Rolex 5 Digit Vs. 6 Digit Models: The Key Differences

Every modern Rolex Oyster has a 6-digit reference number indicating what model is. But before the 6-digit era, from about 1980-2005 (give or take a few years depending on the model), Rolex reference numbers were five digits long. Rolex is generally conservative with their updates, but the 6-digit era does include some notable upgrades. In this article we’ll quickly break down the key points of the Rolex 5-digit vs 6-digit discussion.

The first 6-digit Rolex models were Daytonas and Day-Dates in the year 2000, and the last model to hang onto a 5-digit reference number was the 14060M Submariner, which was finally replaced by the 114060 in 2012. Let’s talk about the differences that matter.

Clasp and Bracelet

The first thing I have to mention in the Rolex 5-digit vs 6-digit discussion is the clasp: 6-digit Rolex clasps are awesome. Since the 6-digit era began, Rolex has been putting their beloved Glidelock clasp on their dive watches, and their EasyLink clasp on almost everything else (except ladies’ models and Day-Dates with hidden clasps). Even putting aside the handy quick-adjust functionality, 6-digit Rolex clasps feel outstanding to open and close. Meanwhile 5-digit models come with stamped clasps, sometimes lovingly known as “tuna can clasps” to collectors.

It’s also notable that 5-digit Rolex models have hollow center links, while 6-digit models have solid center links (with a couple of exceptions like the 114270 Explorer). There’s a lot of fuss about solid end links (which had already replaced hollow ones around 2000), but I’m talking about the actual regular center links.

The solid center links significantly contribute to a more solid/heavy feel. I have nothing against Rolex bracelets from 5-digit models; they’re attractive, reliable, and comfortable. But the bracelets on 6-digit Rolexes set the industry standard. The bracelet and clasp are the main genuinely noticeable differences between 5-digit and 6-digit Rolexes.

Some people who are used to 6-digit Rolex bracelets try on a 5-digit and say “wow does anyone else think this feels cheap? Is it supposed to be light and jangly like that?” while others of us embrace the charm and jangle. It’s all personal preference; I love the old-school bracelets and find them extremely comfortable. But the 6-digit Rolex bracelets are an undeniable objective upgrade over the 5-digits.

Ceramic Bezel Inserts

One of the most-hyped upgrades of the 6-digit Rolex era is ceramic bezel inserts. Ceramic is extraordinarily resistant to both fading and scratching. If you like the “patina” that a traditional aluminum bezel insert gets, stick to 5-digit models and earlier.

Vintage collectors love some of the old faded Rolex Pepsi GMT bezel inserts that have turned fuchsia, for instance. But if you want a more modern “sheen” with the advantage of being virtually scratch-proof, ceramic inserts are nice too.

Except for ones made out of gold/gems, all 6-digit Rolex bezel inserts are ceramic, and all 5-digit Rolex bezels are aluminum. Non-Professional Rolex models (like the Datejust, Day-Date and Oyster Perpetual) don’t have bezel inserts, so this difference doesn’t apply to them. Ceramic bezel inserts are only found on Rolex’s dive watches (Submariner, Sea-Dweller and Deepsea), the GMT-Master II, Daytonas or Yacht-Masters with Oysterflex bracelets, and the Le Mans Daytona.

Lugs: 6-Digit Rolex Models are Bigger/Shinier Than 5-Digit

One of the things that makes 6-digit Rolex watches appear larger than their 5-digit predecessors is their lugs. Lugs got larger across the board in the 6-digit generation. While sports models and basic Oyster Perpetual models retain the same mainly brushed lug finish of the 4-digit and 5-digit days, Datejust and Day-Date models have had polished (shiny) lugs ever since the beginning of the 6-digit era.

Rehaut

The engraved Rolex rehaut was phased in from about 2004-2008 on both 6-digit and the remaining 5-digit models, so it’s not cleanly a 5-digit vs. 6-digit thing, although it does roughly coincide with the introduction of the 6-digit era. So, some of the very first 6-digit Rolexes have a plain rehaut and some of the very last 5-digit ones have the engraved rehaut. But for the most part, the repeating “Rolex” rehaut is a 6-digit thing.

Rolex 6-Digit vs. 5-Digit Price Difference

Naturally, 6-digit Rolex models (both new and pre-owned) sell for more than 5-digit ones. The secondhand market price differences (often a 30-40% gap) “feel” about right to me for what you get. For example, a nice 16610 Submariner Date goes for roughly $7,800 while a 116610 goes for $11,000. Rolex Datejust prices hover around $5,000 for a 16200 while the 116200 is closer to $6,500. When it comes to the Datejust, I would absolutely pay the premium for the 6-digit version. But the 5-digit Rolex world has some great “values” too, in particular the ref. 14270 Explorer, which is one of the best luxury watches under $5,000 right now in my opinion.

If you have a particular fondness for vintage (or neo-vintage) watches, the 5-digit Rolex era has a lot to offer. But if you’re on the fence, “buy the newest you can afford” is conventional wisdom among watch nerds for a reason.

Big Lumed Sticks

A Rolex “stick dial” is a dial with, well, sticks for hour markers. Until about 2002, the sticks were just rectangular metal blocks with a little dot of lume next to them, but for the 6-digit era Rolex introduced fully lumed sticks.

Some of the very first 6-digit Day-Dates had the old style of sticks, but aside from that, the old sticks belong to the 5-digit era (and before).

Overall Lineup Shifts of the Rolex 6-Digit vs. 5-Digit Era

Rolex rose gold models–both two-tone (“Rolesor“) ones and full rose gold ones–re-entered the lineup in the 6-digit era. There are no 5-digit Rolex models made of rose gold, interestingly. Also, Rolex dials have become more colorful since about 2000.

Historically, Rolex rarely deviated from the six “core” dial colors of white, black, silver, slate, champagne, and blue. There are exceptions like the rare colorful Stella dials and the original Rolex Root Beer dials, which are brown. But the six core colors made up almost their entire lineup for over 90 years.

Today, mint green dials are some of the most popular dials for the Sky-Dweller and Datejust, and the colorful lacquered Oyster Perpetual lineup that debuted in 2020 was a home run. Colors like aubergine and red grape (now discontinued) are almost taken for granted at this point, but only a couple decades ago, the entire luxury watch industry was surprisingly averse to color.

I should note that just as there were multiple generations of 5-digit Rolex models (the 16233 Datejust replaced the 16013, for instance), we are now on our second generation of 6-digit models. 6-digit model numbers starting with 12 and 22 were phased in from about 2015-2020 across the lineup, replacing the old 11 and 21 models. 12 models have a crown stamped in between “Swiss” and “Made” on the dial, indicating they have a newer movement with a longer power reserve (although they seem more prone to amplitude issues).

Also, the Rolex lineup has added larger options in the past 20 years. Upsized versions of classic models (like the Datejust 41, Oyster Perpetual 41 and Day-Date 40) didn’t exist before the 6-digit era. Neither did the Rolex Deepsea, Sky-Dweller, or now-discontinued Yacht-Master II.

The Cellini dress watch lineup was discontinued in favor of the 1908 in 2023, and I should mention that Rolex dress models don’t follow the same digit format. The current platinum 1908 technically has a 5-digit reference number (52506) for example, but watch geeks wouldn’t call it a “5-digit Rolex.” For the most part, frankly, nobody cares about Rolex dress watches and there’s a reason they reduced their vast dress lineup to a single model.

Although the aesthetic jump between 11 and 12 models wasn’t as big as the initial jump from 5-digit to 6-digit, Rolex will undoubtedly continue to evolve. The defining upgrade of the 5-digit era (for most references) was sapphire crystals, just as the defining upgrades of the 6-digit era were ceramic bezel inserts and awesome bracelets. It will be fun to see what the defining upgrade of the next era will be.