Ok, let’s get something straight right off the bat — “affordable” is a relative term.
To many folks (and I include myself, here), “affordable” within the watch world conjures up images of a great Seiko for $500, or a killer Timex for under $200, or the G-SHOCK that got me through my military service that I purchased new for $80 at a bus station. But within the highfalutin world of Rolex, affordability is a concept whose lower reaches exceed the upper reaches of many folks’ watch budgets. (By the way, if you’re looking for a killer dive watch for under $1,000, here you go. You’re welcome.)
For example: a steel Explorer, considered by some to be an “entry-level” Rolex sport model, will set you back $7,200 at retail. A Rolex Submariner, perhaps the timepiece most often mentally conjured upon the very utterance of the word “watch,” will run you $8,950. (And that’s if you can find one at retail…which you probably can’t.)
So what is an “affordable” Rolex? For our purposes, we’re going to limit our Rolex price range to watches under $10,000 — which, we know, is a lot of casheesh. But all this being said, it is perfectly possible to nab a pre-owned or vintage Rollie for well under $10,000, and in many cases, for well under $5,000.
The 12 Best Dive Watches Under $1,000, From Seiko to Unimatic
These high-performance timepieces look great and won’t break the bankSo whether you simply want to experience some offering from the Crown, whatever the model, or you’re the type of person who likes a good deal, we’re here for you. Read on to discover the most affordable Rolex watches.
NOTE: If you’re wondering why we’ve given such wide price ranges for certain pre-owned watches, it’s because price is dependent upon condition, rarity of a particular variation, and numerous other factors. So take pricing with a grain of salt, and always do your own research.
Key Rolex Terms
New: In this case, we’re talking about a current-production model that’s being offered at retail value.
Pre-Owned: Here, we mean a watch being offered on the secondary market. This could mean it’s been worn, or it’s in NOS (“new old stock”) condition — but it’s still pre-owned, so the market determines the price.
Neo-Vintage: This is a loose term employed by the secondary market that typically denotes watches with a mix of vintage and modern attributes, such as 5-digit Rolex Submariners from the late 1980s/1990s/early 2000s. There’s no clear delineation with respect to time period, but for our purposes, we’re going to say a watch is neo-vintage if…we say it is.
Vintage: Again, the definition of what constitutes “vintage” is fluid, but we’re going to peg it at a watch roughly 35 years old or older. So in the case of Rolex, we’d call a watch produced between the early 20th century and roughly 1985 “vintage.” (Roughly. Don’t @ me.)
COSC: The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) is the body that gives a watch movement its chronometer rating, ensuring its accuracy to within -4/+6 seconds per day for a mechanical watch. These days, all Rolex watches are chronometers, though such was not always the case.
Oyster: This is Rolex’s proprietary water-resistant case technology, first released in 1926. All Rolex watches today with the exception of the Cellini feature Oyster cases.
Most Affordable Rolex Watches:
- Rolex Oyster Perpetual 34mm
- Rolex Explorer Reference 124270
- Rolex Air-King Reference 126900
- Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 5-Digit 34mm
- Rolex Cellini “Danaos” 34mm
- Rolex Datejust 36mm 5-Digit
- Rolex Air-King Reference 5500
- Rolex Oysterdate Precision Reference 6694/6294
- Rolex Datejust 36mm 1600/1601/1603
- Rolex Datejust Oysterquartz Steel
Affordable New Rolex Watches
Yes, yes, we get it — a $6,000 watch is not most peoples’ idea of an “affordable” timepiece. But everything is relative, baby. (We’re trying to help you here.)
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 34mm
Price: $5,500
The Oyster Perpetual line is the prototypical Rolex model family in that the Oyster case is now part of every Rolex model except the dressy Cellini. If you want the most basic, highly water-resistant Rolex on offer, you should absolutely consider a 34mm OP. (You can of course nab yourself a 36mm or a 41mm, but we’re shooting for the most affordable model that will work on a man’s wrist. And yes, a 34mm watch looks great on a man’s wrist. Cut out the macho shtick and give it a try — you’ll be surprised.) Available in several colors, they look fantastic, have an awesome Oyster bracelet, and are wildly versatile.
Diameter: 34mm
Movement: Rolex Calibre 2232 automatic
Water Resistance: 100m
Rolex Explorer Reference 124270
Price: $7,200
The Rolex Explorer is an absolute icon, its predecessor having scaled Mt. Everest in 1953. The current steel model in 36mm is a fabulous watch made for rough adventure, but its simple, no-frills looks makes it an appropriate everyday wear — and even a candidate for dressier occasions in a pinch. Though it’s largely just an outgrowth of the aforementioned Oyster Perpetual collection, the Explorer is very much its own watch, with a rich history and quickly identifiable looks. And while $7K+ ain’t cheap, it’s almost $2K less expensive than a Rolex Submariner. (See how we justified it for you, there?)
Diameter: 36mm
Movement: Rolex Calibre 3230 automatic
Water Resistance: 100m
Rolex Air-King Reference 126900
Price: $7,400
The contemporary Air-King is, ahem, not everyone’s cup of tea. That being said, it’s the latest execution of a model family with a rich history dating all the way back to the Second World War, when Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf supposedly coined the name to honor the pilots who fought the Battle of Britain. Some (and I’m pointing to myself, here), feel that the vintage Air-King dials from the 1960s and 1970s were more attractive than the modern dashboard instrument-inspired model, but there’s no denying that the reference 126900 bears a unique look that sets it apart from most other watches in the modern Rolex catalog.
Diameter: 40mm
Movement: Rolex Calibre 3230 automatic
Water Resistance: 100m
Affordable Pre-Owned Rolex Watches
Ok, here’s where things get interesting. It’s anyone’s ballgame with respect to pricing on the pre-owned market, but in terms of affordability, there’s plenty on offer that won’t break the bank.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 5-Digit 34mm
Price: $5,000-$7,000
Let’s take it back to the trusty OP for a second. If we go back a generation or so to the OPs of the 1990s and 2000s, we can find some pretty fantastic watches with modern attributes for roughly the same money as contemporary versions — only now, we have myriad dial finishes, designs, and variations on offer that are no longer available, plus a date window. (This watch is often simply called a “Rolex Date.”) And in many cases, these watches are more affordable than current-catalog models, but still offer features such as quick-set date windows, sapphire crystals, and Oyster or Jubilee bracelets. Look for references 15200, 15210, etc.
Diameter: 34mm
Movement: Rolex Calibre 3135 automatic (often)
Water Resistance: 100m
Rolex Cellini “Danaos” 34mm
Price: $4,000-$7,000
The Cellini line is where Rolex parks its dedicated dress watches — though currently, there’s only one reference in the collection, which is incidentally the Crown’s only moon phase watch on offer. Previously, however, Rolex offered a stunning variety of Cellini dress watches, perhaps none more unusual than the vaguely cushion-cased “Danaos.” Truly, where else are you going to find a well-sized dress watch in precious metals, appropriate for both male and female wrists, available in such a wide variety of dials, case materials, straps, and more? Add in the in-house Rolex movement, the attractive looks, and the slightly left-of-center aesthetic, and you’ve got a recipe for one heck of a dress watch.
Diameter: 34mm
Movement: Rolex Calibre 1602 hand-wound
Water Resistance: Not much (the Danaos is housed in a non-Oyster case)
Rolex Datejust 36mm 5-Digit
Price: $5,500-$8,000
Nothing says “I have arrived” quite like a nice Datejust. (Actually, that’s a lie — a solid-gold “President” says “I have arrived, and also, go f**k yourself.”) Though some of us can sadly recall the not-so-distant days during which vintage DJs were about $2,500 (not me, though, I wasn’t paying attention to DJs back then), these days you can still get yourself a neo-vintage model for around $6K or so. And we’re talking a really beautiful one, with maybe a nice “Buckley” or “linen” dial and a white gold fluted bezel. Take advantage of all the raging testosterone that leads the contemporary young man to believe he “can’t pull off anything under 40mm” to buy into one of the best 36mm watches available for under $10,000.
Diameter: 36mm
Movement: Rolex Calibre 3135, 3035, etc. automatic
Water Resistance: 100m
Affordable Vintage Rolex Watches
Now we’re cooking with gas. If you’re ready to go vintage — and embrace the service-related pains that come with owning something decades old for which parts are scarce — you can get yourself a pretty sweet deal on a Rolex, relatively speaking. May we interest you in a beautiful $4,000 Oyster Perpetual on a bracelet, perhaps?
Rolex Air-King Reference 5500
Price: $4,000
This has got to be one of the best buys in Rolex, full stop. Men tend to ignore it because it’s “only” 34mm wide, but — hello — the watches being issued to American soldiers during WWII were about 32mm wide. Get over yourself. Anyway, the vintage Air-King ref. 5500 is but one of many beautiful 34mm watches Rolex made between the 1950s and today, and you can get one in one of various colors, on a steel bracelet, for like four Gs. Astoundingly, the ref. 5500 stayed in the Rolex catalog for nearly 40 years. (“Precision” on the dial designates a non-chronometer-certified movement, by the way, such as the Cal. 1520 or 1530; the later Cal. 1570 was chronometer-certified.)
Diameter: 34mm
Movement: Rolex Calibre 1520; 1530; 1570 automatic
Water Resistance: 100m
Rolex Oysterdate Precision Reference 6694/6294
Price: $3,000-$5,000
Back in the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, Rolex made a series of non-chronometer-signed, entry-level, manually wound steel Oyster watches with date windows. Measuring 34mm in diameter, they’re small by today’s standards, but still make fantastic entries into the Rolex market at large, and the vintage Rolex market more specifically. As is the case with numerous vintage Rollies, they can be had with so many different dial variations that it’s difficult to develop an organized taxonomy for them, but look out for variants of the ref. 6694 and the 6294, some of which have stunning “honeycomb” or “waffle” dials. (Just remember: You have to wind ‘em every day!)
Diameter: 34mm
Movement: Rolex Calibre 1210; 1215; 1225 hand-wound
Water Resistance: Not much anymore!
Rolex Datejust 36mm 1600/1601/1603
Price: $4,500-$8,000
Remember those Datejusts we mentioned in the pre-owned category? Well, if you go back a generation to the 4-digit models of the 1960s and 1970s, you can squeeze a bit more value out of the DJ product family. The iconic 1601, for example, features a “pie-pan” dial, a COSC-certified automatic movement, a white gold, fluted bezel, and the famous date complication that turns over exactly at midnight, but the acrylic crystal and lack of a quick-set date mechanism mean that it’s firmly in vintage territory. So many DJs were manufactured that they’re plentiful on the secondary market, and if you look very, very carefully, you can still find a good one for under $5K.
Diameter: 36mm
Movement: Rolex Calibre 1560; 1570 automatic
Water Resistance: 100m
Rolex Datejust Oysterquartz Steel
Price: $5,500-$10,000
Now here’s an oddball of a watch. Rolex introduced the Oysterquartz battery-powered Datejust in 1977 in the reference 5035, and because Rolex is Rolex, the movement was chronometer-certified. (In point of fact, of the 50 patents awarded to Rolex between 1960 and 1990, 21 of these were for electronic watches and digital displays, according to The Vintage Rolex Field Manual by Colin A. White. Great book, btw.) With its quirky, distinctly ‘70s integrated bracelet and good looks, it’s a surprisingly fetching watch — and one that would doubtless be going gangbusters on the secondary market if it featured, ironically, a mechanical movement. Alas, this is good news for you, fair consumer, as you can nab one for under $6K at the moment.
Diameter: 36mm
Movement: Rolex Oysterquartz
Water Resistance: 100m
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