Over at Christie’s watch specialist, Remi Guillemin picked his top 10 vintage Rolexes, we broke it down to our top 5.

If someone is rocking raw 501s, yeah, they made a good choice and they know something. Or they know someone who knows something. Either way. Rolex’s, they are kind of like the 501 47s of watches. A Rolex is just a good choice. You just can’t argue about it.

But there are Rolex’s and there are Rolex’s. The brand has just been around for so long and has been making iconic watches made more iconic by the icons that have worn them. It is natural that there are a few models out there that exemplify the brand.

In a recent article over on the auction house Christie’s website, watch expert Remi Guillemin takes us through 10 Rolex’s we could never afford, ehhh sorry, I mean 10 archetype models that represent the finest examples from a plethora of iconic wristwatches. Remi picked some pretty amazing watches, here’s our top 5.

Rolex, Ref. 6263. Daytona

We all know the Paul Newman Daytona, this is the watch that improved on that. The 6263 was introduced in 1969, made in steel or yellow gold and had a whole host of technical improvements over its predecessor as well as a more athletic design. The Daytona 6263 is considered the foundation of any serious Rolex collection. And with prices starting at about 50,000 dollars, yeah. You gotta be serious.

Rolex, Ref. 1665. Sea-Dweller

The Sea-Dweller was the evolution of the insanely popular Submariner. It was built to withstand the incredible levels of pressure that saturation divers faced when working at great depths. You see, the good ol’ Sub had one particular flaw. It could take the pressure, but if you were down in the depths for a good long time and had to spend time in a decompression chamber, then the crystal of your watch tended to pop off. Entertaining at the time I am sure, but not ideal. Rolex’s solution was to fit the watch with a helium escape valve. There were many variations over the years, this particular version was made for COMEX (Compagnie Maritime D’Expertises) and is considered one of the most sought after examples.

Rolex, Ref. 6200. Submariner

If Rolex is the 501 of the watch world, then the Submariner would be the 47 fit. Introduced way back in 1954 and worn from everyone from James Bond to National Geographic adventures the Sub is just the archetype of icons. It’s cool has taken a slight blow in recent years with its adoption by the London banker set. But none the less, if you show up with a Sub on your arm you’re going to get props.

There are just so many Submariner references out there but the 6200 is the rarest and most sought after of them all. It is thought that only 300 of this reference were made and the design is somewhat of a missing link in the development of the Sub. It was the first model with the ‘Mercedes’ hands as opposed to ‘pencil’ hands. The dial of the 6200 features the rare Explorer 3, 6, 9 layout, inspired by the 1953 Explorer models. This was still a tool watch designed for professional divers. It had a large case with a large ‘Brevet’ crown, this improved water resistance and gave the masculine, sporty look.

Rolex, Ref. 6542. GMT-Master

I know that the folks over at Ryanair might disagree, but if anyone needs to know what time it is in two different places, its pilots. In 1954, Pan Am thought the same thing and commissioned Rolex to make a watch that could tell the time in two places at once. What they came up with was the GMT. The bezel insert had 24 hours markings and there was a second hour hand that revolved once every 24 hours. This allowed the Pan Am pilots to keep track of their how time zone.

Like most things, it’s the rarest models that are the most coveted. The 6542 models were made with a Bakelite bezel. Bakelite is a kind of precursor to plastic and was chosen for its low reflectivity and high readability. But Bakelite had one big drawback, it was fragile. So examples of the 6542 are extremely hard to come by and therefore command a pretty penny. Actually lots of pretty pennies.

Rolex Day-Date, Ref. 1803 Day-Date

For our last pick, let’s bring a little bling with this 18k gold Day-Date. The Day-Date harks back to 1955 and is still seen as one of Rolex’s most prestigious models. It’s been worn by anyone from presidents to business moguls, celebrities to sportsmen. It is, therefore, no wonder that the sheer variations of this particular model are kind of hard to wrap our heads around.

Shining bright, literally, are the models like this one with with the ‘Stella’ dial. These were made in the 1970s and early 80s in very limited numbers. The dials were lacquered with hand-mixed colours that would be applied layer after layer building up a richness and depth of colour that is impossible to replicate in any other way. This meant that no two dials were ever the same.

Hungry for more?

There are our top 5 out of the top 10. Remi continues his dive into the most cherished and sought after Rolex’s over on the full article here. It is really worth a read and there are a whole host of auctions to watch out for and articles to read. Christie’s is an amazing resource for all the things we love. We would love to say thank you for the information and the inspiration, guys!