Every summer the world's oldest tennis tournament turns a corner of south west London a vivid shade of green, and on the wrist of its champions sits a crown. This is the story of Rolex and Wimbledon, the slate and green Datejust collectors prize, and what one costs today in sterling.
The grass at the All England Club gets cut to a precise eight millimetres, the players dress head to toe in white, and from 29 June to 12 July a quiet green crown keeps time over every rally. That crown is Rolex, and the story behind it runs deeper than a logo on a scoreboard. For collectors, the bond has a face: [b]a Datejust with a slate grey dial and green Roman numerals that the watch world calls the Wimbledon[/b]. It is one of the most quietly desirable Rolexes you can buy, blending sporting heritage with everyday wearability and holding its value with the stubbornness of a well struck backhand. What follows is where the look came from, why the two fit so neatly, which references to chase, and what each costs in sterling today.
The slate and green dial that gives the watch its nickname.
[b]Rolex belongs at Wimbledon for a tidy reason: the brand was born in London in 1905[/b], which makes its place at Centre Court a homecoming. A young entrepreneur named Hans Wilsdorf set up shop importing precise Swiss movements and casing them for British buyers, registered the name Rolex in 1908, and took British citizenship in 1911. The move to Geneva came later, once the First World War made British import duties punishing. Even the brand's first headline came on this side of the Channel, when Mercedes Gleitze swam the English Channel in 1927 with a Rolex Oyster around her neck. The two institutions share a temperament too: both prize precision, tradition, and understatement, and both change slowly and on their own terms, which is why the relationship has endured since 1978. As Official Timekeeper, Rolex orders the tournament's timing, from the clocks above the courts to the count beside the umpire's chair.
[b]The Wimbledon is a standard Datejust transformed by one element, its dial: a slate grey base lit by green outlined Roman numerals[/b]. The grey carries a soft sunray finish that travels from gunmetal to silver as it catches the light, and at nine o'clock a single luminous baton stands in for the numeral, the one concession to low light reading, while a Cyclops lens magnifies the date at three. The green echoes the grass of the show courts and doubles as the house colour Rolex has worn for generations, so the dial flatters tournament and brand in a single stroke. Rolex lists the watch plainly as a Datejust with a slate dial, and the Wimbledon name belongs entirely to collectors. A closer look rewards the patient: certain examples edge the green numerals with a faint violet, a wink at purple, the colour Wimbledon pairs with green in its own livery.
[b]The Wimbledon dial is younger than you might guess, arriving in 2009 on the Datejust II[/b] before moving to the Datejust 41 and later the 36. Those first examples, the 116334 in steel with a white gold fluted bezel and the 116333 in steel and yellow gold, remain the value entry point today, since the Datejust II was retired in 2016. The Datejust 41 carries the upgraded [b]calibre 3235[/b], good for around seventy hours of reserve, and wears the dial across the range: the 126300 in plain Oystersteel, the 126334 in steel with a white gold fluted bezel, the 126333 in steel and yellow gold, and the warmer 126331 in steel and Everose. For wrists that find 41mm a touch much, the same dial appears on the 36mm Datejust, in references such as the 126200 and 126234. Whichever case you choose, the dial is the constant, and price tracks the metal, the bezel, and the bracelet.
| Reference | Model | Metal and bezel | Indicative pre-owned (GBP) |
| 116334 | Datejust II (2009 to 2016) | Steel, white gold fluted bezel | £7,500 to £10,000 |
| 126300 | Datejust 41 | Oystersteel, smooth bezel | £8,500 to £11,500 |
| 126334 | Datejust 41 | Steel, white gold fluted bezel | £9,500 to £13,000 |
| 126333 | Datejust 41 | Steel and yellow gold | £12,000 to £16,000 |
| 126200 / 126234 | Datejust 36 | Steel, smooth or white gold bezel | £8,000 to £12,000 |
[b]A genuine Wimbledon dial is quick to confirm: a slate grey base, green outlined Roman numerals, and a single luminous baton at nine o'clock[/b] with numerals at every other hour. Rolex has made grey dialled Datejusts with plain green or rhodium numerals too, and the wider market is full of black numeral Datejusts that get listed as Wimbledons by the optimistic or the unaware. Grey and green together, in that crisp outlined style, is the look collectors mean. When in doubt, match the watch against a reference image from its model year and confirm the points below.
[b]Wimbledon is a sea of Rolex, because the brand counts many of the game's leading players among its ambassadors. Roger Federer[/b] sits at the head of the table, an eight time singles champion here and the figure most responsible for the Wimbledon dial's fame, with a collection that runs from the Datejust to the Day-Date. Today's stars carry the tradition into the sportier corners of the catalogue. When Jannik Sinner lifted the men's trophy in 2025, he wore an Everose gold Cosmograph Daytona with a warm Sundust dial. Carlos Alcaraz, his opponent that afternoon, favours a yellow gold Daytona with a striking turquoise dial collectors have nicknamed after him. On the women's side, Iga Świątek took the title in a Datejust dressed with Roman numerals, keeping faith with the family that started this story. The very top ambassadors receive their Rolexes as part of the relationship, while others are offered the watches as a courtesy, and the result, season after season, is the same happy sight: a champion raising the trophy with a crown on the wrist.
Jannik Sinner won the men’s singles final at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. By Kirill Kudryavstec/AFP
[b]Three things decide which Wimbledon Datejust suits you and what you pay: size, bracelet, and completeness[/b]. The 41mm wears boldly and suits a larger wrist, while the 36mm is the versatile classic that flatters almost everyone, so try both before you commit. The Jubilee bracelet leans dressy and the Oyster leans sporty. A watch with its original box, papers, and a clean service history will always command a premium and prove easier to sell on later. [b]Entry into the steel 36mm and the discontinued Datejust II starts from around £8,000[/b], with the steel Datejust 41 and the two tone references climbing from there. Buy from a dealer who knows the model, stands behind authenticity, and prices in sterling, and you will own a watch that wears beautifully and tends to hold its value for years.
[b]Wearing the Wimbledon means wearing a piece of SW19[/b], the green of the grass and the crown of the Championships gathered into one quietly brilliant Datejust. Browse our selection of Rolex watches, every one priced in sterling, fully checked, and ready to wear. Our team knows these references inside out and would gladly help you find the size, metal, and bracelet to suit you. [b]Find your crown, and keep perfect time[/b].
A Rolex Wimbledon is a Datejust with a slate grey dial and green outlined Roman numerals, a palette that nods to the grass courts of the All England Club. The name belongs to collectors, since Rolex lists it simply as a Datejust with a slate dial. It comes in 36mm and 41mm, in steel or steel and gold.
The green Roman numerals echo Wimbledon's grass, and Rolex has served as the tournament's Official Timekeeper since 1978. Enthusiasts coined the name, and photographs of Roger Federer wearing the watch courtside helped it take hold across the watch world.
Rolex keeps the reasoning to itself and lists the colour simply as slate. One reading is practical, since a neutral sunray grey lets the green numerals stand out while staying versatile from desk to dinner. Collectors prefer the romantic version, reading the grey as London's summer sky and the lines of Centre Court.
The slate and green dial first appeared in 2009 on the Datejust II, references 116333 and 116334. After that model retired in 2016, the dial moved to the Datejust 41, and later to the smaller Datejust 36, so the look is much younger than the 1978 partnership behind it.
Rolex has been Official Timekeeper since 1978, one of the longest running partnerships in sport. The fee stays private, as Rolex is a privately held company and the terms are confidential. For a sense of scale, Wimbledon's banking partner Barclays has been reported to pay in the region of £20 million a year.
A pleasant twist: Rolex makes watches, and the famous Centre Court clock is a sponsorship fixture for the tournament. Its worth lives in the spectacle and the heritage, well outside any price tag, since the piece exists to time the tennis. The craft you can take home sits on the players' wrists.
On both fronts the answer is clear. Wimbledon is a collector's nickname, and the watch stays in full production today across the Datejust 41 and Datejust 36 lines, in steel and two tone, on either bracelet. It is a regular catalogue piece, in steady demand that tends to run ahead of supply.
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