BASELWORLD 2017 SAW ROLEX REIMAGINE A NUMBER OF ITS CLASSIC MODELS INTO 904L STEEL VERSIONS, WHICH, WHEN PAIRED WITH THE SIGNATURE ROLEX BLUE, MAKE THE PERFECT WRIST-CANDY. HERE, WE LOOK AT TWO NUMBERS THAT HIT ALL THE RIGHT NOTES IN ERGONOMICS, PRACTICALITY AND STYLE: THE DATEJUST 41 AND SKY-DWELLER.
Rolex Datejust 41
TIPPING THE HAT to the yellow Rolesor and Everose Rolesor versions introduced last year, the latest Datejust model has grown in size to 41mm and is refitted with the new Rolex calibre 3235, which holds 14 patents, the Chronergy escapement and a power reserve of up to 70 hours.
Its classic look means it has a story to tell: first launched in 1945, the Datejust was the first self-winding waterproof chronometer wristwatch to display the date in a window at 3 o’clock, which is now thoughtfully placed under a scratch-free Cyclops lens for easy readability. Its quintessentially Rolex Oyster case – now crafted from a solid block of 904L steel – guarantees it’s waterproof to a depth of 100m, a feature further ensured by the Twinlock double waterproofness system.
Lauded to be an invention at the forefront of watchmaking, the calibre 3235 reaches new heights in precision, power reserve, convenience, reliability as well as resistance to shocks and magnetic fields. Made of magnetic-resistant nickel-phosphorus, the heart is refitted with an optimised Parachrom hairspring for a 10-times enhancement in precision compared to traditional hairsprings. A Rolex overcoil ensures regularity in any position while the new barrel architect and escapement promise superior efficiency.
Sky-Dweller
ROLEX UNDERSTANDS GLOBETROTTERS: they are practical, need easily accessible information on-the-go, and shun the superfluousness a travel watch sometimes espouses.
Cue the new Sky-Dweller.
It shows off a dual time zone with local time read via centre hands and reference time displayed in a 24-hour format via a disc; a calendar smart enough to differentiate between 30- and 31-day months; and a fool-proof interface that sets the watch’s functions via the rotatable Ring Command bezel.
Reference time is shown on a 24-hour display so the wearer can differentiate a.m. from p.m.. Time zones can also be adjusted during the course of the journey without losing track of time at home, which can be set independently with one-hour increments both forward and backwards so minute and second hands remain unaffected. As well, local time determines date change, which takes place almost unnoticed within a few milliseconds at midnight.
To avoid clutter on the dial, months of the year are indicated in 12 apertures around the chapter ring, January at 1 o’clock, February at 2 o’clock and so on. The bezel is also put to work: each position change grants access to date and month setting, local time adjustment and reference time change, whereby the movement is stopped during this operation to allow the wearer to set the watch to the exact second.
Sky-Dweller’s intelligent calendar is achieved by a clever gear ratio between the satellite wheel and planetary wheel, which is calculated so that at the end of the 30-day month – and only in these months –one of the satellite’s teeth receives an additional impulse from the date-change mechanism, prompting the calendar to jump two days, from the 30 th to the 1. At the end of 31-day months, vice versa, this mechanism isn’t activated.
