5 turquoise watches that aren't the Rolex OP41

The popularity of the turquoise blue Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 took us all by surprise, and what is even more shocking is that it is now being sold in the gray market for almost 3 times its sticker price. A watch that is priced at $5900, is now selling for close to 15K and it’s only a few months old. Watch lovers and ADs are both saying that this watch is now extremely hard to get your hands on, despite a huge demand. 

So what can you do if you want to get your turquoise fix, but can’t yet get your hands on the Rolex OP41? Here are 5 steel and turquoise watches that are available to buy and for sale at a lower price than the OP41 (at the time of publication). Although none of these watches are 41mm, they are still beauts and can hopefully satiate your desire for a turquoise blue dial in your life.

1. Astor + Banks Fortitude - Astor + Banks

At 38.5mm, this watch with a stainless steel case is really a great, wearable size. It's equipped with a Miyota 9015 adjusted in house with automatic with manual winding capability and a 42 hour power reserve. This watch dial color is described as “mint” and when placed next to the OP41, the mint color becomes really clear. 

As compared to the Rolex Oyster Perpetual the color is much more green, but still a really beautiful timepiece. At $650 USD For Silver, Mint Green, and Navy Dial and $695 for Mother-of-Pearl Dial, this watch is a steal.  Read more about the Astor and Banks from our friends at Tenn & Two here.

2. Doxa Conquistadors in Aquamarine - Doxa Watches

The Doxa Sub 200 and Doxa Sub 300T in Aquamarine are both bright and cheerful choices for getting that Turquoise watch fix.  The Doxa 300T has a case dimension of 42.5x44.5 so it’s a bit on the larger side. It houses an ETA 2824-2 automatic, self-winding movement with a 38hr power reserve. According to the Doxa website this watch is “rated to withstand pressures up to 120 bar, this diver is effectively waterproof to a depth of 1,200 meters and features the patented unidirectional rotating bezel with an integrated no-decompression dive time calculator.”

The asking price on the Sub 300T is $1890, while the Sub 200 goes for half the price at $990. There’s also a turquoise Sub chronograph that sells for much higher at $2790 and a few other varieties that come in the “aquamarine” color as well. The company sells the watches on steel bracelets but also offers rubber varieties to suit individual tastes.

3. Vintage Rolex Air King

This Rolex Air King is “vintage” so naturally that means a smaller case-this one measuring in at 34mm. The Air King 5500 line was produced between 1957-1989 and had many model updates over that thirty year span, including sometimes having a date window and other times not. “Precision” on the dial generally means it runs on a Caliber 1520 movement. 

This one appears to have been produced in the 1970s and is for sale on many reputable sites for just under 5k. It’s unclear to me whether this dial is original, or modified, but I was able to find several different versions of this watch for sale from different sellers, so either it was a super popular mod, or it came from Rolex this way. Where are my vintage Rolex experts at? I would love to hear about it in the comments if you happen to know.

Despite the size difference, I would say that the dial color looks pretty similar to the new Oyster Perpetuals. I’d love to see a side by side to compare.

4. anOrdain Watches: Model 1, Model 2, and Teal Fume

Image Source anOrdain Model 2, Teal Dial, Photo: AnOrdain via Chrono24

The brand known as anOrdain is a relatively young and small Scottish brand that uses enamel on their dials, which is very interesting because they are likely the only watch company outside of Switzerland and Japan to produce their enamel dials in house.

They currently offer two watch models known as Model 1 and Model 2. On the Model 1 watches you can enjoy a slightly larger case size (38mm case, 11 mm thick, 18mm straps). The Model 1 offers five different dial colors which include white, pink, red, navy blue, and teal, and “fume” dials in gray, green, blue, and plum.

Model 2 watches are slightly smaller at 36 mm with more playful/whimsical numerals on the dial that the traditional Model 1. There are five Fumé and six regular dial colors to choose from. The one that looks most like the OP here is the Torr Blue or the Blue Fume. The prices range from 950-1750 pounds, which equates to approximately $1290-$2378 USD (at the time of publication). You can learn more about the brand from our friends here and from our own Everest team feature here.

5. Halios Seaforth - Halios Watches

Image: Hodnikee

When founder of Halios watches, Jason Lim first released this watch, we were in love. The light blue dial is just so lovely and trendy and beautiful, plus Jason Lim is just a nice guy to do business with. Add that to the company being located in Vancouver, Canada (one of my favorite cities) and you have a win win all around. 

According to Hodinkee’s review of this watch, the steel Seaforth is 41mm wide, 12mm thick, and 47mm lug to lug (fixed bezel versions are 40mm at the case edge and the rotating bezel grip adds 1mm). Hodinkee notes that “viewed in profile, much of that 12mm thickness is derived from the curved edge of the Seaforth’s vintage-style domed sapphire crystal. Meant to evoke the box plexi crystals of '60s and '70s divers, the Seaforth’s crystal has an internal anti-reflective treatment and presents very little distortion or magnification from its bubbled edge.”

While the Seaforth is no longer in production, you can still buy some on the second-hand market. Prices range from approximately $750-$1,000.

What did you think of these turquoise watches? Do any of them quench the thirst for the OP41 in “Tiffany Blue?” At Everest, we aren’t afraid of color, and we love seeing these fun dials get their chance to shine. If one of your new year resolutions was to add more color to your collection, be sure to check out our colorful lineup of Swiss-made rubber straps, as well as our full array of watch accessories.