What is the best Rolex as a dress watch for work?

[honuswagner13]

Rose gold olive DD.

[Za1]

Exp I 36mm works really well for me


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[spellmanski]

Dj

[Tylerlsu2008]

Originally Posted by 2000-NJDEVILS

What would be the best Rolex to wear as a dress watch for work?

Wear whatever you want. My boss who is very senior wears his 44mm Panerai on a bracelet 90% of the time.

[Joearch]

I wear them all.

[gerry100]

A fake YG day/date

Show off your ambition.

[Calatrava r]

I like a 36mm DateJust for work.

[ons2101]

Originally Posted by the dark knight

I cut across the grain a bit in these discussions. I think a flash/eye-catching watch is NOT what a traditional dress watch should be. Should be subdued and nondescript. So a DJ with jubilee which seems to be the most oft-cited model when this topic comes up is not a good candidate imo.

I think a 36mm OP or Exp I is the best candidate.

This is the best answer.

Here are my thoughts

Of course you can wear whatever you want and 95% of people around you won’t notice or care
Meaning I’ve seen a lot of submariners with a suit and it’s fine.

I agree that most people here will say Datejust - I can see why it’s commonly recommended

However in my opinion it really depends on where you work and what your surroundings are and how comfortable you are and how much attention you want or are comfortable with. A fluted jubilee Datejust is super flashy and I think will get noticed a lot.

For example I have a fluted DJ and don’t wear it to work anymore bc I get a lot of comments about it and unsolicited comments about how much it is and and oh wow you have a Rolex.

So I wear my OP 36 and my Explorer 1, and it goes totally under the radar and that’s what I love about them. Looks great no matter what I am wearing. Shirt and tie or casual Friday.

So what’s your environment ? Are most of your colleagues in similar positions wearing nice watches and you fit in with a Rolex ?

Or would wearing a 8-10k watch to work be out of place with your colleagues ? It depends if you care or not, or if it attracts unwanted attention and you just don’t want to deal with that.

In this forum, we are all talking about watches that are 5k-50k or more, so it’s a select crowd.

A true dress watch is any watch with a leather strap. But nowadays I just see stainless steel watches or Apple Watches or Garmin/fitbit even with suits bc most don’t really care.


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[Duke10]

For most of us that don’t summer in Nantucket a Rolex is a dress watch. I own my business and wear only ss models as I don’t care for PM (the weight or the cost) sub LV and 16710 Pepsi. Can wear it with a suit or t shirt which is great cause I only have to wear suits sparingly. My brother has the red line sea dweller and does find it too big for a cuff. Sub is almost there too I would say. It all depends on your style and what you need to wear. Dude who works for me just got a 36 explorer and it is a pretty slick yet simple watch. Too small for my wrist but it or datejust would be a great start imo. I do see myself getting a day date for a special occasion at some point down the road but at age 40 I still just love the sport models. Next up for me is VTNR on jubilee and black dial Daytona. Buy what YOU like and to heck with anything else. Whatever you do don’t put yourself in a financial bind over a watch. You will never get the joy out of it if it’s a stretch. Plus at the end of the day it’s just a watch. Much like cars, the new car smell doesn’t last very long….lol. Thankfully these lil pieces of art tend to hold value so you can typically swap out or upgrade as style changes.


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[WhiskeyKoffee]

Originally Posted by Kevin of Larchmont

Any Rolex is dressy enough for work. Its a freakin’ Rolex.

I completely agree. I can't imagine any Rolex being too casual for work. I'm a full-time Judge and am on the bench most days. I rotate my rose gold Yachtmaster and my Submariner Hulk. Both feel entirely appropriate to me, though I due tend to wear my Submariner when I'm dressed very casual.

[Snow-Dweller]

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[BCoolidge]

I wear a Batman to work everyday. My boss wears a Sub.

Do I feel bad about it? I mean, a little bit, but you only live once so just wear what you want.

[zabazja]

I would say something special and off-catalog is always the best for any event.

[Brucie D]

Originally Posted by Watchsprings

I think a 36 DJ is the perfect dress work watch.

Second this. Perhaps something a bit subtle like all steel / oyster:




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[kieselguhr]

The only Rolex models that qualify as dress by modern standards are the Cellini and 1908.

Actual dress watches are steel (precious white metal maybe okay), time only no seconds, no complication, black leather strap.

[Krash]

Originally Posted by kieselguhr

The only Rolex models that qualify as dress by modern standards are the Cellini and 1908.

Actual dress watches are steel (precious white metal maybe okay), time only no seconds, no complication, black leather strap.

Doesn’t matter. Almost every company is casual now. A dress watch as you describe it, which is technically correct, isn’t really needed anymore by most folks. Only a small minority of people wear suits anymore, and you’re more likely to see them wearing a Sub or DJ anyway.


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[kieselguhr]

Originally Posted by Krash

Doesn’t matter. Almost every company is casual now. A dress watch as you describe it, which is technically correct, isn’t really needed anymore by most folks. Only a small minority of people wear suits anymore, and you’re more likely to see them wearing a Sub or DJ anyway.


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I agree with you. It doesn’t matter. Just answering the OPs question.

People should wear what they want. I’ve worn Milgauss, GMT, DJ, Subs, Panerai, etc. to formal black tie events, galas, and nobody bats an eye. This isn’t 1924. It’s 2024.

[WatchEnthusiast7369]

I mostly switch between my BLRO and YM 40 Slate Dial to work. I love both watches. On Fridays when, I dress slightly more casual I wear my RG Daytona on Oysterflex. My Sky-Dweller on Jubilee Blue Dial gets used the least amount but I do wear with a suit here and there and every time I put in on I wonder why I don't wear it more.

[2000-NJDEVILS]

I’m the OP.
Thank you all for so many great and thoughtful ideas - it’s very much appreciated!

[yankeeromeo]

I second the OP

[White Collar Boy]

Anything goes these days, but something vintage like an OP Date (34mm), Datejust or Explorer (36mm), but on a leather strap.

[Hardtimes]

I guess it depends on the type of workplace. For me personally, Id wear whatever I wanted and since I love DDs that would be my choice.

[dnd2984]

Apple Watch...

I wear everything from a SS Daytona, BLNR to Gold Daytona. What I realized is no one cares.

If you want to be safe go with a 36mm DJ silver dial.

[7enderbender]

Hardly any of the Rolex watches are traditional dress watches if that’s what you’re after or your work environment calls for.
In real life I’d say wear what you like,unless it’s a truly formal setting. Work can be a bit sensitive. My go-to for the office is my Speedy. Nice enough watchin general and I personally it a lot. Regular folk don’t know what it is. Everyone knows what a Rolex is and looks like. Which can be a problem if you have staff that could never afford a nice watch - or if you have higher ups or clients that think of wearing things like Rolex at work as poor taste. I don’t wear my Sea Dweller at work. I’m looking to get a current Date Just and most certainly will never wear that at work. It can double as a dress watch probably but above problems apply to it even more since it’s so recognizable by the average non-watch person.

[piratfisk]

Smurf because I bought it with my money & its being worn on my wrist.

[Wingman244]

It all depends on where you work. Wear what you want. I work on Billion $ eCommerce websites in Seattle - everyone from the 1st year developers to the CTO wear an Apple Watch with a few serious runners sporting Garmins. Seeing a lot more Apple Ultras now. A mechanical watch is out of place in my workplace, but so is anything nicer than ripped jeans and a dirty t-shirt. But - I am near retirement so I don't care. I sold all my watches about 7 years ago, now missing them. Going to go get a GMT or maybe go all in and get a DD. That would send my co-workers over the edge - if they even noticed...

[losteagle]

SS Daytona. After 20 years at my company (which is a large multinational blue chip), I grew tired of playing the modesty game and suppressing my love of watches.

[Jerrocop]

Explorer. It fits all occasions and looks great.


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[Ny325]

36mm SS Datejust is my choice.

[BCoolidge]

As long as you are not the President of Peru wear whatever watch you want for your job