At their in-house gemology department located in their Chêne-Bourg site in Geneva, Switzerland, Rolex has a team of highly skilled gem-setters that choose and set only the highest quality diamonds and gems onto their diamond wristwatch models. They pay special attention to the cut, color and and clarity of their diamonds and make sure that they are set properly by employing top notch setters who use machinery usually only found in gemology laboratories. 

Diamond Rolex Models (photo: Rolex)

While you can find several examples of Rolex watches with after-market diamonds on the Instagram feeds of celebrities and jewelers who offer customized Rolexes, there are only a few diamond model configurations that you can buy directly from the watchmaker. The men's and women's models they offer with diamonds are all precious metal configurations. Some feature diamond bezels, others diamond hour markers or diamonds on the bracelet - and some, like the diamond Pearlmaster 39 feature all three.

In addition to Pearlmaster models, Rolex offers the Lady-Datejust with diamonds set on the bezel and/or hour markers. For men, the watchmaker offers their Oyster Perpetual Date 34, Day-Date, Datejust and Datejust II models with diamonds on either the bezel or hour markers or both. They also offer Cellini models with diamonds. Naturally, pricing for these models is higher than models without precious stones. A platinum Rolex Day-Date with diamonds on the bezel and hour markers will run you 110,300 Swiss francs as opposed to 59,600 Swiss francs for the non-diamond platinum configuration.

There are jewelers who offer Rolex models with after-market diamonds set on their dials, cases and bracelets. However, while they are flashy and popular amongst athletes and celebrities, they come at a price. If your Rolex wristwatch has any after-market customizations, the watchmaker will not service the timepiece. So, if you are considering a custom diamond Rolex, I would recommend asking about servicing and warranty before making the purchase.

To browse Rolex's selection of diamond models, visit rolex.com and select the diamond option in their guided search. I wrote a post about their precious stones that includes information on gem-setting and selection here for anyone interested in additional information about their in-house gemology department.

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Rolex presented their updated version of the iconic Day-Date model at Baselworld 2016 in Basel, Switzerland this week. Now available in 18 karat white, Everose or yellow gold, the 60th Anniversary Edition features a yellow gold version with a dial paved with 721 diamonds.