The new Rolex Land-Dweller, The Crown’s Integrated Bracelet Watch

Here we are. Watches and Wonders, the main event of the year for the watch industry and the watch community, has not opened its doors yet, but Rolex has already released its new models for 2025. And this is it, the big news is here… The Crown is introducing a brand-new collection – something that doesn’t happen very often – named the Rolex Land-Dweller, a watch with an elegant-sports vocation, featuring an integrated design and, surprisingly, reviving an old style – one that is too often associated with the late-1970s Oysterquartz, but the story is a bit more complex. What’s even more surprising is what is inside the watch, a movement based on the same architecture as the 1908 Perpetual, but equipped with a recently-patented dual-wheel escapement, one of the very first to be industrialized, and a Syloxi hairspring. Let’s dive into the specifics of the new and very surprising Rolex Land-Dweller collection.

An Integrated Design not exclusive to the OysterQuartz, also made as automatic

The whole idea of an elegant sports watch with integrated bracelet isn’t new at Rolex. In fact, the Crown was early on the market with such watches, to the point where it somehow made it to production before Audemars Piguet launched the legendary Royal Oak in 1972. Can we say that Rolex should be credited for the paternity of the luxury sports watch…? Maybe not, and in any case, this isn’t a debate for today. What matters now is a combination of design cues and innovation, as the integrated style at Rolex is often (too often, and not entirely rightfully) associated with quartz-powered watches, a.k.a. the Oystequartz collection.

The race for the quartz movement started in the early 1960s and we all know that Seiko made it to serial production first in 1969 with the Quartz Astron. Long before that, 21 watch manufacturers in Switzerland formed a consortium, the Centre Electronique Horologer (CEH), to develop a quartz movement dedicated to wristwatches. The first prototype – Beta-1 – was completed in 1966, followed three years later by the well-known Beta-21, the first Swiss quartz movement in serial production. This movement found its way into the case of many watches, among which was the 1970 Rolex reference 5100 (a.k.a the Texano), a large gold watch with a thick case, produced in about 1,000 to 2,000 examples, and already showing the first signs of an integrated design (some say that Genta was involved in the design of the 5100… still unconfirmed). In 1972, Rolex ended the production of the reference 5100, withdrew from the Centre Electronique Horologer, stopped using the Beta-21 and decided to develop its own quartz movement.

As of 1972, Rolex worked on having a proprietary quartz calibre with smaller, thinner proportions. This would take the Crown 5 years before completion, and in the meantime, Rolex worked on a redesigned collection, again with an integrated bracelet and typical 1970s look. But instead of waiting for the quartz calibre 5035 to be completed and having cases and bracelets gathering dust, the brand launched in 1975 a series of mechanical watches with this elegant-sports design and integrated bracelet, with two watches known as the Rolex Date 1530 and Rolex Datejust 1630. Both would be discontinued in 1977, to make way for the Oysterquartz collection. But what matters is to consider that the integrated-style watch at Rolex was not entirely quartz-powered, and the style we all associate with the Oysterquartz 17000 and Day-Date 19018 was, in fact, first mechanically powered.

These watches used the automatic calibre 1570. The case was about 36mm and had a typical barrel-shaped mid-case, with integrated lugs and topped by a smooth steel bezel (reference 1530) or a fluted yellow gold bezel (reference 1630). The steel 1530 came with the same single-link bracelet later found on the steel Oysterquartz 17000, while the Datejust 1630 featured a flattened version of the 5-link Jubilee bracelet, similar to the later two-tone 17013 or steel 17014. And this is the precise look that matters today. Look closely, as this is the foundation for the Crown’s latest collection… It’s time now to talk about the Rolex Land-Dweller.

The new Rolex Land-Dweller Collection

So let’s start with the design. The Land-Dweller is released as a full collection of 10 references, including steel, Everose gold, platinum (the last 2 with possible diamonds on the bezel) in both 40mm and 36mm. We’ll going to focus on the 40mm edition for now, which is available in 3 classic editions without stones.

Design-wise, there’s no doubt that there’s an inspiration of the past, the Land-Dweller being sort of a revamp of the 1970s Oysterquartz and mechanical references seen above. As such, it relies on a 40mm x 9.70mm case with a barrel shape, topped by a fluted bezel (in white gold on the steel model, and matching gold or platinum for the 2 other editions). The bezel is more vertical than the ones found on a Datejust or Day-Date. The case is finished with mostly brushed surfaces, as often the case in the luxury sports watch category, with polished bevels on the sides. A flat sapphire crystal tops the watch, while the back has a sapphire crystal too, to reveal the brand new and innovative movement inside. It is water-resistant to 100m with a Twinlock crown.

A highly important part of the elegant sports watch is the integrated bracelet and the Rolex Land-Dweller seems to have take this very seriously, with a more complex take than the classic Oyster or Jubilee bracelet. Specifically designed for this collection is a new Flat Jubilee bracelet. While retaining the same five-piece link structure as a classic Jubilee, with three narrower links in the centre flanked by two broader ones at the edges, the new bracelet differs in that all the links are flat. Moreover, the centre links on this new bracelet are polished and slightly raised in relation to the outer links. The latter feature a technical satin finish on all but their polished edge. The chamfered top edges of the outer links are polished.

The bracelet is connected to the case with ceramic inserts to ensure durability. The Flat Jubilee is equipped with a concealed folding Crownclasp, which contributes to the visual harmony of the watch. On the versions in Everose gold and in 950 platinum, this bracelet includes ceramic inserts inside the links. However, there’s no micro-adjustment on the clasp.

Crown clasp of the Land-Dweller 40

For the Land-Dweller, Rolex has also developed a new dial design, with a honeycomb motif. The gold and steel models have a satin finish over the intense white colour and the platinum edition has a sunray finish over its ice blue dial. The display elements on the Land-Dweller are exclusive to the new watch. Its 6 and 9 numerals, inspired by those of the Explorer and Air-King models, are particular in that they are open at their centre, which lends a modern touch. On the index hour markers, the luminescent material extends the full length of the element. The distinctive hands, specially created for this watch, are perfectly rectilinear. Finally, the dial is framed by an angled flange whose pad-printed minute track is graduated to the half-second.

Rolex’s new Escapement, the Dynapulse

Rolex now pushes the idea to an industrial level – to those who though that Rolex was not a proper watchmaker, here’s your counterargument… While already having the Chronergy escapement (an optimized Swiss lever), the Crown now goes natural, dual impulse with its new solution, the Dynapulse. Based on the movement found in the 1908, Rolex here bring the new calibre 7135 with its complex architecture and a 5Hz frequency.

The Dynapulse is a sequential distribution escapement made from silicon, a material resistant to strong magnetic fields. It is composed of a transmission wheel that engages with two distribution wheels; these, in turn, activate the impulse rocker, which then connects with the oscillator. This innovative architecture reduces the escapement’s energy consumption since the various components interact by rolling against each other, rather than by sliding as in the case of the Swiss lever escapements used in the brand’s other mechanical movements. Regarding the Dynapulse, we’ll get more details as soon as we get our hands on the watch.

The Rolex brings a high-end oscillator to the Land-Dweller, said to offer ” excellent resistance to strong magnetic fields.” The balance staff, which is crafted from a high-technology ceramic, patented and exclusive to Rolex. The balance wheel itself is made from optimized brass. This is the first time that Rolex has made use of such an alloy, which, like the ceramic, is resistant to strong magnetic fields – again, no mention of the resistance itself. Calibre 7135 incorporates a Syloxi hairspring with reshaped coils, which are now thicker to confer greater rigidity.

The movement, visible through the caseback with its rather elegant decoration (identical to the 1908, with Rolex Geneva stripes and an openworked yellow gold rotor), beat at a frequency of 5 Hz, or 36,000 beats per hour. Thanks to its barrel architecture and the escapement’s excellent efficiency, the power reserve of this movement extends to approximately 66 hours (same as the 1908).

Pricing

The Rolex Land-Dweller is released as a higher-end model as a classic Datejust. The Steel Land-Dweller (127334) retails for EUR 15,350, the Everose gold (127335) for EUR 47,400 and the platinum (127336) for EUR 64,200. For more details, please visit Rolex.com.