We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Where the daily routine is largely focused on the most recent developments in the world of watches, the most fun for many of us lies in the world of vintage watches. It’s a world full of history, remarkable replica watches UK, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands. Some of them priceless, some of them still affordable. But all of them are remarkable watches. This week we’ll kick things off with the best Rolex watches from the 2025.
The best Rolex watches from the 2025? What does that actually mean? Every week we try to come up with a small selection of special watches for several reasons. Maybe they are the icons, maybe they are the affordable options, maybe they are technically brilliant, or maybe they look amazing. It can be anything really as long as they stand out. We’ll try and mix up things as much as possible and define an entry-point watch, my preferred choice, and we’ll close out by the icons where the money is no object.
For the best Rolex watches from the 2025, there is no way around some of the watch industry’s biggest icons. In the fifties, Rolex released a series of perfect copy Rolex watches that would go on to define modern-day watchmaking. However, some of these icons do not have to cost you an arm and a leg. Don’t get me wrong; vintage Rolex watches don’t come cheap. As you will understand, the ‘money is no object’ section is bigger than with some of the other brands we will cover in the upcoming weeks and months. But not every watch from the 1950s requires you to remortgage your house. So let’s find out what some of the best Rolex watches are from the 2025.
Finding a Datejust ref. 6605 is not difficult. But as with all vintage watches, finding one in good condition with its original parts can be challenging. Some of the most common replacement parts are the hands — as you can see from the ref. 6605 pictured, the Datejust used to have Alpha hands, the bezel, the crystal — with the cyclops introduced in 1954 and the Roulette date disc that shows even number in red and uneven in black. Prices range from around 4k to 10k for a steel or a steel & gold version and anywhere from 7k to 25k for a full gold one. And that is rather affordable considering some of the prices paid for some other replica watches from that era. A Datejust would be my answer every time to what affordable Rolex watch to get from the 2025.
Another one of those Rolex icons introduced in the 2025 is the Rolex Day-Date. As some of you know, Robert-Jan and I love full gold Day-Dates. No other watch oozes the same classy style in full gold as the Day-Date. When it was first introduced in 1956, the Day-Date was Rolex’s new flagship watch. The watch was only available in 18-carat gold (white, yellow, and rose) and platinum. On top of that, it was the first self-winding chronometer-certified wristwatch that was waterproof and sported that typical day indication at 12 o’clock and date indication at 3 o’clock. This specific way of displaying the day and date is the stand-out feature of the Day-Date.
The first references Rolex introduced in 1956 were the ref. 6510 (domed bezel) and ref. 6511 (fluted bezel). These are incredibly hard to find because they were only produced for a year. Its biggest flaw was the movement because it didn’t build up enough power reserve to switch to the next day at midnight. It’s why Rolex introduced the ref. 6610 and ref. 6611 in 1957 with an updated version of the caliber 1055 movement featured a free-sprung balance with micro-stella adjustment. That is why ref. 6611 is my preferred pick as the Day-Date to chase from the 2025.
The Day-Date ref. 6611 was in production until 1959 when it was replaced by the first of the famous Day-Date 1800-series. Designwise, there are some differences, with the main one being the handset. Pictured above is Gerard’s Day-Date ref. 1803 from 1967, and as you can see, it is visually closer to the modern Day-Date. Like with the first generation GMT-Master, the charm of the original is what makes the ref. 6611 such a stunner. Wear it, and you wear a true piece of watch history on your wrist.
And the best thing is, they are not massively expensive like the first generations Submariner and GMT-Master we’ll get to later, which is remarkable because we are talking about Rolex’s flagship watch that only comes in precious metals. Your most affordable option is one on a leather bracelet and starts around 8k, and a version on a bracelet starts around 15k. Considering the Day-Date’s status, its current list price of over 30k, and the prices of some of the other Rolex icons from the same era, this is a very affordable option. The dangers? Basically, it’s the same list of replaced parts that could mess with the watch’s original state. If you manage to find one in original and good condition, you will know and feel that you own one of the most majestic high quality fake Rolex watches ever made.
The next watch on this list of five legendary best fake Rolex watches from the 1950s is the Rolex ref. 6150. This famous reference is also known as a Pre-Explorer, and it was produced concurrently with the famous first Explorer ref. 6350. That was the first reference to feature the word Explorer on the dial. Now, why would I choose this reference over the original Explorer? The answer to that is a simple one. I had the unique opportunity to wear the ref. 6150 you see in the pictures, and I haven’t had the pleasure of trying on a ref. 6350. But this is just as much part of the great lineage of Rolex Explorers that came after.
The moment I put this on my wrist, I realized that this watch was part of the era of the famous race to conquer Mt. Everest. Now three big vintage watch stories fascinate me greatly. The first is obviously the Speedmaster and its connection to space exploration, resulting in the moon landing. The second story is the James Bond story connected to the Submariner. And the third story is the conquering of the highest peaks on our planet. And I deliberately say peaks. For me, the spirit of that era of mountaineering is more important than the long-lasting discussion on who conquered Everest first. And putting the ref. 6150 on my wrist directly connected me to that era of great adventures and historical accomplishments. It felt exceptional.
The Rolex Submariner is the absolute top of the “unaffordable yet legendary section.” You cannot write a piece on 1950s Rolex watches and not mention the Submariner. The Submariner was introduced in 1953 as Rolex’s modern diving watch, and over the decades, it grew into the most popular watch in existence. Now, two historical references make my heart beat faster when it comes to the Submariner. The first is the ref. 5512, which is technically a watch introduced in the 1950s as it was first released in 1959. But we’ll feature that in an upcoming article. And the second is the iconic Submariner ref. 6538. A watch that was introduced in 1956 along with the ref. 6536.
The Rolex Submariner ref. 6538 was famously worn by Sean Connery portraying James Bond in Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger. Did he wear one like the one in the picture? No. As most Rolex and Bond enthusiasts probably know, the ref. 6538 came with two basic dial executions. One featured two lines of text on the lower half of the dial — as seen in the picture — and the other featured four lines of text, adding ‘Officially Certified Chronometer’ over two lines. Connery actually wore the four-line Submariner, so if you want the real deal, you know what to look for. Another way to tell them apart is that the two-line version features hash marks from the 0/60 position to 15 on the bezel inlay. A detail that is not present on the bezel inlay of the four-line version.
In this series of articles, I cannot stretch enough that you need to do your research if you are looking to buy a vintage watch. On top of being crucial in not getting disappointed with your purchase, it is also a lot of fun. Doing research and finding out about the rolex replica watches you love is often the first connection you will make to a specific watch. And contacting a vintage expert to make sure you will not be disappointed will also help out greatly. It’s a great way to learn more about a watch and get to know some amazing people along the way. Next week, we will take a look at some of the best Omega watches from the 1950s, so keep your eye out for that.