The 10 Best Black Face Rolex Models of All-Time
Today, Rolex SA has its base of operations coming out of Geneva, Switzerland. However, the company was originally founded in 1905 out of London, England when Hand Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis teamed up to first start out as Wilsdorf and Davis. The name Rolex was first introduced in 1908 as Wilsdorf wanted an easy-to-pronounce name so that every language could identify with the brand without resorting to a translator.
The move to Switzerland from England came as a result of the devastation that was left in the wake of World War I. Heavy taxation laid upon the people of the nation prompted Wilsdorf to pick up shop and relocate. Rolex, as a company, owes its success to Wilsdorf’s marketing genius he had applied ever since coming up with what quickly became a world-famous brand.
Between the very public 1927 display of the Oyster hung off the neck of British Olympic swimmer Mercedes Gleitz and her swim across the English Channel, and a number of firsts and self-proclaimed firsts has made Rolex become more than simply another watchmaking manufacturer. Among the elite of society, as well as watch collectors and enthusiasts, owning a Rolex is like staking claim of a prestigious status symbol so few citizens seem to enjoy.
Black Face Rolex Watches
A question that circulates revolving around Rolex is if the company has ever made an all-black wristwatch. The answer to that is no, it hasn’t. However, they have produced black-faced watches from its brand name that fits the bill of a Black Face Rolex watch. The popularity of black-faced watches, especially coming from Rolex, is a classic timepiece that fits any occasion.
10. Black Rolex Sea-Dweller
Capable of reaching water depths up to 4,000 feet, the Rolex Sea-Dweller made a perfect choice for deep-sea divers who needed a watch they can read with ease while underwater. Despite the Rolex Sea-Dweller’s short production run from 2014 until 2017, it is one of the all-time favorite watches sought and worn by celebrities and Rolex watch enthusiasts.
9. Black Rolex Explorer & Explorer II
Spawned from the 1953 original Rolex Explorer, 1971’s Rolex Explorer II featured an improvement upon the large hour markers that emitted the glow of the luminous blue on the black dial that ensured easy visibility while enduring the harshest weather environments. One particular Black Rolex Explorer II watch that stuck out was the Rolex Black Venom, which was a customized version of this particular model. It is also a highly favored watch worn by scientists and expedition crews who venture into darker environments such as caves, mines, and tunnels.
8. Black Rolex Milgauss
Green sapphires with orange and lightning-bold shaped seconds hands add that much more intensity to the black dial, which gives this breed of the Rolex Milgauss watch a futuristic look. It is also every bit as sporty and functional, making it one of the most practical watches coming from the lineup of Rolex timepieces.
7. Black Knight Rolex Milgauss
The Black Knight Rolex Milgauss is a customized version of the original Black Milgauss Rolex. It’s a considerably more daring look of the black matte finish that features a stealthy dark grey dial. It is also a Rolex watch limited in production. The super-matt finish with diamond-like carbon coating is what adds that much more appeal to a watch lineup that has only twenty-five of them made.
6. Black Rolex Yachtmaster
With the choices of three different diameter sizes of thirty-seven, forty, and forty-two millimeters, the Rolex Yachtmaster watch makes it a highly appealing watch. In addition to the black face feature, this style of the watch also comes with a black band. The blend of a matte black bezel against the black dial makes this an exceptionally dark timepiece with a beautiful chroma light display for easy legibility. It is among the sportier watches coming from the Rolex brand.
5. Black Rolex Datejust
The black-faced Rolex Datejust is the ideal watch for everyday use, thanks to its practicality and 41-millimeter case size. The dial is uniquely designed with grooves pouring out from its center, which creates a sunray finish that forms subtle reflections of light as its accentuated by wrist movement. This style of watch is also referred to as Bright Black Dial, which can be upscaled by collectors and enthusiasts who don’t mind affording diamonds set into the bezels and jubilee bracelets. The Rolex Black Mother of Pearl features a variety of hues of black and intensity, which makes this particular breed of black-faced Rolex Datejust watches one of the most appealing.
4. Rolex GMT Master Black
Also considered as a cosmopolitan watch, the Black Master of the Rolex GMT lineup has served as that one watch ideal for professionals who want to make a solid fashion statement that their social status is a well-earned one. Already commanding respect as a GMT Rolex, the black-faced version seems to elevate the class level of this watch to a height no other watch of its sub-brand can achieve. The GMT watches are best known for showing a chronograph reading from two different time zones. The GMT watches began in 1955 and it has since become the official watch for pilots who fly with the Pan American World Airway.
3. Black Rolex GMT Master II
Debuting in 1982, the Rolex GMT Master II serves as an upgrade to the highly favored Rolex GMT Master series. The double-colored bezels featuring the black dial have been one of the most coveted Rolex watches within the GMT Master II series. Just like the original GMT Master series, it is a favorite watch worn by travelers who rely on the different time zone settings as they travel from one region to another.
2. Black Rolex Daytona
Since 1963, the Rolex Daytona has always been one of the most appreciated sports watches of all time, especially when Paul Newman made it a famous timepiece when the world spotted him wearing one as early as 1971 between his films, public appearances, and racing events. The Daytona was Rolex’s answer to meet the demands of racecar drivers who needed a watch to match their needs in timekeeping and movement performance. Always a classic, the black dial of the Black Rolex Daytona watches now features 18-karat gold hour markers with the hands infused with a Chroma light display. The prominence of the counters is just as stunning as the blend of oyster steel and black ceramic-chrome bezel.
1. Black Rolex Submariner
It is considered to be one of the most iconic black-faced Rolex watches of all time, at least according to watch critics such as Diamond Source NYC. The black dial has been the Rolex Submariner’s most appreciated feature and is a highly favored watch for divers who appreciate the ease of readability when they’re in the water as deep as the watch will allow, which in 1953 was 330 feet (100 meters). Today, the modern Rolex Submariner has a water resistance depth of 1,000 feet (330 meters). The white glow that stems from the black dial still makes the watch as easy to read today as it did when it was first introduced. A 2021 Black Face Rolex Submariner is sold today for approximately $11,000 USD. Since 1953, year for year, the Submariner as a watch has remained as one of the best quality watches ever made and continues to be a favorite choice among many watersport enthusiasts, regardless if they’re at an amateur level or professional.
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