The curious case of the Rolex Chameleon and its many variants

Buffy Acacia

If you thought that archival records for men’s watches were lacking, then you probably haven’t tried to trace the origins of any women’s watches. Considering that they were the original wristwatches, it’s shocking that there isn’t more detail out there on them. Perhaps its due to gender imbalance in the watch community or just that there were too many variations produced to keep track of, but there’s definitely a black hole of information. The Rolex Chameleon is no exception, and yet they pop up surprisingly regularly online. Thankfully, there are a few trails we can follow to understand the collection.

The earliest record I can find of the Rolex Chameleon is an advert from 1953, featuring minimalist artwork which barely shows the watch at all. Instead, it highlights the fact that it has interchangeable straps, likening the set to a wardrobe in itself. There we have the whole premise of the Chameleon, in that it can blend into its environment by changing the strap colours. The “starter set” included four leather straps in black, red, green and blue, and the model in 18k gold cost US$150, which equates to roughly US$1,700 today.

The cases were small and conical, with a slot in the back for single-pass straps. And given the nature of women’s fashion, the Chameleon collection was quickly bursting with different references, case shapes, materials, and straps of course. There were both precious metal and stainless steel versions, but you could even get full single-pass bracelets made out of 18k gold. Because the leather straps relied on friction to stop the cases from sliding around during wear, the bracelet options actually used a kind of spring which helped to keep the head of the watch in place.

In 1962, a Rolex catalogue depicts one Chameleon with green or red gem-set bezels in a sporty white metal case, or a more refined yellow gold option with hobnail knurling across the bezel. The common denominator with all of these models was a sense of luxury and versatility.

Rolex Chameleon Case variations — Just some of the case variations throughout the 1950s and ’60s.

The mid-late ‘60s witnessed some of the biggest diversions among the Chameleon lineup, thanks to the emergence of a more expressive and less modest style. The “almond” case drew the bezel out from the shy pie shape of the ‘50s and gave it some real glamour. The most popular models were fluted for a radiating sunbeam effect, but there were also bark finishes and some other, experimental looks which are now rarer to find, but not necessarily more desirable. Really though, those developments may have been a little bit too late and unoriginal.

Nivada Grenchen Chameleon Modular Set — A Nivada Grenchen/Croton box set of interchangeable bezels and straps from the late ’60s.

In the 1950s, when the Rolex Chameleon first arrived, sets of modular watch parts were actually fairly well-established. They didn’t just rely on colourful straps either, with many of them coming with bezels which you could snap on and off depending on the mood. Some were flashier than others, and had various decorative elements which could distinguish each look. Many of the brands were using generic movements, but some more recognisable names such as Bucherer and Nivada Grenchen were also prolific in this area.

Those collections laid the groundwork for modular watches which we see today, although the genre has always struggled to be a success. The Rolex Chameleon never seemed to make it far into the 1970s, which makes sense as Rolex consolidated their models while navigating the quartz crisis. Today, you can find plenty of them online, with the precious metal models commanding some impressive prices based on their gold melt value. Most of the sellers seem to be from Japan, which must have been a very successful market for the Rolex Chameleon models at their peak.