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Rolex Watch Sizes: Case Diameters for Submariner, Datejust, Daytona and Oyster Perpetual

Reviewed by the Nuvinty editorial team · Last checked

Rolex names most models by case diameter in millimetres, measured across the case without the crown. Current sizes on rolex.com: Submariner 41 mm (40 mm before the 2020 update), Datejust 31, 36 and 41 mm, Cosmograph Daytona 40 mm, and Oyster Perpetual 28, 31, 34, 36 and 41 mm. Rolex does not publish lug-to-lug length, so we leave it blank rather than guess.

ModelReference (example)Case diameter (mm)Lug-to-lug (mm)Notes
Submariner / Submariner Date (2020 onwards)124060 / 126610LN41—rolex.com: 'Oyster, 41 mm'. Monochrome reports the lug width rose from 20 mm to 21 mm with this generation, with slimmer lugs.
Submariner / Submariner Date (2010/2012 to 2020)114060 / 116610LN40—Previous generation, with the broad 'maxi' case. Diameter confirmed by Hodinkee, Monochrome and Revolution at the 2020 launch; we could not load a Wayback snapshot of the old rolex.com page.
Datejust 3127827431—rolex.com: 'Oyster, 31 mm'.
Datejust 3612623436—rolex.com: 'Oyster, 36 mm'. The classic Datejust size.
Datejust 4112633441—rolex.com: 'Oyster, 41 mm'.
Cosmograph Daytona126500LN40—rolex.com: 'Oyster, 40 mm'.
Oyster Perpetual 2827620028—rolex.com: 'Oyster, 28 mm'.
Oyster Perpetual 3127720031—rolex.com: 'Oyster, 31 mm'.
Oyster Perpetual 3412420034—Size is in the model name on rolex.com ('Oyster Perpetual 34'); the fetched page did not show the case-spec line.
Oyster Perpetual 3612600036—rolex.com: 'Oyster, 36 mm'.
Oyster Perpetual 41134303 (centenary Rolesor); 124300 earlier steel41—Size is in the model name on rolex.com ('Oyster Perpetual 41').

Measurements are the maker’s published dimensions where available; “—” means we couldn’t find a reliable figure. Handmade and older pieces can vary by a few millimetres.

Checking the size on a pre-loved listing

  • Check the reference number (engraved between the lugs at 12 o'clock on most models) against the listing; it tells you the generation, and therefore the diameter, of a Submariner.
  • A 1 mm diameter difference can feel bigger or smaller depending on lug shape: the 2020 Submariner is 41 mm but has slimmer lugs than the 40 mm 'maxi case' it replaced.
  • Ask how many bracelet links come with a pre-owned watch. Missing links limit how far the bracelet can be lengthened.
  • Diver models with Glidelock can be adjusted by up to about 15 to 20 mm without tools (rolex.com), which helps if you are between link sizes.
  • Try a similar case size on before buying if you can. Lug-to-lug length, not diameter alone, decides whether a watch overhangs a slim wrist.

Questions

Is the Rolex Submariner 40 mm or 41 mm?

Both, depending on age. The generation sold from 2020 (for example 124060 and 126610LN) is 41 mm; the previous 114060 and 116610LN were 40 mm.

What Datejust size should I choose?

Rolex makes the Datejust in 31, 36 and 41 mm. Which is right is personal and depends on your wrist and taste, so try the sizes on where possible rather than relying on a chart.

Does Rolex publish lug-to-lug measurements?

Not on its product pages. Rolex lists case diameter only, so any lug-to-lug figure you see comes from a third party's measurement.

How is a Rolex case diameter measured?

Across the case, excluding the winding crown. Rolex shows it on each model page as, for example, 'Oyster, 41 mm'.

Sources