January is the time of the first tennis Grand Slam of the year. Taking place at Melbourne Park, Victoria, from January 16 – 29, 2017, the best tennis players in the world will battle it out for victory. Since 2008, Rolex has been a major sponsor of the Australian Open as well as the official timekeeper. This partnership—along with its sponsorship of Wimbledon, Shanghai Masters, and Monte-Carlo Masters—underlies the Swiss watchmaker’s support of tennis. Additionally, Rolex will see some of its own brand ambassadors, including the great Roger Federer, compete in this year’s edition of the Australian Open. Roger Federer has named this particular tournament the “Happy Slam” as it’s always a good time for both players and spectators. Not only will there be famous tennis players, but there will also be many famous blue Rolex watches.
An iconic sight of the Australian Open are the bright blue hardcourts that the games are played on. Blue is also a signature color of Rolex, appearing on many of their timepieces. So in honor of the first Grand Slam of the season, we take a look at some blue Rolex watches.
Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 116710 BLNR
Easily one of the most in-demand modern Rolex today, the GMT-Master II ref. 116710 BLNR has everything you want in a sports watch. Its 40mm stainless steel case is topped with the Cerachrom ceramic bezel in blue and black, hence its nickname, “Batman”. Ceramic is particularly robust due to its resistance to fading and scratching. The black dial of the ref. 116710 BLNR features the Maxi Dial with large lume plots and Mercedes-style hands. Furthermore, it has fantastic legibility in the dark, emitting a blue glow in low light. The GMT-Master II collection became famous for its ability to indicate multiple time zones thanks to its 24-hour hand and 24-hour rotating bezel. Originally built for pilots, today the popularity of the GMT-Master II stretches well beyond flying professionals. And the GMT-Master II ref. 116710 BLNR is one of the collection’s best.
Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea D-Blue Dial ref. 116660
Part of Rolex’s dive watches, the Deepsea Sea-Dweller can plunge down to 12,800 feet (3,900 meters). Its resistance to ultra-deep waters is possible because of the 44mm case’s construction—including a titanium caseback—and the watch’s Helium Escape Valve (HEV). The HEV is a clever mechanism that releases any built-up helium and other gasses in the watch as it goes deeper into the water to prevent any damage. This particular Deepsea includes the special D-Blue dial that Rolex launched to commemorate James Cameron’s successful Deepsea Challenge expedition where he manned a submersible down to is 35,787 feet to reach Challenger Deep, the water’s deepest point. The D-Blue dial has a gradient from blue to black to represent the water going darker as one goes deeper. It also includes the “DEEPSEA” label in the same green color as the Deepsea Challenger submersible.
Rolex Datejust II ref. 116334
A larger version of the traditional Datejust, the Datejust II measures a modern 41mm size. This specific Datejust II ref. 116334 sports a bright blue dial furnished with Roman numerals and an 18k white gold fluted bezel. The stainless steel Oyster bracelet is not only great to look at but comfortable to wear too. Driving the Datejust II is the famous Caliber 3136 automatic movement built in-house at the Rolex facilities. The self-winding caliber has 42 hours of power reserve and offers the hour, minute, and seconds functions in addition to powering the date window at 3 o’clock. An iconic design trait of the Datejust is the Cyclops lens attached to the sapphire crystal just above the date that magnifies it 2.5 times. The Datejust II is a classic luxury dress watch that’s been updated to reflect current tastes.
This was our list of our favorite blue Rolex watches. This year’s Australian Open promises to be one of the most exciting in recent years with the sport’s leading players in top form. And since Australia is on the other side of the globe, we’ll be looking to our Rolex watches to keep track of game times.
