Watches & Wonders 2026: New Rolex & Cartier Models and What Went Out of Production

Watches & Wonders 2026 — Geneva

On April 14, 2026, Watches & Wonders opened in Geneva. For Rolex, everything this year revolves around one number: one hundred. A century of Oyster case — the waterproof housing patented in 1926 that became the template for nearly everything that followed. The 2026 collection is called Oyster Story, and every new model carries that theme.

But not every story is about what arrives. Some are about what leaves. On the same morning the new enamel Daytona was unveiled, the Pepsi GMT-Master II disappeared from the steel catalogue for the first time in a decade. A celebration and a closing, in a single release cycle.

Here’s what changed — at Rolex and Cartier — and what it means for anyone looking at a watch right now.

Rolex — The New Models

Cosmograph Daytona 126502 — Rolesium with White Enamel

The most talked-about release of the year: a Daytona in Rolesium (steel with platinum bezel) featuring a white enamel dial and a grey ceramic bezel. Enamel on a Daytona is exceptional — a material that demands dozens of hours of handwork and maintains the same lustre decades later. The grey bezel is a quiet choice; a contrast that stands out by refusing to.

Oyster Perpetual 36 — Jubilee Dial

To mark a century of the Oyster, the OP 36 receives a multicoloured dial built from the letters that spell ROLEX — a Jubilee motif in miniature. Not a subtle reference; an unmistakable one.

Oyster Perpetual 28 in Yellow Gold

The 28mm receives its first execution in solid 18-carat yellow gold with a green stone lacquer dial and hour markers in heliotrope — a natural stone in green with subtle colour reflections. Smaller size, serious material choice.

Oyster Perpetual 34 in Yellow Gold & Everose

The OP 34 — long an entry model — moves up to a fully gold position. Available in yellow gold and 18k Everose, with dials in turquoise, mother-of-pearl, black and blue.

Day-Date in Jubilee Gold

Rolex introduces an entirely new alloy: Jubilee gold. An 18-carat gold alloy developed and cast in-house, with a colour that shifts between soft yellow, warm grey, and pinkish copper depending on the light. The Day-Date is the first reference to carry it.

Yacht-Master II — The Return

After being discontinued in 2024, the Yacht-Master II returns to the catalogue. Not identically. The complex Ring Lock bezel has given way to a blue Cerachrom dive-style bezel. The design is tighter, the dial more legible, with maxi-style diver markers. A reimagination rather than a repeat.

Technical — Tightened Superlative Chronometer

Less visible but equally significant: Rolex has tightened its Superlative Chronometer certification for 2026. Every watch in the new collection carries the revised certification, with stricter accuracy and testing standards.

Rolex — What’s Gone

GMT-Master II Pepsi (126710BLRO & 126719BLRO)

The big confirmation of the year: the Pepsi is out of production. Both the steel 126710BLRO and the white gold 126719BLRO have disappeared from the configurator. For the first time since the introduction of Cerachrom in the GMT line, no steel GMT-Master II with a red bezel exists. The steel line now consists of:

Of the anticipated “Coke” — red-black — there’s no sign. It didn’t come, and won’t arrive later in 2026 either.

Read our deeper take on the Pepsi discontinuation →

Submariner Date “Cookie Monster” (126619LB)

The second major departure. The 18K white gold Submariner Date with blue ceramic bezel — known by the nickname Cookie Monster — is also out of production. Retail was approx. €46,000. Rolex loses one of the few white gold sports variants in the active catalogue.

Two Blue Tones, One Day

That Pepsi and Cookie Monster disappear on the same day is no coincidence. Two ceramic blue-based bezels leave the collection in a single Watches & Wonders cycle. Rolex is recalibrating which colour combinations survive — and which make way for newer forms.

Earlier Discontinuations — Context

To place the 2026 shifts in perspective: Rolex has quietly but steadily pared down models over recent years. A brief state-of-play per line — these are discontinued models, not to be confused with off-catalogue pieces, which we cover separately below:

Off-Catalogue Pieces — Reserved for Select Clients

Alongside the public collection, Rolex traditionally reveals pieces at Watches & Wonders that don’t appear in the official catalogue. These are low-production pieces, reserved for select clients through boutique relationships — not orderable through usual channels, no reference page on rolex.com, no press coverage in the broader marketing.

Day-Date 40 in Jubilee Gold — Two Off-Catalogue Dials

The most discussed off-catalogue releases of the year sit in the Day-Date 40 line (case ref. 228235) in the new Jubilee Gold alloy, with two exclusive dial executions:

• Ref. 228235JG-0003 — light green aventurine dial (natural stone, not a glass imitation) with fine grey inclusions that make every example unique, paired with baguette-cut diamond hour markers.
• Ref. 228235JG-0002 — gold leaf dial with the distinctive gold-leaf texture that Rolex finishes by hand in its atelier.

No dedicated product page on rolex.com, no press release in broader communications — both references are only visible to clients with direct boutique access.

Stone-Dial GMT-Master II — Two Off-Catalogue Variations

At W&W 2026 Rolex also showed two GMT-Master II executions with natural stone dials — part of the off-catalogue circuit, not in the public configurator. Specific reference numbers weren’t disclosed through official channels; identification happens via boutique presentation.

Day-Date 36 — Six Stone-Dial Off-Catalogue Versions

The Day-Date 36 line received an extension of six new stone-dial executions — varying by stone type and colour. These round out the off-catalogue Day-Date selection of 2026. Also available only through boutique relationships.

Yacht-Master 40 — Carnelian Stone Dial

The most eye-catching off-catalogue release in a sporting silhouette: the Yacht-Master 40 with a carnelian dial — a red-orange natural stone that almost glows in the sun. Retail around €165,000. Very limited production, boutique allocation only.

What makes this category special: it’s not a press-release strategy. It’s a quiet extension of the collection into the highest segments — for clients who have known Rolex for years and for whom the brand is willing to work outside the standard configuration. Off-catalogue is not a marketing label; it’s a relationship-based channel.

“The distinction between discontinued and off-catalogue: discontinued is what leaves the public collection. Off-catalogue is what was never in it — deliberately reserved for select clients.”

Cartier — The Surprises

The Cartier theme for 2026 is Watchmaker of Shapes, Master of Crafts. A statement that translates into several releases.

Roadster — Back from the 2000s

The biggest surprise: the Roadster returns. The 2002 model, with its auto-inspired case and speedo-style dial, disappeared from the collection for years. Cartier brings it back in steel, bicolor (steel and gold) and full yellow gold. For anyone who once gave up on mid-2000s style too early: it’s officially relevant again.

Santos-Dumont — New Multi-Link Bracelet

The Santos-Dumont receives a polished multi-link bracelet referencing the made-to-measure bracelets of the 1920s. One gold version carries gilded obsidian — a natural stone with iridescent reflections from microbubbles in the material.

Tortue — Five New Executions

Cartier presents five new Tortue models, with a case profile slightly more rounded and refined than the original. Softer lines, generous proportions.

Cartier Privé — 10th Opus

For the 10-year anniversary of the Privé collection, Cartier honours three emblematic shapes from earlier editions: the Tank Normale, the Tortue Chronographe Monopoussoir and the Crash Squelette. For anyone who knows Cartier at depth: this is the collector moment of the year.

The Underlying Movement

Watches & Wonders 2026 tells one clear story, spread across two brands: shapes matter again. Cartier leans into forms from its archive. Rolex celebrates a century of one specific shape — the Oyster. And at the same time, Rolex lets go of icons it could have kept producing, to make room for new accents.

“A collection is defined not by what arrives, but by what falls away. 2026 is a marker year — for anyone paying attention.”

What This Means for You

If you had a Pepsi or Cookie Monster on your list: the waitlist route no longer exists. The pre-owned market is now the only way, and prices there react fast.

If you’re looking at a new Daytona: the 126502 in Rolesium with enamel will be rarer in production than the usual steel-ceramic configurations. Reserve early or accept a longer wait.

If you collect Cartier: the Tortue expansion and Privé Opus 10 are the releases to watch. Smaller runs, more specific demand.

At XELOR we follow every movement in the catalogue — new, discontinued, and the grey market between. If you’re looking for or wanting to sell one of the references above, let us know.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Watches & Wonders 2026?

The fair opened on April 14, 2026 in Geneva. Most new Rolex and Cartier models were unveiled and shown to the press on the same day.

What is Rolex’s main theme in 2026?

One hundred years of the Oyster case. The entire collection carries the banner Oyster Story. Every release refers in some way to the centenary.

Which Rolex models are out of production in 2026?

The GMT-Master II Pepsi (126710BLRO and white gold 126719BLRO) and the Submariner Date Cookie Monster (126619LB). Both were confirmed on April 14, 2026.

What is Jubilee gold?

A new 18k gold alloy developed and cast by Rolex in-house. The colour varies under light between soft yellow, warm grey and pinkish copper. The Day-Date is the first reference to carry it.

Is the Milgauss coming back?

Not at Watches & Wonders 2026. Despite speculation around the 70th anniversary and a Rolex patent from September 2025 for coloured sapphire crystals, no new Milgauss was announced.

What’s the biggest Cartier release of 2026?

The return of the Roadster, complemented by five new Tortue models and the Privé 10th Opus (Tank Normale, Tortue Monopoussoir, Crash Squelette).