I haven’t posted in quite some time now. That’s because my wife just gave birth to our second, and we’ve had our hands full. It’s really tough to write meaningful content when your brain fees like a scrambled egg every morning. This week is special though, it’s Watches and Wonders 2025, all the watch press is out in full force in Geneva and collectors are sitting tight enjoying some of this years cool new releases. There’s tons of new watches that we’ll begin to dig into soon here on the WRB, but as a Rolex collector there’s one watch that has stopped me in my tracks; and that’s the new Land-Dweller with the integrated bracelet.
I and many others did not see this one coming, this is straight out of left field, and there’s a ton of information to discuss about this watch and to compare to other watches in the same segment. So what has Rolex done here? In my opinion it’s a “two birds one stone” situation. The first bird is that Rolex has revived a dormant integrated bracelet collection, which was previously active with the now vintage Oysterquartz that we all know and love. The second bird is that Rolex is now going to literally steal potential customers away from Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak. Not only will they make a dent into AP, but they’ll probably be taking a nice chunk of the integrated bracelet market away from the entire industry, brands like Patek and Cartier will most certainly be affected.
The next thing to touch on is – why? Why will this watch immediately draw in prospective customers. The most obvious reason is because it’s a Rolex. People love Rolex for its build quality and brand prestige that also happens to retain its value exceptionally well. Digging into the specs of this watch also explains a lot, and you will see that it’s actually a step above most of its competition that retail at even higher prices. Taking a very quick glance at this watch reveals its immediate similarities to the classic Datejust, and with that brings along Rolex bread and butter manufacturing techniques such as its unibloc case, industry leading bracelet quality, fully in-house movements and more.
Appearance
Quite obviously, this is Rolex’s reintroduction of the integrated bracelet segment that follows along the same shape and form as the Oysterquartz. The new bracelet on the Land-Dweller takes on an even sleeker appearance though with its flat Jubilee style center links and the continuation of the wide flat links from the original Oysterquartz, its a combination that I find quite striking and seems to work really well together. It gives off the dressy appearance of a Jubilee bracelet in combination with a strong retro vibe from the flat links.
The tapering of the bracelet is quite pronounced as it should be on an integrated design like this. The level of tapering seems to be on par with its competitor the Royal Oak. The way the bracelet forms into the case is excellent as well, with blocky, angled, and flat lugs that mimic the continuation of the bracelet. It’s a very fresh looking design and I instantly loved it – some watches need time to grow on me, but not this one. I’ve already seen people online comparing the new Land-Dweller to the Royal Oak, and even the Tissot PRX, but I personally believe the Land Dweller is better executed than both. The Royal Oak is a storied icon but the overall assembly of the watch is dated – it’s classic and timeless but it’s certainly showing its age in the manufacturing department. The PRX is a great budget watch, but the thickness of the case and overall fit and finish certainly does not come close. The Land-Dweller case thickness comes in at 9.8mm – let that sink in for just a moment. The Land-Dweller is also available in both 36mm and 40mm, with 36mm probably taking the sweet spot for wrist sizes from 6.2 to 7 inches – in a similar way that the Datejust 36mm fits. If I had to speculate, the 36mm Rolesor variant with white dial is going to be most in demand.
The dial is one area that I need to see in person to really judge, but it has a lot happening for a small 36mm watch. For one, it has a flashy honeycomb pattern, but it also has an odd ball concept with the 6 and 9 numerals – only two applied arabic numerals as the 3 o’clock position is occupied by the date function. While in some photos the two numeral dial can look incomplete, I do think that it was a neat idea to retain the date bubble. This is a watch that is not instantly recognizable as a Rolex, and the date bubble just gives it a little more reassurance in that regard. It also simply matches the overall “sporty chic” vibe of the watch. A no date 3-6-9 layout would look cleaner, but it would take away from the retro design language, and this is not a sports watch like the explorer that requires a clean easy to read dial. It’s OK for it to be a little weird, a little more interesting, and to have a little more flash than its sportier counterparts.
The Land-Dweller is designed after the Oysterquartz, but it’s also taking homage from the Datejust, that’s why you’re also seeing the fluted bezel as the only option here. Which I think works really well in combination with the polished center links on the bracelet, as well as the eye catching honeycomb dial. It’s a triple whammy combination of sparkle, but that’s what this watch is all about. It’s a Land-Dweller that will play its best role as an espresso companion at your local coffee shop, but it can also play double duty as a deep diver if needed as a side gig. The best way I can describe this watch is the same way I’d describe the Royal Oak; it’s a “chic dressy sports watch”. It’s main role is not sports, it’s too fancy for that, but it’s not austere enough to go with a leather strap and suit. It’s an excellent in-betweener and would make for a perfect semi-dress watch that can also be worn casually with jeans. This is a great dress watch for those of us that don’t actually dress up formally too often.
Movement
Not only has Rolex gone and introduced an entirely new collection with the Land-Dweller, which is including an entirely new case, bracelet, dial and more – but one of the largest developments with this release is actually the movement. The Land-Dweller is now sporting the first ever Rolex in-house caliber 7135. This is not just any movement, but its a perpetual movement that beats at 5hz instead of the usual 4hz that we see from Rolex, and it features something called a Dynapulse escapement. It’s interesting that they did this, since the original Oysterquartz also had a “revolutionary” movement for its time, so Rolex seems to have given a subtle nod to the original by introducing this brand new very special movement. The Caliber 7135 is considered a “high-frequency” movement in the world of mechanical watches.
Not only has Rolex implemented this movement, but they’ve actually made it visible for your enjoyment through a sapphire exhibition caseback window. This is a new feature for Rolex ever since last year’s release of the platinum Daytona that features an exhibition caseback. With all these new developments from the crown, you can kind of see them entering a new era of watchmaking, very slowly moving away from their pure tool watch roots and entering into the world of high horology.
Conclusion
While I’ve just brushed the surface level information on this new release, I would like to dive deeper into the meaning of this watch in future articles. I think this is one of the most interesting recent releases from Rolex, and in my opinion it could turn out to be a superior watch to the competition due to many factors like raw specs and the ability for everyday wear due to its robust high quality construction and excellent water resistance rating of 330 feet. This could turn out to be the more obtainable, better looking, and technically superior alternative to the Royal Oak. With that said I have added myself to the Rolex waiting list at my local Authorized Dealer for the 36mm Rolesor variant, as this watch has replaced my lust for the Royal Oak – at least for now.
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