2023 Rolex Leaks Confirmed As Fake

Two weeks ago, an Instagram account by the name of @notyourwatches “leaked” six of Rolex’s upcoming releases. Today, the account revealed these photos to be fake. There were a few signs of fabrication from the get-go, which we will discuss, but these photos were widely publicized nonetheless. In fact, we posted an article detailing three of the six “leaks” just one week ago. While writing a follow-up on the remaining three, the truth behind these images was revealed. As with any leak, you should always vet your sources and take information with a grain of salt. That said, we’re talking about watches here – it’s fun to look at new Rolex designs regardless of their legitimacy. After all, watch media has been dominated by made-up predictions for weeks now. With that, I’d like to discuss the remaining three renders and their hypothetical position in Rolex’s catalog. But first, let’s talk a bit more about the “leak” itself. 

2023 Rolex Leak Summary 

Image Source: @notyourwatches on Instagram

From March 6th to March 13th, the Instagram account posted six photos of what appeared to be an unreleased Rolex catalog. This style of catalog is standard for watch trade shows such as Watches and Wonders, which kicks off next week in Geneva. Pictured was a yellow gold Daytona with a meteorite dial, a yellow gold ‘Hulk’ Submariner, a right-hand ‘Sprite’ GMT-Master II, a redesigned Milgauss with crown guards, a two-tone steel and Everose Submariner, and finally, a platinum Daytona on an Oysterflex bracelet.

These photos had a lot of red flags: uncentered reference numbers, misaligned text, inconsistent pixelation (as pointed out by Michael from Theo & Harris), etc. The most flagrant error came with the platinum Oysterflex Daytona. The reference number in the picture – 116506 – would be inconsistent with Rolex’s modern numbering scheme. Daytona reference numbers, when offered on Oysterflex straps, have ‘1’ as their penultimate digit – not ‘0’. 

Today, @notyourwatches posted a video unveiling the not-so-scrutinous Photoshop work, confirming that these “leaks” were indeed fake. Still, I’d like to briefly discuss the three renders not covered in Michael’s initial article. Days away from the real releases, these fakes provide interesting food for thought.

Rolex Daytona – Platinum on Oysterflex Bracelet

Image Source: @notyourwatches on Instagram

The platinum Rolex Daytona Ref. 116506 was released in 2013 and still resides in Rolex’s current catalog. Since the case and bracelet are entirely made of platinum, this is one of the heaviest watches Rolex makes. At 286 grams, it's practically begging for a lightweight strap. An Oysterflex offering would be a great way to revitalize the platinum Daytona on its 10th anniversary, not to mention the Daytona’s 60th anniversary. 

Rolex Submariner – Yellow Gold ‘Hulk’ (Green Dial and Bezel) 

Image Source: @notyourwatches on Instagram

2023 is the 70th anniversary of the Rolex Submariner. Historically, Rolex likes to use green on anniversary editions: the 50th anniversary green-dial GMT-Master II, 50th anniversary ‘Kermit’ Submariner, 60th anniversary olive green Day-Date, etc. Given this pattern, a yellow gold ‘Hulk’ Submariner (green dial and bezel) makes a lot of sense. Yellow and gold are Rolex’s signature colors; this configuration is a natural progression of the model’s history. We will almost certainly see a precious metal Submariner this year, likely using green in some fashion. Only time will tell if a yellow gold ‘Hulk’ will come to fruition, but I hope it does. This is a good looking watch.

Rolex Submariner – Oystersteel and Everose

Image Source: @notyourwatches on Instagram

Out of the six fake renders, the two-tone steel and Everose (rose gold) Submariner received perhaps the most heat in the comments section. This combination of metals is not for everyone, but it’s relatively common in Rolex’s catalog. We’ve seen this two-tone configuration on the Datejust, GMT-Master II, and Yacht-Master models. That said, Everose has never been used on a Rolex Submariner. I don’t see this one happening, especially given the likelihood of an entirely different anniversary model.