BaselWorld, arguably the biggest event of the year in watchmaking, took place this week in Basel, Switzerland. The world’s biggest names in horology were debuting their latest designs and it was none other than Rolex who created the biggest buzz, unveiling 9 new designs for some of their most admired watches. These designs included a vintage-inspired version of the iconic Daytona, a revamped AirKing, a new Explorer, and a special 60th anniversary edition of the Day-Date 40. As the global powerhouse in the luxury watch industry, Rolex has been able to stay at the top by continuously re-envisioning watches that many argue are already perfect, all in the pursuit of horological perfection. In this article, our experts at WatchesAndWatches.com take a deeper look at some of these new 2016 Rolex designs.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116500LN

In what was the biggest release of the event, Rolex introduced a new version of the beloved Daytona with a vintage-inspired design. The steel Daytona comes outfitted with Rolex’s Cerachrom bezel in black ceramic, along with the option of a white or a black dial with the Daytona’s signature contrasting sub dials. This design pays homage to the the vintage “Panda” Daytona, one of the rarest and most collectable Rolex watches.

(Image Courtesy of Rolex)

Rolex Air-King Ref. 116900

After a short retirement, Rolex brought the aeronautical inspired Air-King back this year at BaselWorld to the delight of many Rolex aficionados. It features a larger 40mm case along with black dial with bold 3-6-9 hour indices and minute indicators along the fives, an easy to read configuration which serves a function for aviators which the Air-King was originally designed for. A green Rolex logo sits on top of the dial with a yellow Rolex crown emblem just above it, in addition to the original Air-King logo from 1945 on the bottom center of the dial.

(Image Courtesy of Rolex)

Rolex Explorer Ref. 214270

Rolex introduced a new Explorer which adds innovative features to the classic adventurer’s watch. The Explorer now comes with a Chromalight display which illuminates all of the hour and minutes indices with a bright blue glow in dark settings through luminescent materials inside the indices. Rolex has also updated the minute and hour hands to be longer and bolder, a subtle change which is nonetheless quite a big deal for Rolex collectors.

(Image Courtesy of Rolex)

Rolex Day-Date 40 60th Anniversary

A watch celebrated for being worn by legendary world leaders, Rolex has created a special edition of their iconic flagship model for the Day-Date’s 60th anniversary. The Rolex Day-Date 60th anniversary comes outfitted with a vibrant green dial and is available in 18 ct. Everose or white gold, both equally ultra-luxurious and perfect for this special edition. Lastly, this Day-Date has the signature fluted bezel which the Day-Date has been known for since its inception.

 (Image Courtesy of Rolex)