Platinum Prestige: Your Ultimate Guide to Platinum Rolex Models

What Type of Platinum Does Rolex Use?

Rolex only uses 950 platinum for its watches, which comprises 95% pure platinum combined with ruthenium. Platinum is one of the densest and heaviest metals on the planet, yet, it is also soft and highly malleable. These characteristics make machining platinum — and applying finishes to it — particularly difficult. Despite this, Rolex has mastered turning platinum into ultra-luxurious watches. In fact, in 2022, Rolex created its first fluted platinum bezels (for the Day-Date 36 and Day-Date 40), which is an impressive feat given the challenges platinum presents.

Ice blue dials are reserved for Rolex platinum watches, which is one way to differentiate between platinum Rolex models and other less-expensive white metal Rolex watches such as white gold or stainless steel. While not all platinum Rolexes watches will have ice blue dials, all Rolex watches with ice blue dials will be platinum ones.

Which Rolex Watches are Available in Platinum?

While Rolex is known for its platinum watches, only select Rolex collections are home to luxury platinum watches. These include:

• Platinum Rolex Day-Date Watches
• Platinum Rolex Datejust 31 Watches
• Platinum Rolex Lady-Datejust Watches
• Platinum Rolex Pearlmaster Watches
• Platinum Rolex Cellini Watches
• Platinum Rolex Daytona Watches
• Rolex Yacht-Master Watches with Platinum Bezels

Now let’s look at some of our favorite platinum Rolex models, ranging from dressy to sporty.

Platinum Rolex Day-Date Watches

The most famous platinum Rolex models are Day-Date watches, the brand’s ultimate status timepiece named after its pair of calendar windows. From the water-resistant Oyster case to the famed President bracelet with semi-circular links, this is a watch that makes its presence felt on the wrist thanks to the heftiness of platinum.

While some models are now discontinued, if you browse pre-owned platinum Rolex Day-Date watches, you’ll have four sizes to choose from:

• Day-Date 36mm
  • For example, Day-Date 36 ref. 128236, 128396, 118206
• Day-Date 40mm
  • For example, Day-Date 40 ref. 228236, 228396, 228206
• Day-Date II (41mm) – Discontinued
  • For example, Day-Date II ref. 218206
• Day-Date “Masterpiece” (39mm) – Discontinued
  • For example, Day-Date Masterpiece Reference 18946

Traditionally, Rolex only offered platinum Day-Date watches with smooth bezels or gem-set bezels. However, as mentioned, in 2022, Rolex rolled out the fluted bezel in platinum to the Day-Date collection. As of now, Rolex no longer makes platinum Rolex President watches with smooth bezels.

Platinum Rolex Daytona

To celebrate the Daytona’s 50th anniversary in 2013, Rolex unveiled the first very platinum Daytona model (ref. 116506), fitted with a brown Cerachrom ceramic bezel and ice blue dial. A platinum Daytona (ref. 116576 TBR) set with a baguette diamond bezel followed the next year, complete with a diamond pavé dial with ice blue registers.

2023 was the year Rolex celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Daytona chronograph; naturally, Swiss watchmaking giant unleashed a new platinum Daytona. This was the Daytona ref. 126506, which sports the same 40mm platinum case, brown Cerachrom ceramic bezel, and ice blue dial of the previous generation. However, one big update of the newest Daytona generation is the movement — Caliber 4131 — and just as importantly, the platinum variant is furnished with an exhibition caseback that allows a view of that movement.

An open caseback is surprising for Rolex as the company has always fitted its watches with solid caseback. And it’s fitting that Rolex chose the ultra-special platinum Daytona 60th Anniversary model to showcase its new display caseback.

Rolex Yacht-Master Watches with Platinum Bezels

Yacht-Master watches are unique within the Rolex lineup as it’s the only model that pairs a stainless steel case with a platinum bezel. Rolex calls the combination of steel and platinum Rolesium and Rolex has been making Rolesium Yacht-Master watches since 1999. What’s more, Rolex used to house platinum dials inside Rolesium Yacht-Master watches to match the sandblasted platinum bezels.

Similar to platinum Day-Date watches, if you browse pre-owned Rolex Yacht-Master models that include discontinued pieces rather than just current-production ones you’ll find four sizes of the Rolesium variants available:

• Rolesium Yacht-Master 40mm
  • For example, Yacht-Master ref. 126622, 116622, 16622
• Rolesium Yacht-Master 37mm
  • For example, Yacht-Master ref. 268622
• Rolesium Yacht-Master 35mm
  • For example, Yacht-Master 68622, 168622
• Rolesium Yacht-Master 29mm
  • For example, Yacht-Master ref. 69622, 169622

There’s also the Yacht-Master II, which is not only a much larger watch, clocking in at 44mm, but also much more complicated with its regatta chronograph and programmable countdown with mechanical memory. Rolex discontinued the Yacht-Master II ref. 116689, which was an exceedingly luxurious variant with an 18k white gold case and bracelet along with a platinum bezel.

Pre-Owned Platinum Rolex Watches at Gray & Sons

Gray and Sons is proud to offer a wide selection of pre-owned platinum Rolex models, ranging from dress watches such as the Day-Date and Cellini to sporty models such as the Yacht-Master and Daytona. Don’t miss our secondhand platinum Rolex watch collection. Alternatively, if you want to sell a used platinum Rolex watch, visit our sister site Sell Us Your Jewelry for the best price and impeccable customer service.