I tested every new Rolex at Watches and Wonders 2026 – my favourite surprised me

I've been on the show floor at Watches and Wonders 2026 all week, taking the opportunity to get my hands on the latest and greatest watches from around the world. The show is bigger than ever this year, with new brands attending for the first time alongside classic household names.

Of course, one of the most notable brands around is Rolex. Celebrating 100 years of its Oyster watches this year, the brand arrived with a suit of new models designed to dazzle.

I went to try them all out – and I got a big shock!

Rolex Oyster Perpetual

Let's start with the brand's entry-level reference. The Oyster Perpetual got a lot of love this time out, with a slew of new references on offer. From the love-it-or-hate-it appearance of the mosaic model to the new precious metal references, 2026 has felt like a coming of age moment for this range.

I was skeptical before seeing them. Ahead of time, the precious metal models felt our of sorts with the 'entry-level' moniker, and the mosaic – while a personal favourite of mine – is definitely not going to appeal en masse.

Still, I was surprised. The precious metal offering wears really nicely – I'm an especially big fan of the 34mm model with a blue dial and an Everose gold case – and the mosaic model is every bit as whacky as you'd expect.

Another oddity this year is the two-tone OP 41, which only offers a gold bezel, with no duality on the bracelet. Again, it wears nicely, though it's perhaps not as aesthetically pleasing as the usual design. I expect this one to be limited, though, and as such, popular.

Rolex Datejust

Up next is the Datejust, which enjoys a new green burst dial this time out. That's a solid addition to the range – nothing wholly groundbreaking, but a lovely colour which will certainly be popular as part of the wider range.

The model is offered in both 41mm and 36mm variants.

Rolex Day-Date

The Day-Date introduced a new gold alloy for the first time in over 20 years. Jubilee Gold is the first new compound for the brand since Everose gold landed back in 2025.

That's the real talking point here – the finish is really intriguing, almost seeming to morph between yellow, rose and silver hues, depending on how the light hits it. It's a really interesting material, and one which I'm sure will become very popular, especially as it begins to make its way onto other watches in the collection.

Pair that with an Aventurine dial – the jade green stone, not the starry night-esque glass – and a suite of baguette-cut diamonds for indices, and this piece really does start to look the part.

Rolex Daytona

Alongside the Day-Date in the brand's new exceptional piece offerings is a Rolex Daytona model which goes far beyond what other models in the standard collection offer. That includes a grand feu enamel dial, and a Cerachrom bezel.

The model is offered in Rolesium, which mixes the traditional Oystersteel with Platinum across parts of the case and bracelet.

Overall, I felt slightly torn with this one. I'm not the biggest fan of the design – I feel like the sub-dials with black surrounds make for a much more pleasing overall appearance – but I am very excited to see Rolex using more advanced materials and techniques, such as the grand feu enamel. Hopefully it's the beginning of even more developments in that realm.

Rolex Yacht-Master II

Here it is, then – the real surprise of 2026. I'll confess it now – I hated the old Yacht-Master with burning fires of passion. The dial felt illegible, the complication was useless to anyone outside of the yachting world and it all was just a little too bulky for my slender wrists.

It's safe to say I wasn't expecting much of this, but it really blew me away. The cleaner dial has transformed the look of this piece, making it much easier to read and way more attractive to boot.

Sure, the yacht timing complication still won't have mass appeal, but I can forgive that on something which is otherwise relatively flawless. I even think I preferred the yellow gold version over the steel, though both are lovely.