The Rolex Wimbledon Datejust: What the Slate and Green Roman Dial Actually Is (2026 Guide)
Last updated: August 2026
The "Wimbledon" Datejust is a Rolex Datejust with a slate grey dial and green Roman numerals. Rolex does not call it that. The official description reads "slate dial, green Roman numerals." The nickname belongs to the watch world.
That gap between the nickname everyone uses and the name Rolex prints causes a real problem when you go shopping. You cannot look up "Wimbledon" in a Rolex catalogue, and searching for it on a dealer site only finds the listings where somebody happened to type the word. The dial spans both current case sizes and steel as well as all three Rolesor metals, and the reference number does not tell you the dial at all. This guide covers what the dial is, which references carry it, the bezel rule that decides which reference you are buying, how it differs from the green-dial Datejusts, and what we would look at before choosing one.
Table of Contents
What the Wimbledon dial actually is
The base is slate grey. The Roman numerals are outlined in green over dark centres, which is why the watch reads as a grey dial carrying green detail instead of a green dial, and they sit at nine of the twelve hour positions. The date takes 3 o'clock under the Cyclops, an applied baton index takes 9, and the Rolex crown takes 12. The four is written IIII, in four strokes, which is how Rolex prints it.
Everything under the dial is standard current Datejust. Calibre 3235 with a Chronergy escapement and a Parachrom hairspring, roughly 70 hours of power reserve, instantaneous date with rapid setting, and 100 metres of water resistance from the Oyster case. Rolex certifies the finished watch as a Superlative Chronometer at minus two to plus two seconds a day. None of that changes between the Wimbledon and any other current Datejust dial. The dial is the whole story here.
The colour is the part worth seeing in person before you decide anything.
In the hand the base reads as slate. The green stays in the numerals, so the dial itself holds its grey and the watch reads as a grey watch carrying green detail. Our own studio photography captures that accurately, so the listing images are a fair basis for a decision.
Up close the numerals are outlined in green over dark centres, and the four is written IIII in four strokes.
Where the nickname came from
Rolex has been the Official Timekeeper of The Championships since 1978, and the clocks it put on Centre Court and around the grounds are green and gold. In 2009 the dial arrived on the Datejust II, reference 116333: a 41mm watch in steel and yellow gold with a gold fluted bezel, a slate dial, and green numerals. The same two colours as the clocks, on a Rolex, at the tournament Rolex times. Roger Federer, a Rolex ambassador with eight Wimbledon titles, wore that configuration through those years. The name stuck to the dial, which is why it now follows this colour scheme across every reference that carries it.
Who said it first is a separate question, and it is undocumented. Rolex introduced no such name, and we found no publication with a credible claim to coining it. The association is plain enough; the moment of coinage is lost, and we would rather tell you that than invent a story.
Rolex has never adopted it. Go through Rolex's own product copy on any of these references and you will find the dial described in those plain terms. So the nickname lives entirely in the resale and enthusiast layer of the market. Every listing you find under that word was written by somebody who chose to type it, and plenty of listings for the exact same dial describe it Rolex's way instead.
In practice, people ask us for the Wimbledon. Some describe the dial instead, but the nickname is what we hear first.
The reference map, and where the dial sits on it
Twelve references make up the current Datejust 36 and Datejust 41 in steel and Rolesor. The table below is the map, and it is worth reading as case, metal, and bezel, because that is all a reference number encodes. The dial is a separate option carried in the four-digit suffix that follows the reference. Most of these are offered on both the Oyster and the Jubilee bracelet, which multiplies the combinations you will actually see listed.
| Size | Reference | Case material | Bezel | Where the gold is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36mm | 126200 | Oystersteel | Smooth | No gold |
| 36mm | 126201 | Everose Rolesor | Smooth | Everose bezel and crown |
| 36mm | 126203 | Yellow Rolesor | Smooth | Yellow gold bezel and crown |
| 36mm | 126231 | Everose Rolesor | Fluted | Everose bezel and crown |
| 36mm | 126233 | Yellow Rolesor | Fluted | Yellow gold bezel and crown |
| 36mm | 126234 | White Rolesor | Fluted | White gold bezel |
| 41mm | 126300 | Oystersteel | Smooth | No gold |
| 41mm | 126301 | Everose Rolesor | Smooth | Everose bezel and crown |
| 41mm | 126303 | Yellow Rolesor | Smooth | Yellow gold bezel and crown |
| 41mm | 126331 | Everose Rolesor | Fluted | Everose bezel and crown |
| 41mm | 126333 | Yellow Rolesor | Fluted | Yellow gold bezel and crown |
| 41mm | 126334 | White Rolesor | Fluted | White gold bezel |
Rolesor is Rolex's own word for a case that combines Oystersteel with gold. White Rolesor pairs steel with white gold, Yellow Rolesor with yellow gold, Everose Rolesor with Rolex's proprietary pink gold alloy. On the white Rolesor references the gold is confined to the bezel, so the crown and the bracelet stay steel.
We have listed this dial on the 126231, 126233 and 126234 at 36mm, and on the 126300, 126301, 126331, 126333 and 126334 at 41mm. The remaining references in the table are ones we have not listed with this dial, which is a different thing from Rolex never having offered it. Dial options also come and go from the catalogue, so check the current range on Rolex.com for anything you cannot find listed.
Worth being clear on one point, because it is easy to assume otherwise: this dial is not tied to the fluted bezel. We have listed it on the smooth steel 126300 and on the smooth Everose Rolesor 126301, alongside the fluted references. Whether the rest of the smooth-bezel Rolesor references have carried it, we cannot tell you from our own listings.
Across all available pre-owned examples, this dial runs roughly $12,250 to $23,500 depending on size, metal, bracelet, and what comes with it (our own listings, August 2026). The steel 41 sits at the bottom of that range and the Everose Rolesor 41 at the top. Prices move, so treat that as a shape and ask us for a current number on a specific reference.
Fluted or smooth decides the reference
This is the rule worth spelling out, because it decides which reference you are actually buying.
On the current Datejust, a fluted bezel is gold. Rolex does not make a steel fluted bezel on the 36 or the 41. So an all-steel Datejust 41 is a 126300 and it has a Smooth Bezel, full stop. If you want a Datejust 41 that looks like steel and has the fluting, what you want is the 126334: a White Rolesor case, steel through the middle and the bracelet, with an 18ct white gold bezel on top. The same logic holds at 36mm, where the steel 126200 carries a Smooth Bezel and the White Rolesor 126234 carries the white gold fluting.
This is also why two listings with the same dial and the same apparent colour can be a couple of thousand dollars apart. One has gold on it and one does not. Check the bezel before you compare prices.
Same dial, same bracelet, same apparent colour. The fluted bezel is 18ct white gold over a steel case; the plain one is a Smooth Bezel in Oystersteel. That is the difference between two reference numbers and two prices.
Of the four, steel is consistently the most popular.
Wimbledon vs plain slate vs the green dials
A Wimbledon dial is a slate dial. The green Roman numerals are the only thing separating it from the other slate Datejust dials, which come with baton indexes, diamond markers, or gold Romans on the same grey base. If a listing says "slate" and stops there, look at the numerals before you assume.
The green-dial Datejusts are a different watch entirely. On the Wimbledon the dial is grey and the green is in the numerals. On the green dials the whole surface is green: the olive green sunray, the mint green, and the green ombré that fades from light at the centre to near-black at the edge. Those all live on the same reference numbers, which is where it gets confusing.
The reference tells you the case, the metal, and the bezel. It does not tell you the dial. Rolex's full reference adds a dial suffix after a dash, and that suffix is the part that separates a Wimbledon from a green ombré on an otherwise identical watch. The 41mm White Rolesor fluted case is a 126334 whether it is wearing the slate and green Roman dial or the green ombré dial, and the ombré version is a 126334-0033 on the Oyster or a 126334-0034 on the Jubilee. If you are comparing listings by base reference alone, you are comparing cases.
We covered the ombré separately in our Datejust 41 green ombré unboxing if you want to see that dial move in the light.
These do get cross-shopped. Green is often the word that started the search, and this dial and the fully green dials end up on the same shortlist more often than not.
What to look at when choosing one
36 or 41. Both sizes carry the dial. The 41 gives the green numerals more room and more slate around them, the 36 tightens the whole layout up. This is the decision that comes down to seeing them together.
Wrist size and preference decide it. The 41 is the more popular of the two these days, though the 36 was the standard men's size for a long time.
From a few feet away the green all but disappears into the numerals and what you notice is the slate.
Metal. Four choices: all steel, White Rolesor, Yellow Rolesor, Everose Rolesor. Slate grey with green is a cool-toned dial, so the yellow and Everose options set up a warm-against-cool contrast, while steel and white gold keep everything in the same register.
Oyster or Jubilee. Most of these references are offered on both, and we have listed this dial on each bracelet. We wrote up the full comparison in our guide to the Jubilee versus the Oyster bracelet, so we will not repeat it here. It changes the character of the watch, and it is worth handling both before you commit.
The same Everose Rolesor and the same fluted bezel on each bracelet: the flat three-link Oyster and the five-link Jubilee.
Fluted or smooth. Covered above. Decide this one before you start comparing prices, because it moves the price and it moves the reference.
What comes with it. A full set means the original box, the warranty card, and the booklets. A watch sold on its own is exactly the same watch, and the difference in price is real and worth asking about directly.
A full set: box, warranty booklet, guarantee card, and the green Superlative Certified tag.
View the current Datejust range on Rolex.com →
Related Reading
- Jubilee vs Oyster Bracelet: Which Rolex Bracelet to Choose
- Every New Rolex Released in 2026
- Rolex Price Increases in 2026
- Rolex Models Discontinued in 2026
- Are Rolex Watches a Good Investment in 2026?
- Video: Rolex Datejust 41 Green Ombré 126300 Unboxing
Sources and methodology: reference numbers, case materials, bezel types, and dial descriptions were checked against Rolex's own specification text as carried on our Datejust listings in August 2026. The references named as carrying it are the ones we have listed with it and verified against that text; we have not asserted the dial on references we have not handled, so treat the current Rolex catalogue as the authority on what is presently offered. The green ombré dial suffixes are taken from our own 2026 new-release listings. Photographs are our own, taken in-house of watches we have listed, and each was viewed at full resolution before being captioned. Prices reflect our own asking prices in August 2026 for available pre-owned examples and vary by size, metal, bracelet, year, condition, and included accessories. "Wimbledon" is a collector nickname that Rolex does not use in any product literature. Rolex has been Official Timekeeper of The Championships since 1978 and the dial first appeared on the Datejust II ref. 116333 in 2009; we have not found a documented first use of the nickname itself and have not attributed it to any source. Watches Off 5th is an independent dealer and is not an authorized dealer for Rolex.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called the Wimbledon Datejust?
Rolex has timed The Championships since 1978, and its Centre Court clocks are green and gold. When this dial arrived in 2009 on the steel-and-gold Datejust II ref. 116333, it carried those same colours, and Roger Federer wore that configuration through his Wimbledon years. Rolex has never used the nickname itself, and no one has documented who said it first.
Does Rolex officially call it the Wimbledon dial?
No. Rolex describes it as "slate dial, green Roman numerals" and uses no nickname anywhere in its product literature. That means you cannot search a Rolex catalogue for the term, and listings for the identical dial may never include the word at all.
Which Datejust references come with the Wimbledon dial?
The reference map above names the ones we can speak to from our own listings, covering both case sizes, plain steel, and each of the Rolesor metals. The dial lives in the suffix, so a base reference on its own will not confirm it. Ask us before assuming a particular reference and bracelet pairing exists.
Can you get a Wimbledon Datejust in all steel with a fluted bezel?
No. Rolex builds no steel fluted bezel at either size, so an all-steel 41 comes with a Smooth Bezel. If you want the fluting and still want the watch to read as steel, look at the 126334, where white gold supplies the fluting over a steel case.
Does the Wimbledon dial come in 36mm?
Yes. We have listed it on the three fluted 36mm references: the 126231 in Everose Rolesor, the 126233 in Yellow Rolesor and the 126234 in White Rolesor. The 36 runs the same calibre 3235 as the 41, so the size and the metal are the only things you are choosing between them.
What is the difference between the Wimbledon dial and a green-dial Datejust?
The Wimbledon dial is slate grey with green numerals. A green-dial Datejust has a fully green dial, such as the olive green sunray, mint green, or green ombré. Both can appear on the same base reference, so check the dial suffix, which is the part that names the dial.