Rolex Bezel Types

Rolex Bezel Types – The Ultimate Resource Guide

There are parts of a watch that particularly influence the looks of a watch but also its functions. Mostly, the watch bezel is only made for design purposes, to make it integrate well with the rest of the design of the watch and add to its design. But on ”professional” or ”tool watches”, a bezel can also add functions to a watch that makes it more practical.

Rolex uses both of these types of bezels depending on the model and what purpose it serves. Over the years, Rolex has used a number of different bezel types and designs – many of which are still in production and used today – others are part of Rolex’s history and past.

In this article, we have compiled all of the Rolex bezel types that Rolex has used – or still uses. This includes bezels that are functional or purely used for aesthetical purposes.

In the past, bezels of watches served one primary purpose, which was to protect the inside of the watch and make it sealed. Over time, this came to change as new building technology and structures enabled watches to remain sealed and solid without the bezel.

The start of the bezel usage for protection purposes was in 1926 when Rolex released the first Oyster watch. The Oyster was the world’s first waterproof wristwatch, and in ensuring its water resistance, the bezel played an important role.

This brings us to the first Rolex bezel type.

Rolex Fluted Bezel

The fluted bezel is perhaps one of the most iconic bezel types in the world, and certainly one of the most iconic bezels from Rolex. Today, the fluted bezel is purely used for aesthetical reasons, but this has not always been the case.

Originally, the bezel was an important element of making the Oyster case waterproof – enabled by screwing down the bezel, case back and winding crown against the middle case. In order to be able to screw down the bezel against the case, Rolex designed it with flutings on which Rolex could use its specially developed tool to screw it down.

As the Oyster case design and technology evolved and improved, Rolex found other ways to ensure the water resistance – but the flutings of the bezel had now become an iconic element of Rolex watches. As such, Rolex continued to use the fluted bezel in its watches – but now purely for aesthetical purposes.

The fluted bezel enhances the look of Rolex watches and makes them appear more luxurious and exclusive. Thanks to the fluting, the bezel catches the light from different angles and creates a stunning light show. Today, the fluted bezel is exclusively made in gold.

It can be found in the following collections (discontinued or currently produced): Datejust, Sky-Dweller, Day-Date, Oyster Perpetual, and Air-King watches.

Rolex Tachymeter Bezel

Unlike the fluted bezel, the Tachymeter bezel has always, and will always, serve a functional purpose. The tachymeter bezel is used exclusively on the Daytona -as it is the only chronograph from Rolex.

The tachymeter scale on the bezel allows the wearer to measure the average speed over a given distance based on elapsed time. It can measure speeds up to 400 units per hour, expressed in kilometers or miles. To use the Tachymeter bezel, you press the pusher to activate the center chronograph hand. When, for example, a car has driven the decided distance, you stop the chronograph pusher, and the bezel indicates the average speed at which the car drove.

Originally, the tachymeter scale was only available in steel or metal, but in 2011, Rolex introduced a ceramic Daytona which means the bezel is now also made in ceramic.

Rolex Engine-Turned Bezel

The Rolex engine-turned-bezel is no longer in production, and chances are, we won’t see the engine-turned-bezel in production from Rolex ever again.

The engine-turned bezel has a steel construction with a textured finish. It is a mixture between a polished bezel and a fluted bezel

This bezel can be found in the collections Air-King, Datejust, Oyster Perpetual, and Date.

Rolex Domed, smooth, or polished bezel

Often referred to as a smooth bezel, the domed bezel is very simple, sleek, and straightforward. It is simply a polished piece of metal without any fuzz or decorations. With this in mind, some people prefer this bezel design as it removes the focus from the bezel and moves it to the dial – creating an overall sleek and clean design of the watch.

A benefit of this bezel is that it makes watches very versatile as it doesn’t stand out too much. This bezel type is still to this day used by Rolex and has been used across a large number of collections. This includes the Air-King, Milgauss, Datejust, Day-Date, Date, Explorer, and Oyster Perpetual.

The smooth bezel is made in all types of materials including steel, platinum, and gold.

Rolex bark bezel

Another bezel type from Rolex that is no longer in production (and likely will never be again).

The bark bezel has a very unique design, and as the name suggests, it is made to have the texture of bark. The bark bezel was used by Rolex for many decades and was, similar to the fluted bezel made to be more exclusive and give a luxurious look. It has been exclusively made in yellow or white gold.

The bark bezel was primarily used on Day-Date watches, but some Datejust watches can also be found with this bezel type. Common is that the bark bezel watches often had the bracelet center links feature the same bark-style finish.

Rolex gem-set bezels

Rolex watches are luxury objects, and with this in mind, Rolex and gemstones go together very well. With that said, Rolex has released countless gem-set bezels in different styles and with different gems, including diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, Rubies, and more. Rolex still makes many gem-set bezels for most collections, and gem-set bezels can be found on Rolex watches dating back many decades.

Gem-set Rolex watches are not cheap, and with that said, they are primarily found on Rolex watches made of precious metal. They are also primarily used in Rolex’s more dressy collections, although Rolex makes gem-set bezels for its sports watches as well, including the Yacht-Master, Submariner, GMT-Master, and Daytona. The gemstone sports watches, however, are generally very exclusive and only made in very limited numbers. In some cases, you must apply to be able to buy one.

Rolex has its own factory where they set its gemstones, and they only satisfies with the absolute finest gemstones of the highest quality.

In Rolex’s own words:

”To adorn its timepieces with the most striking gemstones, the brand has its own in-house gemmologists and gem-setters. Gemmologists are responsible for examining and selecting the gem-stones received, retaining only those that meet Rolex’s extremely stringent quality criteria. The stones then pass into the hands of the gem-setters, who are tasked with placing and fixing each stone to best reveal its beauty, colour and sparkle.”

Rolex Pyramid bezel

Another since-long discontinued bezel type from Rolex is the pyramid bezel. This bezel type is rare and uncommonly seen. As the name suggests, this has pyramid-shaped decorations on the bezel

This bezel type can be found on some Day-Date, Oysterquartz Day-Date, and Lady Datejust watches. Similar to the bark bezel, some watches with pyramid bezel also have the bracelet decorated with pyramids on the center links.

Rolex Zephyr Bezel

The Zephyr bezel is a bezel type from Rolex that was relatively short-lived – only in production between the 1950s and 1970s. The bezel type was only used for one model, which is the Oyster Perpetual ”Zephyr”. As such, this bezel type is rarely seen.

The bezel is machined and characterized by small notches and flutings, much smaller than that seen on the fluted bezel.

Rolex Moreau bezel

The Moreau bezel is a short-lived and thus rare bezel type from Rolex. The Moreau bezel has a very unique engraved-and textured-like finish. It has been exclusively made in gold and can be seen on some Date and Datejust watches.

Rolex Moiré bezel

The Moiré bezel was discontinued a long time back and is similar to the Moreau bezel. It is decorated with a finish and texture. It has small flutings pointing inwards to the dial but also lines across the small flutings.

Rolex Morellis bezel

The Morellis bezel is another rare and uncommon bezel type with a texture similar to that of gold leaves. This bezel type was produced around the 1960s and for some years following that.

Rolex GMT bezel

The Rolex GMT bezel has been made from three different materials throughout the years and is still used to this day. The first GMT watch was released by Rolex in 1954 at the request of Panam, which needed a watch that could keep track of two timezones simultaneously. Rolex’s answer to this request was the GMT-Master, which was the first GMT wristwatch ever released.

The first GMT-Master had the reference 6542 and featured a bakelite bezel. The issue with bakelite is that it is very brittle and breaks easily. As a result, Rolex eventually replaced the bakelite bezel with an aluminum insert. The function of the bezel remained the same, but the material from which it was made changed. In 2008, Rolex released discontinued the aluminum bezel of the GMT-Master and replaced it with a ceramic insert instead.

Aluminum inserts were very practical as they were durable, but the issue was that they faded and scratched. Ceramic, on the other hand, doesn’t fade and is virtually scratch-proof.

Now to the function of the GMT bezel, because, unlike many other Rolex bezels, It serves a practical purpose.

The GMT bezel has 24-hour markings and it can be rotated bidirectionally. Together with the additional hour GMT hand, the bezel enables the wearer to keep track of additional time zones.

The Explorer II also has a GMT bezel, made in stainless steel, but this can not be rotated.

Rolex Dive bezel

Rolex released its first watch specifically made for diving in 19544 with the Submariner. The Submariner has 60-minute graduations to allow the wearer (diver) to keep track o elapsed time when diving. Keeping track of the elapsed time is crucial for a diver as it allows them to know how much oxygen is left in the tank. Without a diver’s bezel, a dive can be deadly.

The Submariner bezel was originally made in aluminum, but similar to the GMT-Master Rolex eventually changed to ceramic due to the material’s durability. The dive watches of today are unidirectional, but originally, they were not. The issue with this is that if a diver accidentally hit the bezel, the watch could indicate that the diver had been in the water for a shorter period of time than they actually had, thus risking running out of oxygen.

All of Rolex’s dive watches use the dive bezel, which includes the Sea-Dweller, Deepsea Sea-Dweller, and Submariner. A similar style dive bezel is also used on the Yacht-Master, but because Yachters don’t go on dangerous deep dives, this bezel is bidirectional.

Rolex Turn-o-graph bezel

Originally, Rolex called all rotating bezel turn-o-graph, but this then developed into its own style and version, used for the Datejust model – the Datejust turn-o-graph.

This Datejust is no longer in production, but this watch features a fluted bezel that is rotatable. Furthermore, it has added 10, 20, 30, and 50 markings which allow the wearer to measure elapsed time when performing different tasks.

Rolex Florentine bezel

The Florentine bezel has a very fine texture and decoration. It is a rare type of decorated bezel which is not currently in production. This bezel type can be found on certain Datejust and Oyster perpetual Rolex models. Some Rolex dials were also made with this decoration.

Rolex Greek Key/Chine Bezel

The Greek key bezel, also known as Chine bezel is a rare and very uncommon bezel type that can only be found on the Oyster Perpetual reference 1506. This bezel was available on special order only.

This bezel type has a unique pattern which is, as the name suggests, reminiscent of greek decoration art, in a way similar to what Versace is known for.

Rolex ring command bezel

The ring command bezel is Rolex’s most advanced bezel system which means that the actual bezel interacts with the movement itself.

The ring command bezel can be found on the Sky-Dweller and the Yacht-Master II.

For the Sky-Dweller, Rolex writes:

”The rotatable Ring Command bezel interacts with the movement to allow the global traveler to easily access the watch functions that need setting. The bezel can be turned to one of three positions to select the date, local time, or reference time. The selected function can then be rapidly adjusted in either direction using the winding crown. This intuitive interface is based on a complex mechanical module with no fewer than 60 components, the product of state-of-the-art watchmaking and advanced micromechanics. Such innovation epitomizes Rolex’s in-house mastery of the design and manufacture of all the essential components of the watch.”

For the Yacht-Master II, Rolex writes:

”Rolex achieved perfection when it turned its attention to redefining the purpose and functionality of the bezel. Typically, a bezel operates independently from the internal mechanism; however, the Ring Command bezel in the Yacht-Master II regatta chronograph operates in conjunction with it. As a mechanical component linked to the movement, the bezel literally acts as the key to the programmable countdown, allowing it to be set and synchronised to the sequence of race start times. Complex in design, but simple in use, it is functionally beautiful.”