Rolex has designed the Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller to be both easy on the eyes and easy to use, all while ensuring that the watch’s mechanics live up to the reliability that Rolex is known for.
The Sky-Dweller is tailor-made to suit the needs of a travelling man. The wearer can easily tell time in two different time zones thanks to the dial’s innovative rotating off center disc, which indicates the hour of the second time zone. Saros, the time period used to predict eclipses of the sun and moon, is the name Rolex has given the Sky-Dweller’s Annual Calendar, which needs solely one adjustment per year in February. The watch also keeps track of months by means of 12 apertures around the circumference of the dial, which lets through a red, white, or black indication. The dial now features rectangular index hour markers and longer hands that both offer Blue Chromalight display in low-light environments. The Ring-Command fluted bezel rotates in two directions and is used to set functions.
Thanks to a new concealed attachment system underneath the bezel, the Sky-Dweller seamlessly fits onto the solid link Oyster bracelet. The bracelet itself can either be entirely made of 904 L steel, a combination of 904 L steel and Rolex 18 ct gold, or entirely Rolex 18 ct gold, depending on one’s preference. Rolesor is a combination of 18 ct gold and steel and has been a signature feature of Rolex watches since 1933. The luxury and prestige of gold, and the strength and durability of steel, come together to create the elegance we have come to expect from a Rolex timepiece. The bracelet is also equipped with a folding Oysterclasp, and features the Rolex-patented Easylink rapid extension system. This allows the wearer to increase the bracelet length by approximately 5 mm for the right fit.
The self-winding 9001 calibre is one of Rolex’s most complex movements. It offers a power reserve of approximately 72 hours and is protected by the robust Oyster case. The case is categorized by a middle case made from a solid block of 904 L steel, or 18 ct gold, a hermetically sealed case back, and a winding crown that has been fitted with a Twinlock double waterproof system. Together, the case features allow the Sky-Dweller to be waterproof up to a depth of 100 meters. In addition, the virtually scratchproof sapphire crystal has a magnifying cyclops lens at three o’clock, which makes reading the date a breeze.
Like all Rolex timepieces, the Sky-Dweller has been crowned with the Superlative Chronometer seal of approval. This certification, redefined by Rolex in 2015, ensures each watch has undergone a series of tests in Rolex’s own laboratories; stringent tests that far exceed the third-party Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) testing norms of watchmaking, which Rolex timepieces also endure. The tests are applied to the fully assembled watch; they verify the case, movement, waterproofness, power reserve, self-winding, and performance of the timepiece on the wrist.
Rolex is synonymous with precision and quality, not by chance, but by expert craftsmanship and technological sophistication.
By Akeem Johnson-Pierre