The most discussed debut of Watches & Wonders 2025, the Rolex Land-Dweller is an entirely new model with a new case and bracelet, but that’s not why it is significant.

While Rolex is conventionally associated with incremental innovation, the Land-Dweller is game changing. Not because of the design, but because it’s equipped with perhaps the ultimate mechanical movement produced at scale in contemporary watchmaking, a calibre that’s the subject of 16 patents. (The finer technical details can be found in our accompanying story.)

The cal. 7135 inside the Land-Dweller is a new, sophisticated calibre equipped with an indirect-impulse, double-wheel escapement that’s entirely in silicon – christened Dynapulse – matched with a ceramic balance pivot. And it’s a high-frequency calibre running at 5 Hz or 36,000 beats per hour. Cumulatively, that makes for a superior timekeeper on the wrist.

The Land-Dweller debuts in two sizes, 36 mm and 40 mm, in three basic variants: white Rolesor, Everose gold, and platinum. There are also a handful of high-jeweller versions.

The Land-Dweller in white Rolesor on Roger Federer’s wrist. Image – Rolex

Initial thoughts

The Land-Dweller is both surprising and predictable. The styling is surprising; the integrated bracelet echoes historical watches like the Oysterquartz and ref. 5100 Beta 21 but I never expected it.

The Land-Dweller looks and feels surprising for a Rolex Oyster. At 9.7 mm it’s the slimmest Oyster Perpetual in the catalogue in fact. But it remains equally robust with a screw-down crown and 100 m of water resistance.

The execution, however, is typical of Rolex, which is to say outstanding. The cal. 7135 with its multiple innovations – 16 patents for the movement alone – is perhaps the new benchmark in advanced, industrial mechanical timekeeping. Although the cal. 7135 is tested to the same Superlative Chronometer standard of +/-2 seconds a day, I expect it will perform substantially better on the wrist.

The Dynapulse escapement of the cal. 7135. Image – Rolex

Beyond the landmark achievement of the cal. 7135, the attention to detail in the patented bracelet attachment (tungsten carbide sockets and ceramic clips for the spring bar) is incredible and speaks to the obsession with long-term robustness that’s a hallmark of Rolex engineering.

At any other brand, a watch with this many innovations would probably be a concept watch. The Land-Dweller, on the other hand, is serial production and unexpectedly well priced. In typical Rolex fashion the retail price is reasonable, with the white Rolesor version (which is steel and white gold), priced at US$14,900. The equivalent Datejust, on the other hand, is US$10,550.

I would absolutely buy a Land-Dweller 40, though I expect availability, at least initially, will be scarce as is the case with every new Rolex.

The only thing I would change is the honeycomb pattern on the dial. It’s certainly modern and distinct from other Rolex dials, but I would have preferred something simpler or more subtle. I am sure there will be more iterations of the Land-Dweller to come, so this is merely a matter of time.

The ideal everyday timekeeper

According to a Davide Airoldi, head of design at Rolex, the Land-Dweller is conceived as a robust, elegant everyday watch. This explains the slimmer profile and the advanced movement inside.

Rolex’s head of heritage, Christophe Carrupt, explains the Land-Dweller is novel for the current catalogue but still very much rooted in Rolex history. The aesthetic was inspired by the Oysterquartz ref. 1630 introduced in 1974 and the preceding ref. 5100 Beta 21 of 1970. The integrated bracelet and flat Jubilee bracelet in particular echo the Oysterquartz (though there were also mechanical Oyster models with the same case).

Because of the slim cal. 7135, the Land-Dweller case is just 9.7 mm high in both 36 mm and 40 mm sizes. The thin profile gives it a refined feel that is not common to the usually robust Oyster.

Adding to the refinement is the polished bevel along the upper edge of the case that continues into the links of the bracelet. This is the first time in a long time that Rolex is incorporating polished bevels along the case, but it’s a welcome addition because it adds to the visual appeal.

Interestingly, the fluted bezel is a Rolex signature, but it’s been modernised for the Land-Dweller. The flutes are wider, resulting in a more pronounced pattern on the bezel. The Land-Dweller 40 bezel has 60 flutes, compared to 72 for the equivalent Day-Date 40.

Personally, I would have loved the platinum Land-Dweller to feature the smooth bezel that was historically a feature of the platinum Day-Date but eliminated not too long ago in favour of the fluted bezel that is not standard across the Datejust and Day-Date.

Also conceived as a modern touch is the honeycomb pattern on the dial that’s unique to the Land-Dweller. It’s actually a variant of the fluted motif dial found on the Datejust, but made more pronounced here with a larger, relief grain.

The honeycomb pattern is engraved with a femtolaser, essentially an extra-fine laser similar to that used for eye surgery. The femtolaser cuts the honeycomb pattern and also etches the fine lines in between the cells. The contrast between the radially brushed cells and finely-etched borders allows the dial to catch the light nicely.

The laser etching is an intriguing touch as although the laser etching process is high-tech, the resulting lines between the cells bring to mind guilloche.

Another example of modern technology in the dial is the luminous ceramic-resin composite that form the lume on the hour markers. Instead of conventional luminous paint that is applied as a liquid, the hour markers contain solid blocks of lume.

The solid lume is produced with ceramic powder infused with luminous pigment that’s then mixed with a thermosetting polymer, after which the mixture is baked in an oven to form a solid block. The blocks are then precisely machined to form the hour marker inserts that are perfectly shaped and cover each index from end to end.

The most impressive design element of the Land-Dweller in my opinion, is the bracelet. Or more accurately, the construction of the bracelet attachment.

While the bracelet appears to be a straightforward set-up that’s secured to the case with a spring bar, there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Because the lug width is relatively narrow, just 7 mm compared to 20 mm or so for a conventional case, the spring bar had to be beefed up to be strong enough to be secure and robust.

Furthermore, the first link of the bracelet pivots on the spring bar, creating a rotational friction that would ordinarily cause wear. The Rolex solution was, of course, almost unbelievable in its detail and thoroughness – and includes one patent pending feature.

Firstly, the sockets in the lugs that accommodate the spring bars are coated in tungsten carbide, a hard-wearing material typically used for industrial drill bits.

Just to be safe, the spring bars are also secured in place with ceramic pins for an additional level of wear resistance. And then just to ensure this essentially lasts forever, the springs bars are locked in place with a lateral screw from inside the watch case.

Cal. 7135

The cal. 7135 in the Land-Dweller is part of the same family of movements as the cal. 7140 found in the Perpetual 1908 launched in 2023. While the two movements are superficially similar when seen through the display back, the cal. 7135 is notably more advanced.

The cal. 7135 is fundamentally a high-beat chronometer calibre. It’s the first high-frequency in-house Rolex movement with the balance running at 5 Hz or 36,000 beats per hour.

In comparison, the cal. 7140 of the 1908 runs at a conventional 4 Hz or 28,800 beats per hour, the standard across the Rolex catalogue until now.

Despite being high beat, the cal. 7135 retains the same 66-hour power reserve as the cal. 7140. Credit for that primarily goes to the Dynapulse escapement, a high-efficiency escapement that is 30% more efficient than a typical Swiss lever escapement. Put another way, it consumes 30% less energy, all else being equal.

The secret to the Dynapulse escapement lies in the fact that it is entirely silicon, and composed of twin escape wheels that tangentially impulse a lever that in turn drives the balance. The lightness of the components and minimal friction during operation are the reason for the high efficiency.

Beyond the escapement, the cal. 7135 also features a Syloxi silicon hairspring that was optimised for the cal. 7135, though it shares many elements with the hairspring found in the cal. 7140, including the unique mounting system.

New to the cal. 7135, however, is the ceramic balance staff. It’s made of ceramic that is sculpted by femtolaser, then mirror polished by femtolaser, resulting in perfect geometry and a perfect mirrored surface.

The ceramic balance staff and Syloxi hairspring. Image – Rolex

Conventional wisdom would have it that ceramic is fragile due to its hardness, but the material used for the balance staff is a zirconium-based ceramic formulated to be shock resistant. Notably, the Rolex group has used ceramic balance staffs but the ceramic formulation for the cal. 7135 is entirely new.

And although the ceramic balance staff is conceived to be shock resistant, the cal. 7135 also incorporates a new shock absorber for both ends of the balance pivot. Made up of a redesigned spring and cap jewel, the optimised Paraflex shock absorbers on both ends allow the balance to absorb lateral and vertical shocks; even if the balance staff is displaced, a cone-shaped ring slides it back into back at both ends.

For even more detail on the movement and its innovation, see our in-depth story on the cal. 7135 and Dynapulse.

Key facts and price

Rolex Land-Dweller 36 and 40
Ref. 127234 (Rolesor, 36 mm)
Ref. 127334 (Rolesor, 40 mm)
Ref. 127235 (Everose, 36 mm)
Ref. 127335 (Everose, 40 mm)
Ref. 127385 TBR (Everose, 40 mm, diamond-set bezel)
Ref. 127236 (Platinum, 36 mm)
Ref. 127286 TBR (Platinum, 36 mm, diamond-set bezel)
Ref. 127336 (Platinum, 40 mm)

Diameter: 36 mm or 40 mm
Height: 9.7 mm
Material: Rolesor (steel and white gold), Everose gold, or platinum
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: Cal. 7135
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and date
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 36,000 beats per hour (5 Hz)
Power reserve: 66 hours

Strap: Flat Jubilee bracelet

Limited edition: No
Availability: Available at Rolex boutiques and retailers starting April 2025
Price: US$14,900 in Rolesor; US$63,500 in platinum; and US$88,300 in Everose with diamond-set bezel

For more, visit Rolex.com.