Review: Rolex Sky-Dweller
If there's one thing Rolex knows how to do really well, it's generating publicity. With a tightly cropped and thoroughly confusing promotional shot, the Swiss giant first announced the 'Sky-Dweller' to the world. As you can imagine, the Internet pretty much exploded with chatter, rumour, assumption and division. How could this be a watch for the sky? Rolex's successful GMT-Master II was already king of that domain and had been since the 1950s.
A year later, the Rolex Sky-Dweller was finally released to be experienced in the flesh, without the hype. Very similar in appearance to the Day-Date, it's a smart piece that tries its best to hide a considerable bulk with curved sides and a thick case back, but unfortunately it just can't quite get away with it. It sits higher on the wrist than is preferable for a watch of its type, but not at the expense of comfort.
So what exactly does the Sky-Dweller do? Where the GMT was designed for those sat at the front of the plane, the Sky-Dweller is for those in the back, presumably in the first class section. Its primary function is the independent time zone in the awkwardly placed doughnut-shaped sub dial, but of course, that's nothing new for Rolex. The GMT has had second time zone functionality for years.
But this is where it gets clever: utilising similar tech to the Yacht-Master II, the Sky-Dweller has what Rolex call, 'Ring Command'. No, that isn't terminology for a stark and emotionless engagement proposal—it’s the bezel selection mechanism. It's quite simple when you know how and exceedingly clever. Consisting of sixty components (which probably contribute to the Sky-Dweller's overweight frame), the Ring Command bezel replaces those fiddly crown adjustment positions. Turn the bezel one click and the crown sets the reference time, turn it another and it sets the home time and a further click sets the date.
You may have noticed that one of the hour markers is black. This is the final surprise that Rolex had in store with the Sky-Dweller—the inclusion of an annual calendar. Requiring only one adjustment per year, the date automatically adjusts at the end of each month. How do you know which month it's set to? That's the black hour marker.
The Sky-Dweller is a fantastic platform for Rolex to show off what they're capable of, but much like the Deepsea Sea-Dweller—whose showpiece was its monumental depth rating—its appeal will be limited. The thick case and awkward looks will not be universally loved, but for anyone who does have the moxie (and money!) to one, they will be treated to a very impressive piece of watch-tech worthy of the hype.
Watch Spec | Rolex Sky-Dweller
Case: Everose gold Dimensions: 42mm dia Crystal: Antireflective coated synthetic sapphire Water Resistance: 100m Movement: Calibre 9001, automatic Frequency: 28,800 vph Power Reserve: 72 hours Strap: Brown leather Functions: Time, second time zone, annual calendar, ring command bezel | Shop Now
