The Actual Cost of Premium Options on Rolex Watches

We frequently talk about Rolex prices, but these conversions are generally limited to the actual watches themselves. As watch enthusiasts and buyers of Rolex watches we love to talk about unique watch models from Rolex. Just like most manufacturers, Rolex offers a variety of options among its models and they are all accompanied by different price premiums, both at a retail level and on the pre-owned market. Things like date displays, different bracelet styles, diamond-set dials, and the use of precious metals all have their respective prices, and sometimes the premiums charged at retail differ significantly from those on the secondary market. So, what are the actual prices of the various features and options found on Rolex watches?

Date Display (and Cyclops)

The Submariner is currently the only Rolex model that is available both with and without a date display, so that seems like the most logical place to start. At retail, a no-date Submariner 124060 costs $8,950, while its date displaying counterpart (ref. 126610LN) is priced at $10,100. With everything else being equal, this leaves a difference of $1,150 as the additional premium for a date display.

With that in mind, the only real difference between an Oyster Perpetual and a stainless steel Datejust fitted with a smooth bezel and Oyster bracelet is the addition of a date complication, so let’s take a quick look at those prices. An Oyster Perpetual 36 costs $5,800, while a 36mm stainless Datejust retails for $7,250 (a difference of $1,450). Additionally, a 41mm Oyster Perpetual is priced at $6,150, while its Datejust 41 counterpart costs $7,900 (a difference of $1,750). Again, these are different models, but it can still be said that Rolex generally charges between $1,000 and $2,000 for a date display when you are buying a watch brand-new from an authorized retailer. 

Green Submariner Bezel

You can buy a stainless steel Rolex Submariner Date with either a black or green bezel insert. Both bezels are made from Cerachrom (Rolex’s proprietary ceramic material), and the watches themselves are otherwise entirely identical; the only difference is the color of their bezel. The all-black Submariner 126610LN retails for $10,100, while its green-bezel sibling (ref. 126610LV) costs $10,600, meaning that Rolex charges a premium of $500 for a green bezel insert. 

However, on the secondary market, things look incredibly different. Both versions of the Submariner Date trade hands for values that are significantly above their original retail prices, but the difference between these two models can often be in excess of $5,000 if you want the version fitted with a green bezel.

D-Blue “James Cameron” Dial

The Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller 126660 is currently available with two different dial options. The classic all-black version has an official retail price of $13,850, while the D-Blue dial model that was released to celebrate James Cameron’s dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench is priced at $14,150. This means that Rolex charges an additional $300 for the more complex dial design.

When it comes to the pre-owned market, the examples fitted with D-Blue “James Cameron” dials still sell for more than their all-black counterparts. However, the additional premium increases to anywhere from $1k to $3k, depending on the specific seller and the overall condition of the watch.

White and Everose Gold 

As a precious metal, gold naturally costs more than stainless steel and all of the gold Rolex now uses is 18 karat, regardless of its specific color. With that in mind Rolex’s white and Everose gold watches actually cost more than their otherwise-identical yellow gold counterparts.

A Rolex Daytona in full yellow gold on an Oyster bracelet retails for $37,550, while its white and Everose gold siblings both cost $40,450. Similarly, a yellow gold Day-Date 36 costs $33,950, while comparable 36mm models in either white or Everose gold are priced at $36,850. In both of these instances, the price difference is $2,900 and this exact same figure is the difference in price for the larger Day-Date 40 models. However if you are purchasing a gold Daytona on an Oysterflex bracelet, the additional premium for white or Everose gold shrinks to $1,300, since the construction of these watches requires significantly less metal than the versions fitted with matching gold bracelets.

Jubilee Bracelets

Across the board, Rolex’s Jubilee bracelets are priced higher than their Oyster counterparts, and this is largely due to their more intricate design. A Jubilee bracelet for the stainless steel GMT-Master II comes at a $200 retail premium, while it costs an extra $250 to get a stainless steel Jubilee bracelet on either the Datejust or Sky-Dweller.

However, if you want a two-tone Rolex watch with a Jubilee bracelet, the premium will be slightly higher. A Jubilee bracelet for the two-tone Sky-Dweller costs an extra $600, while the premium for a Jubilee bracelet on a Datejust can be anywhere from $600 to $650, depending on the size of the watch and whether it uses yellow or Everose gold.

Diamond and Meteorite Dials 

When it comes to premium dial options on Rolex watches, the additional cost at a retail level can range dramatically. For example, a meteorite dial on a white gold GMT-Master II costs an extra $2,250. However, if you want a meteorite dial on your Rolex Daytona, that premium increases to $4,350.

Similarly, a standard diamond dial for a Rolex Daytona is accompanied by an extra charge of $1,950 at retail, but if you want a baguette diamond dial, the additional cost will be $6,250. Furthermore, the price premium for the diamond-paved Yacht-Master 40 dial is a whopping $17,750, which is several thousand dollars more than the full retail price of a brand new two-tone Rolex Yacht-Master 40.

On the secondary market, the premiums for diamond dials can often decrease dramatically. While diamond-set Rolex watches still generally cost more than their non-diamond counterparts, sometimes the premiums attached can be relatively negligible, especially when it comes to older references from the Datejust collection.

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*All images courtesy of Rolex.