Rolex bezel types: fluted, smooth, dive, GMT, tachymeter and more

The bezel is the ring around the crystal, and on a Rolex it does more to set the character of a watch than almost anything else. It can be pure decoration, a dive timer, a second time zone, a speed scale or a control for setting a calendar. It also changes the price: a fluted bezel is always precious metal, and a two-color ceramic insert separates references that otherwise look alike.

This guide covers each bezel type, the models that use it, and what to check when you buy. Specs come from our catalog and from the way Rolex describes its bezels on its website.

The bezel types at a glance

Fluted bezels

The fluted bezel goes back to the first Oyster case of 1926, when its ridges let it be screwed down tight to help seal the watch, according to Rolex. Since 1953 it has been friction-fitted instead, and today it is purely decorative. Rolex says it is made only in 18k gold or 950 platinum.

That one fact explains a lot of Datejust pricing. A Datejust with a smooth steel bezel, such as the Rolex Datejust 36 126200, is all steel. The same watch with a fluted white gold bezel, the Rolex Datejust 36 126234, is white Rolesor, and its reference ends in 4 rather than 0. Fluted bezels also appear on most Day-Date references in our catalog (a few have smooth gold or platinum bezels), on the 1908 in a domed form, and on the Land-Dweller.

When buying: look at the tops of the flutes. Sharp ridges suggest light polishing; rounded, soft ridges suggest a lot of metal has been removed over the years.

Smooth and domed bezels

The plain bezel of the Oyster Perpetual, the steel Datejust and the Explorer is the simplest option, polished and usually in the case metal. On the Rolex Air-King 126900 it is smooth and fixed.

Dive bezels

Rolex fits a unidirectional rotatable bezel to all its diving watches. Its 60-minute scale lets a diver line up the zero marker with the minute hand at the start of a dive and read elapsed time at a glance. A click mechanism keeps it from turning the wrong way, which Rolex presents as a safety feature, and the luminous marker at zero stays visible in the dark.

Current Submariner references use a Cerachrom ceramic insert, which Rolex describes as impervious to corrosion. Older references used aluminum: our catalog records the Rolex Submariner Date 16610LV “Kermit” with a green aluminum insert and its successor, the Rolex Submariner Date 116610LV “Hulk”, with green ceramic.

When buying: turn the bezel a full circle. Each click should be crisp and even, with no slack or skipped clicks, and it should not turn the other way at all. Check that the zero marker lines up exactly with the 12 o'clock marker on the dial. Ask whether the insert is original; Fratello notes that an aftermarket bezel on an old Submariner is a bigger problem than a genuine service replacement.

24-hour GMT bezels

The GMT-Master II uses a rotating bezel with a 24-hour scale that works with the extra 24-hour hand to show a second time zone. The two colors usually split day and night. Rolex introduced the two-color Cerachrom insert, two colors in a single piece of ceramic, on the GMT-Master II in 2013.

The colors carry the nicknames. The blue and red Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLRO “Pepsi” and the blue and black Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLNR “Batgirl” differ mainly in their bezels, and the reference suffix (BLRO, BLNR) tells you which is which. Older GMT-Master II references, such as the Rolex GMT-Master II 16710, were offered with several insert colors, including red and blue, red and black, and all black, per our catalog.

When buying: the bezel should turn in both directions with firm clicks. Check that the insert colors and the suffix in the reference agree.

Tachymeter bezels

Rolex introduced the tachymeter scale with the Cosmograph Daytona in 1963. Start the chronograph at a marker, stop it a set distance later, and the scale gives the speed. The scale runs from 400 down to 60.

The Daytona's bezel has come in metal and in ceramic. The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116520 has a steel bezel with an engraved scale; the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 126500LN has a black Cerachrom bezel. Compare their ranges in the table above before assuming one Daytona is priced like another.

Ring Command

The Sky-Dweller bezel is fluted, but it also works as a control. Rolex presented the Ring Command system in 2012: turn the bezel to one of its positions and the crown then sets the date and month, the local time or the reference time. It turns in both directions. The Sky-Dweller references in our catalog have a gold Ring Command bezel, fluted on almost all of them, including the Rolex Sky-Dweller 326934 in white Rolesor.

Yacht-Master and Explorer II bezels

The Yacht-Master uses a bidirectional 60-minute bezel with raised numerals. On the steel Rolex Yacht-Master 40 126622 it is 950 platinum, which is why that combination is called Rolesium; on the RLX titanium model it is Cerachrom.

The Explorer II's 24-hour bezel is fixed and is read against the watch's 24-hour hand. Our catalog records the current Rolex Explorer II 226570 with a brushed steel bezel and an engraved 24-hour scale.

Gem-set bezels

Diamond, sapphire and ruby bezels appear across the precious-metal range and carry letter suffixes. SwissWatchExpo lists SARU for sapphires and rubies and RBOW for rainbow sapphires, and our catalog uses RBR and TBR for diamond-set versions. Check the stones against the reference: aftermarket diamond bezels exist, and Rolex's warranty excludes watches modified with non-genuine bezels.

What to check on any bezel

A bezel is one of the parts most often replaced, either during a service or to change the look of a watch. A genuine replacement of the right type is normal on an older watch. A bezel or insert that doesn't belong to the reference is not, and it affects both the price and, according to Rolex, the warranty. Run through this list on every watch:

• The bezel type and material match the reference page.
• The suffix (LN, LV, BLRO and so on) matches the insert colors.
• Rotating bezels turn in the right direction, with even clicks.
• The zero or 12 o'clock marker lines up with the dial.
• Flutes and edges are sharp, not polished round.
• The seller can say whether the insert or bezel was ever replaced, and with what.