The Rolex Sky-Dweller is regarded as the most novel and refreshing Rolex in years,it created in 2012. Finally, the Sky-Dweller is totally new, but still it is a Rolex from head to toe.
Because the Rolex Sky-Dweller is different – mainly technically and not so much visually, since it really looks like a Rolex – we’re going to do an in-depth review; there’s a lot to tell about this watch. However let’s take a step back. Before it was introduced, people expected Rolex to come with a GMT-plus, a new traveler’s watch with more functions, more precision. Maybe a new sort of world-timer.
To make short, the Sky-Dweller is Rolex’ vision of the ultimate traveler’s business watch. It is a timepiece with useful features like a second time-zone and calendar functions , as well as being adapted to every single situation – meaning a watch that can be worn with a suit or with a more casual attire. This Rolex watch was not especially conceived for pilots but mainly for people who fly frequently, for their job or their pleasure.
The Rolex Sky-Dweller is also Rolex’ vision of a complicated watch and it is actually a very complicated watch. However, Rolex always emphasizes its products on the functionality and not the complexity for the complexity. Each function is there for a good reason, for a practical reason. Nothing is added for the fun or the beauty of it. This is actually the reason why, even if technically advanced, the Sky-Dweller looks rather simple. Every aspect has been designed to be practical, easy to use and useful on a daily basis. It is another vision of high-end watchmaking. The “Sky” is, like most watches from the Oyster collection, a tool made to simplify your life, to help you in certain conditions. A Submariner or a Sea-Dweller help divers to practice their sport, a GMT-Master helps pilots while crossing several time-zones and a Yacht-Master II helps sailors to start their regattas at the right moment. The Sky-Dweller will be the perfect companion for travelers. And besides its complexity, it aims to make their lives easier.
The display of the Rolex Sky-Dweller can be divided in 3 areas: local-time, home-time and calendar information. The first area is the most common: the local-time, meaning the actual time in the place where you are. It is displayed by the 3 hands on the central axis . The second area is the home / reference time. Usually, Rolex displays a second time-zone via a GMT hand and a 24-hour bezel .
In the case of the Sky-Dweller, Rolex opted for another solution, a sub-dial. It is composed of two elements: a red triangle just below the Rolex logo, which points to the time in a second time zone, which is displayed with a 24-hour scale on a rotating disc. On the picture just over here, local time is 10h09 and in the second timezone is 7h09. Overall, time-reading is extremely easy.
Then comes the third area of this dial: the calendar functions. The Rolex Sky-Dweller features a complicated annual calendar, displayed in a very convenient and practical way. Instead of a ‘packed’ dial with sub-counters, Rolex chose to make things natural and clean. This annual calendar is composed first of a date window, positioned at 3 and of 12 small apertures around the dial, next to the applied hour indices, to display the month. 12 Hours on a dial, 12 months in a year… Why not blending them to make things easier to read. The month is simply indicated in by contrasting colour in the month’s aperture. The black dial edition is adjusted to July and that the Everose gold edition is adjusted to June. Quite easy and very intuitive.
The Rolex Sky-Dweller is powered by a specific movement, developed especially for this watch: the Calibre 9001. It is one of the most complicated movements that Rolex ever developed . It is of course chronometer certified by COSC, it boasts 72 hours of power reserve, it features the Paraflex shock absorbers, a large variable inertia balance wheel and the blue Parachrom hairspring. And even with the Ring Command Bezel and the SAROS mechanism, it is built to last a lifetime.
Rolex created an impressive piece of engineering; a watch that looks extremely simple, that has all the features required by the people who need this type of watch, that sets new standards in terms of adjusting and that, besides this apparent simplicity, is extremely complicated. Rolex is not here for the show. They are here to make user-friendly, qualitative, and very reliable luxury products and this Rolex Sky-Dweller is a great demonstration of Rolex’ capacities.
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