FREQUENT FLYER

Rolex’s Sky-Dweller was designed specifically for travelers who seek adventure across multiple time zones.

BY GABRIEL PESSOA

ROLEX’S SKY-DWELLER IS THE ULTIMATE TRAVELER’S TIMEPIECE. Conducive to a jet-setting lifestyle, its dial displays two time zones, allowing the wearer to see local time through the conventional center hands and reference time in 24-hour format via an off-center disc.

The Sky-Dweller is equipped with a mechanism of interaction between the rotatable bezel, the winding crown, and the movement: the Ring Command system, which allows the user to select the watch’s functions one by one and set them quickly and securely. Global travelers can read the reference time using a red triangle pointing to the off-center disc. The disc’s 24-hour graduation allows travelers to distinguish daytime hours from nighttime hours in the reference time zone (for example, 10 a.m. versus 10 p.m.).

The watch also features Saros, a revolutionary annual calendar whose design was inspired by the astronomical phenomenon of the same name. The Greek term “saros” has been used since antiquity to designate an approximately 18year cycle of alignment patterns between the sun, Earth, and moon where they reach equal distances to one another in the same sky zone. The Saros annual calendar, whose qualities are attributable to an ingenious patented mechanism, automatically distinguishes between 30- and 31-day months. It displays the correct date throughout the year and requires only one adjustment yearly, on March 1.

Months of the year are marked by 12 discrete apertures around the dial’s perimeter, outside the hour markers: January at 1 o’clock, February at 2 o’clock, and so on. A red aperture indicates the current month.

The Sky-Dweller’s Oyster case — 42 millimeters in diameter and guaranteed to be waterproof to a depth of 330 feet (100 meters) — is a paragon of robustness and elegance. The middle case is crafted from a solid block of 18-karat yellow gold, made with only the purest metals from the Rolex foundry. The caseback, edged with fine fluting, is hermetically screwed down with a unique tool that grants only certified Rolex watchmakers access to the movement. The Twinlock winding crown, fitted with a double waterproof system, screws down securely against the case. The crystal is made of a virtually scratchproof sapphire, with a Cyclops lens at 3 o’clock for easy reading of the date, and benefits from an anti-reflective coating. The waterproof Oyster case provides optimal protection for the Sky-Dweller’s movement.