It’s been nearly two decades since Rolex introduced a collection at 44mm, with the Deepsea in 2008 and the Yacht-Master II in 2007. Those were the aughts, a decade that encouraged wrist presence. An exception came in 2022 with the 50mm Deepsea Challenge, an outlier rated for the Mariana Trench.
Still, it is puzzling to see Rolex release a 44mm collection in 2026, when the consensus is a return to more restrained proportions. Rolex watches have set trends in design and color, raising the question of whether larger sizes could follow. After all, smartwatches have gone against the grain for years, steadily increasing in size. While they hardly compare to luxury watches, they do compete for wrist attention. As a company that ships more units than the entire Swiss watch industry combined, Apple helps set size expectations, having moved from 38mm and 42mm cases in 2015 to 42mm and 46mm for its Series 11 today.
I asked Rolex whether the choice for 44mm was to expand the range in the catalogue, even though a 42mm Yacht-Master II might have increased sales as it is closer to what most wrists can pull off. A representative in Geneva acknowledged that “diversifier l'offre et le choix” in the catalogue was part of the strategy, but said Rolex felt it was a size “appropriate for this tool watch which has a real function.”
“It is still the watch of the skippers, of the races, of the maxis,” she told me. “The skippers also tend to have more of an athletic build. So a 44mm watch, we thought, would be appropriate for this kind of function and wearer.”
Adrian Barker, a YouTuber, says the watch is more wearable than expected on his 6.5-inch, or 16.5 cm, wrist. (Credit: Adrian Barker)