RolexSky Dweller

The Rolex Sky-Dweller ref. 326933 is the most complicated modern Rolex available. Yet it is more accessible price wise than you might expect.

With dual time zones like the GMT-Master, the Sky-Dweller is aimed at business travellers, not pilots. The real story though is its complicated movement. The all-new caliber 9001, which today remains the most complex ever developed by the brand.

The Sky-Dweller took its design cues from the Datejust and Day-Date models, but the familiar fluted bezel holds a hidden surprise. In fact, the Sky-Dweller’s mystique turned out to be how simple it is to read and adjust.

The Sky-Dweller displays two time zones at the same time. Local time, and the date, are in the standard Rolex format. However, off-set from the champagne dial centre is a 24-hour disc indicated to by a fixed inverted triangle. (You read minutes for both time zones from the local time minute hand.)

The 24-hour display tracks the wearer’s chosen reference time. This could be home time or the time zone where you spend most of your time for work. The 24-hour scale makes it easy to discern between day and night. The calendar month shows via one of the 12 apertures located beyond the hour indexes. You will notice the colour red in the corresponding box instead of white. There’s a lot of information but the delivery doesn’t overcrowd.

Adjusting so many indicators usually requires you to memorise several crown settings. Or necessitates bulky pushers. Or worse still, those annoying little correctors. Not so with the Sky-Dweller. While it’s true you use the crown for rapid setting of all functions, it doesn’t quite work in the usual way. Instead, you choose the function you want the crown to perform first.

How is this possible? Well, the Sky-Dweller employs intelligent bezel technology known as ‘ring command’. This is the same technology used by the Yacht-Master II. Rotating the bezel interacts with the movement. In doing so it changes which function the winding crown engages. No fewer than 60 components make up the patented, complex mechanical module. You can set the displays in any order, and in both backwards and forwards directions. This is seriously clever stuff.

The Oyster case measures a solid 42mm and comes on on a three-link Oyster bracelet. Inside is the Calibre 9001, a new movement developed for exclusive use by the Sky-Dweller. Like all Perpetual Rolex calibres, it uses the brand’s common movement architecture. This means bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor. Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring. And high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers. It’s certified as a superlative chronometer, so accurate to -2/+2 seconds per day. And offers a 72-hour power reserve.

This Rolex Sky-Dweller 326933 is presented for sale in mint condition throughout. Case, caseback, bezel and bracelet are superb. The box and papers are pristine and comprise a full Rolex set from new. This watch is covered by Rolex’s 5 year warranty – increased to 10 years through its purchase via Watches of Switzerland.

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