic bezel type that has even made its way to the wall-hung clocks located in airports and shopping malls. The fluted bezel now used for aesthetical and ornamental reasons didn’t always have the same fate.
Initially, Rolex used fluted bezels that could be screwed down to the middle case to ensure waterproofness. The fluted Rolex bezels are made from solid gold and are easily recognisable for their distinct texture.
2. Smooth Bezel
Rolex crafts its most traditional bezel type (smooth) with stainless steel, platinum, or gold (yellow, rose, white). Moreover, depending on the production year and specific Rolex model, the smooth bezels can be either domed or flat.
Apart from being Rolex’s default bezel type for entry-level watches, the smooth bezels are the most understated yet the most elegant and timeless bezel type of all time.
3. Professional Bezels
The various bezels fitted with the Rolex sport or professional watch collection fall under ‘Professional’ bezels. Moreover, the professional bezels have a significant function, contrary to the traditional bezel types whose function is to hold the crystal onto the watch and look aesthetically pleasing.
For instance, the professional bezels have certain markings on them to aid greater support and function to the professional range of Rolex timepieces. They fall into 3 main categories.
- Rotating Time Bezel
The Rotating Time Bezels are fascinating to look at and come with a distinct 60-minute scale used concerning the minute hand to time events up to one hour. This type of bezel can either be uni-directional (Sea-Dweller or Submariner) or Bi-directional (Turn-O-Graph or Yacht-Master).
Additionally, Rolex makes these bezels with a wide array of materials.
- Tachymeter Bezel
The Tachymeter bezels come fitted to Rolex watches with chronograph purposes. It helps measure speed based on the travel time and also helps to calculate the distance based on a certain speed. The tachymeter bezel made from acrylic, gold, stainless steel, and ceramic is fitted exclusively with the Rolex Daytona watches.
- 24-Hour Bezels
Similar to what the name hints, the 24-Hour Rolex bezels come marked with a 24-hour scale, and they can either rotate (GMT-Master II & GMT-Master) or be stationary (Explorer II). The rotating bezel used in reference to a 24-hour hand can also denote a secondary time zone.
On the other hand, the fixed 24-hour bezel can work as a significant PM/AM indicator.
- Ring Command
Since Rolex launched their first Ring Command bezel, the brand had established a direct link between the intricate movements within with the outer bezel. As opposed to earlier times when there was no direct relation between the rotating bezels and the movements inside, the Ring Command bezel changed the notion completely.
The Ring Command Rolex bezel seamlessly merged the two prominent attributes into a single engineering masterpiece. This type of bezel reflects the core of Rolex’s bezel functionality and comes either as a fluted bezel (Sky-Dweller) or as a Professional bezel (Yacht-Master).
4. Gem-Set Bezels
Luxurious to look at, the Rolex gem-set bezels are truly one of a kind. This type of bezels is encrusted with precious and exclusive gems that make each Rolex timepiece exclusive and valuable. Although most of them have diamonds, the gem-set bezels also come with precious stones like sapphires.
One example is the gem-set Everose pink gold Rolex Daytona. The stones are carefully picked and set for enhanced beauty and sparkle. In short, the gem-set Rolex bezels reflect the brand’s urge to reach the zenith of luxury and elegance.
Since we decided to talk about all the bezel types, why spare the discontinued ones!
Discontinued Rolex Bezels
1. Rolex Engine-Turned Bezel
Rolex no more manufactures the Engine-Turned Bezel, but these bezels mark a particular spot in Rolex’s history. There was a time when the Engine-Turned bezels were a popular alternative to the Fluted & Smooth Rolex bezels.
This bezel type is most loved by those who do not prefer a fluted bezel yet want to sport an aesthetic bezel rather than a smooth one. In short, the engine-turned bezels offer the best of both worlds.
2. Rolex Textured Models
Most commonly made from gold, the textured bezels comprise miscellaneous bezel types with nonconforming designs. These bezel types came on a few precious Datejust models or the Day-Date timepieces.
Furthermore, the textured bezels appear on limited Rolex models, with most of them manufactured as a special order.
8 Textured Bezel Types are:
1. Bark
This unconventional bezel type resembles the bark of a tree. No longer in production, the bark bezel was exclusively made in either white or yellow gold and was most commonly found on the Vintage Day-Date Rolex timepieces.
The Rolex with a bark bezel came with a bracelet with centre links decorated with a special bark finish.
2. Greek Key
Super rare and extraordinary to look at, the Greek Key bezel appeared on the Vintage Oyster Perpetual 1506 Rolex. The Greek Key bezel also features the iconic pattern of interlocking right-angled spirals known as the Meander Border or the Greek key.
3. Florentine
The Florentine bezel is another rare-to-find bezel type mostly found on antique jewellery and has a sequence of dents blanketing the metal surface. Rolex used this famous decorative bezel on a few vintage Oyster Perpetual and Datejust models.
4. Morellis
During the 1960s and 1970s, Morellis used the patterned Morellis finish on some specific models denoted by a crosshatch pattern.
5. Moire
The exclusive Moire finish interlays two sets of parallel lines on top of each other, where one of them is slightly tilted to form a repetitive pattern.
6. Pyramid
The pyramid bezel includes three-dimensional pyramid-shaped elements where the bezels have diamonds. These ornamented bezels are rare and mostly found on vintage Day-Date, vintage Lady-Datejust, and on vintage Oysterquartz Day-Date timepieces.
7. Moreau
The Moreau is a textured and embellished metal finish exclusively used on Yellow Gold Rolex watches and has a reptile-like surface that is scooped all around the bezel.
8. Zephr
The Zephr bezel issued from the 1950s and spotted until the 1970s came on a rare vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual model. The watch also sported a signature cross-hair dial. Another iconic feature of the Zephr bezel is that it has either engraved or faceted hour markers on the bezel.
SUMMARY
There’s a reason why Rolex as a watch brand is so celebrated and cherished worldwide. Be it the various dial styles or the bezel types; the brand never fails to stun the audience with its versatility. Moreover, the bezels play a big reason why the Rolex timepieces are easily recognisable.
If you have a Rolex with a rare bezel type, you can easily expect to fetch a lucrative amount if you sell your Rolex watch in the pre-owned market. The market demand for the brand is at an all-time high, and any Rolex bezel type is sure to fetch you a good amount.
Also Read: Wooden Watches UK Online Buying Guide & Tips
Hi, I am Adam Smith, Admin Of TechSketcher, Creative blogger and Digital Marketer.