4 Things We Love About The 2021 Sky-Dweller
The Rolex Sky-Dweller can be a divisive watch. At 42 mm, it’s a bold and imposing figure of a watch. It has the most movement complications of any Rolex watch, and it’s known for it’s unique dial configuration. Unlike Subs or OPs, the Sky-Dweller first appeared in 2012, making it a relatively new watch. Rolex collectors are often traditionalists, so it’s not surprising that many of them took a few years to warm up to this new addition. But for pure visual impact, it’s unbeatable, which makes it the perfect gift to yourself or someone else for celebrating a major milestone or clinching a difficult deal. Let’s take a look at what there is to love about the 2021 Sky-Dweller.
1. The Calibre 9001 Movement
The Calibre 9001 movement is in a class all its own. It’s one of the most complicated Rolex movements since it includes both an annual calendar, a calendar date complication, and a GMT function. The Calibre 9001 hasn’t changed much since its debut in 2012, but to be honest, it doesn’t need to. Even nearly a decade after it first appeared, it remains an impressive feat of engineering. It’s designed and manufactured in-house, and contains a blue Parachrom hairspring to ensure high precision (+2/-2 seconds) and protect against shocks. It also boasts a 72-hour power reserve, an incredible amount of time that has become standard in many Rolexes. But the icing on the cake is in the bezel. The way the Ring Command in the Sky-Dweller bezel interacts with Saros, Rolex’s annual calendar, is intuitive and satisfying: a complete joy to use.
2. Two words: Precious Metal
We love it when the exterior of a watch matches what’s inside the case, and that’s definitely true for the 2021 Sky-Dweller. Rolex’s beautifully complex 9001 movement is fittingly encased in gleaming precious metals, including Rolex’s proprietary Everose ® gold, yellow gold, white gold, and platinum. Rolex also offers the watch in traditional Rolesor (two-toned stainless steel and yellow gold) and white Rolesor, a mixed-metal offering that uses both stainless steel and white gold elements for a gleaming offering in a cooler-toned color. Of course, the stainless steel version is stellar, but we love the precious metals for this one-of-a-kind stunner.
3. The Chromalight Lume
Lume is a shadow asset on this type of watch -- it’s expected and necessary, but most collectors don’t go out of their way to mention it. But the Chromalight looks incredible on the dial here. The lume actually fills only part of the indices at the 5, 6, and 7 o’clock position, and is filled at an angle on the 4 and 8. This makes the resulting lume profile look like a sly smile, similar to the one we’ll be sporting once we manage to add this watch to our collection.
4. The Bracelet Options
Look, we’re a strap company, so we’re obviously going to be extremely interested in bracelet options for the new 2021 Sky-Dweller. Luckily, the Sky-Dweller has bracelet options in droves. In 2021, Rolex placed a Sky-Dweller on a Jubilee bracelet, and we think the five-link alternative to the Oyster bracelet is an excellent choice. With this addition, you can now choose from a Sky-Dweller with a traditional Oyster bracelet, the slightly more luxurious Jubilee bracelet, and the modern matte elastomer Oysterflex.
Even More Bracelet Options
Want to change out a strap on an existing watch? Make your luxury watch truly yours with an Everest Bands strap in rubber or leather. Our straps are carefully designed to fit each reference so that the bracelet flows seamlessly from the lugs. Everest Bands makes rubber watch straps in a wide variety of colors, including red, black, white, gray, and orange. Thousands of five star reviewers agree -- Everest Bands offers the best aftermarket Rolex watch straps on the market.
By Meghan Clark
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