As always, new Rolex releases bring the quiet discontinuation of Rolex watches, and Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024 is no different. Here’s a quick look at the watches Rolex discontinued from April 09, 2024.
Rolex Daytona Le Mans 126529LN
One of the most collectible and rare Rolex watches right from the moment when it was released in June 2023, the Rolex Daytona “Le Mans” reference 126529LN was always destined to be unobtainable for the overwhelming majority of VIP customers of the brand. In a rather shocking development, Rolex drops it from its collection after less than a year, as the Rolex Daytona Le Mans was in production just from June 2023 until April 2024. Basically, it is a Daytona in 18k white gold with a black Cerachrom ceramic bezel with a red “100” marker in honor of the centenary of Le Mans. In other words, the Rolex 126529LN was produced just for the centenary of this legendary race, and no longer. It is back in 18k yellow gold for 2024.
Rolex Datejust 36 126200 & 126233 With A Palm Dial & Fluted Dial
The Rolex Datejust 36 reference 126200 with so-called Palm dials and Fluted dials also got the axe for 2024. These laser-etched dials were beautifully made as they displayed depth and fascinating light-plays between their bright and dark surfaces. They well and truly were a tour de force of Rolex’s in-house manufacturing know-how, and are discontinued after just 3 years in production for the Rolex Datejust 36 Palm dials and Rolex Datejust 36 Fluted dials.
The Entire Rolex Yacht-Master II Collection
It is extremely rare for Rolex to drop an entire collection, and such a development is all the more surprising for a watch fitted with an expensively developed, fully bespoke movement. The Rolex Yacht-Master II is such a watch, as its Rolex 4161 caliber with its programmable countdown regatta chronograph operated through a crown, two pushers, and a Ring Command is as quirky as they could ever get not just in the world of Rolex, but in the world of luxury watchmaking in general. This is to say that we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Yacht-Master II or its 4161 caliber return at some point. The Yacht-Master II was updated a few years ago with the Rolex “Professional” style handset replacing the straight hands that debuted on the piece in 2007, but the collection was otherwise left largely untouched by Rolex, other than dropping the 18k white gold reference 116689 in 2022.
These are the most important and notable discontinuation news of Rolex watches for 2024. We will keep our eyes out for others that might have slipped through, but Rolex axing the laser-etched dials on the Datejust 36, dropping the Yacht-Master II collection in its entirety, and producing the Rolex Daytona “Le Mans” for such a brief period in the brand’s history is big news for 2024. You can learn more at the brand’s website.