Rolex Predictions 2026: White Dial 'Polar' Explorer I

Here we are again, folks. The white-dial Rolex Explorer I is the boy who cried wolf of watch predictions. Enthusiasts have been calling this one for the better part of a decade. Renders circulate every spring, Rolex forums light up, and then April comes and goes and the Explorer is still black (perhaps in a different size, with or without an antireflective coating on the crystal). I've personally made this prediction for three years running. And yet here I am, same time of year, same watch. We all know how the story goes — eventually the wolf shows up. I think 2026 is the year we see a polar white dial Rolex Explorer I.

Why A White-Dial Explorer Makes Sense For Rolex

Rolex 'Pre-Explorer' ref. 6352. Image Source: Hodinkee

The watch that accompanied Hillary on the first ascent of Mt. Everest — not an Explorer, but the inspiration behind it — didn't have a black dial. The "pre-Explorer" ref. 6352 was cream-white with silver indices and Dauphine hands. The Explorer, with its black 3-6-9, came later that year in 1953. Then there are the mythical "albino" Rolex sports watches: roughly 20 white-dialed Rolex sports references from the '50s and '60s, produced as calibration test pieces, never meant for retail, now among the most mythologized vintage pieces in the hobby. The Explorer II Polar, on the other hand, is a white dial that's been in Rolex's lineup for decades, and it's a fan favorite. A white dial Explorer I feels plausible for so many reasons — and that's part of why this prediction lives on. But 2026 is different.

Why 2026

Tudor's New Dune-White and 36mm Ranger. Image Source: Tudor

A few months ago, Tudor — Rolex's sister brand — expanded its Ranger collection to include two sizes: 39mm and 36mm. With this expansion came a light "Dune-white" dial, available in both. The Ranger is Tudor's Explorer analogue: a mid-century field watch with bold Arabic numerals. As we saw in 2023, Rolex expanded the Explorer collection to include two sizes as well — the smaller (original) 36mm alongside a more modern 40mm. Tudor tends to move a beat before Rolex on experimentation; consider Tudor's use of titanium in the years preceding the RLX Yacht-Master 42. Tudor may have predicted this one for us, assuming the Dune-white dials performed as well as they were received. With Rolex's Explorer collection growing — now available in multiple sizes and even two-tone — a second dial color just makes sense, and white is the obvious pick.

The Counterargument

Seventy-plus years, one dial color. The 3-6-9 on black is one of the most recognizable watch faces in history, and there's a reasonable argument that it's inseparable from what the Explorer is. But hey, they made it in two-tone.

What I Expect

I expect a white or opaline lacquer dial on the 40mm ref. 224270 and 36mm ref. 124270. Same handset, same applied indices — just inverted. The black dial Explorer certainly isn't going anywhere; this would be an addition to a growing lineup. What do you think? Will Rolex ever release a Polar white Explorer I? Let us know in the comments below.