The Best Yellow Gold Rolex Watches

When it comes to yellow gold watches, it’s hard to argue with Rolex’s dominance. For many, it’s the first brand that comes to mind, thanks to its extensive range of classic, sporty, and dressy pieces in this timeless precious metal. Given the rising popularity of yellow gold timepieces in today’s market, we’ve rounded up what we think are the best yellow gold Rolex watches available right now.

Yellow Gold Day-Date

Of all the yellow gold Rolex watches ever made, the Day-Date, a.k.a., the President is perhaps the most emblematic of the brand. With its namesake calendar windows at 12 and 3 o’clock on the dial, signature President bracelet with semi-circular links in a three-piece configuration, and classic round case, a gold Day-Date has long been the “I’ve made it” watch.

Although Rolex offers the Day-Date in several precious metals, yellow gold is the classic choice — particularly when it’s paired with a fluted bezel. The most modern variations of a yellow gold Rolex President are the reference 128238 with a 36mm case or the reference 228238 with a 40mm case. Regardless of the size, a Date-Date is without a doubt one of the finest yellow gold Rolex watches to own.

Yellow Gold Sky-Dweller

With its annual calendar complication, GMT display, and Ring Command Bezel that interacts with the movement, the Sky-Dweller is one of Rolex’s most complicated pieces. It has been a part of Rolex’s lineup since 2012 and since then we’ve witnessed a few minor updates to both its design and movement.

The most recent Sky-Dweller generation came out in 2023, retaining the same 42mm case, fluted bezel, and date, month, and two-time layout on the dial. The major change is found under the caseback where Caliber 9002 replaces Caliber 9001, featuring the Chronergy escapement. Rolex offers the Sky-Dweller in various metals including the full yellow gold reference 336938, which as of 2024 is available with either an Oyster bracelet or a Jubilee bracelet. There’s even an Oysterflex model (ref. 336238) if the bracelet is too much yellow gold for you. Given that the Sky-Dweller looks quite similar to the Day-Date (albeit a larger and more complicated version), it comes as no surprise that it’s a great-looking yellow gold Rolex watch.

More About Sky-Dweller Watches
What is the Price of a Rolex Sky-Dweller in 2024?

Yellow Gold GMT-Master II

An opulent take on Rolex’s practical pilot’s watch, a yellow gold GMT-Master II is the perfect high-end watch for the luxury traveler. While yellow gold versions were introduced early in the GMT-Master’s history, Rolex discontinued them in 2019. Thankfully, at Watches & Wonders 2023, Rolex revived the yellow gold GMT-Master II in the form of the reference 126718GRNR.

Although the GMT-Master II ref. 126718GRNR retains the customary 40mm case size and 24-hour marked Cerachrom bezel, the gray and black colorway of said bezel was new to Rolex. Rolex opted to pair the watch with a Jubilee bracelet, which was the right choice. The other precious metal GMT-Master II watches of the same generation are exclusively paired with Oyster bracelets, which plays up the sportiness of the watch. Conversely, the Jubilee bracelet not only dresses up the watch but leans into that retro “Root Beer” vibe of vintage gold GMTs. The GRNR is hands-down one of the best modern yellow gold Rolex watches on the market.

Yellow Gold Daytona Le Mans

In the summer of 2023, Rolex dropped a surprise release in honor of the 100th anniversary of the legendary Le Mans race — a special edition white gold Daytona with a black Cerachrom bezel, black reverse Panda dial with “Paul Newman”-inspired subdials, and an open display caseback for a view of the Caliber 4132 (which includes a 24-hour counter in honor of the 24-hour race). The watch was produced for less than a year, and discontinued at Watches & Wonders 2024.

However, Rolex quietly replaced the white gold Daytona Le Mans (ref. 126529LN) with a yellow gold version (ref. 126528LN), which in my opinion, looks even better than the original. It sports the same 40mm case and Oyster bracelet but of course, this time in 18k yellow gold. Similarly, the tri-compax dial is now punctuated with yellow gold hands and indices while the black Cerachrom bezel includes yellow gold markings. As expected, the “100” on the tachymeter scales remains red, just like the maiden Le Mans Daytona. The retail price of a yellow gold Le Mans is around $50,000; however, if you can find one of these super rare and ultra coveted pieces on the secondary market, expect to pay around $350,000 — underscoring that the market believes that this is one of the greatest yellow gold Rolex watches to get.

Yellow Gold Yacht-Master

When Rolex debuted the Yacht-Master in 1992, it did so with a full gold model known as ref. 16628. From its yellow gold 40mm case and yellow gold rotating bezel to its solid gold Oyster bracelet, the Yacht-Master 16628 was Rolex’s most lavish sports watch at the time. Though the Yacht-Master didn’t share the same water-resistance rating as the Submariner (100 meters compared to 300 meters) and wasn’t technically a dive watch due to its bi-directional bezel, it did have a similar silhouette and dial, not to mention an identical movement.

As a result, the Yacht-Master, particularly in solid yellow gold, was often regarded as a more luxurious iteration of the Submariner. In fact, the very first gold Yacht-Masters used the same case as the Submariner, featuring brushed lugs with lugholes. Those are hard to find because Rolex quickly transitioned to the more rounded and shiny no-holes cases we associate with Yacht-Masters today.

Rolex even furnished some Yacht-Masters with mother-of-pearl dials in various colors along with gem-set indices in black onyx, red rubies, or blue sapphires. Although the yellow gold Yacht-Master 16628 is no longer in production it remains an excellent choice on the secondary market.

Other Choices

While we’ve selected the Day-Date, Sky-Dweller, GMT-Master II, Daytona Le Mans, and Yacht-Master as our favorite yellow gold Rolex watches the watching giant offers plenty of other options in the classic precious metal.

Take for example the highly popular yellow gold Submariner, which is available with either blue or black dials and bezels. For an even bigger solid gold dive watch, there’s also the yellow gold Deepsea 136668LB with a large 44mm case that’s water resistant to an impressive 3,900 meters. Rolex used to also make the Yacht-Master II in full yellow gold (ref. 116688) but it discontinued the entire collection in 2024.

Vintage Models

On the dressier side of things, there are also discontinued Datejust, Cellini, and Pearlmaster watches in yellow gold, not to mention the best-selling Lady-Datejust models (new and old).

If you’re looking for something funkier, than perhaps consider the yellow gold Oysterquartz Day-Date or King Midas.

For vintage beauties, we can’t forget to mention the Rolex 6036 “Killy” triple calendar chronograph, the Rolex 6234 pre-Daytona chronograph, and the Rolex 6062 triple calendar moonphase. Then there are the vintage Daytona references in yellow gold (such as the John Player Special), which are some of the most collectible Rolex watches in the market.

Several kinds of interesting Rolex bezels were offered on vintage gold 34mm models. For a relatively affordable but interesting yellow gold Rolex, you can consider one of those–like a “Zephyr” ref. 6582 or 1008, for instance.

In short, there are plenty of yellow gold Rolex watches to choose from, whether dressy or sporty, modern or vintage, new or pre-owned. If you’re missing one from your collection, the fun starts with finding the ideal one for your wrist.