Trying To Get Airborne With The Sky-Dweller

February 27, 2019

Honest question: why do people like the Sky-Dweller? Is it because the travel watch with the Saros annual calendar and Ring Command is a complicated piece of watchmaking? Is it the characteristic dial layout, perhaps? Or is it because if you wear this 42mm watch in precious metal, everybody within a hundred-meter radius will know youre sporting a costly ? I never felt the need to board the most complicated watch in s current collection, but this Monday, Im trying to get airborne with the Sky-Dweller in yellow and Everose gold.The Sky-Dweller first took off in 2012, and it still feels like this watch is a new kid on the block. You get that when surrounded by Subs, GMT-Master IIs, and Daytonas. The watch combines s Saros annual calendar with a GMT function in a very original way. The Ring Command system works in such a way that it can simultaneously indicate two time zones, the date, and the month while allowing them to be adjusted by turning the fluted bezel. You can read about it here to learn exactly how it works.Trying to get airborne with the Sky-Dweller in yellow and Everose goldThe two Sky-Dweller models that introduced last year were not completely new. The full-gold Jubilee bracelets were new, but the automatic caliber 9002, for instance, wasnt. This chronometer-certified movement is a 2023 update of the caliber 9001. It is equipped with the Chronergy escapement and provides a power reserve of 72 hours with an average accuracy of 2 seconds per day.So, in reality, all that was new was a bracelet change, but what a change it was. If a 42mm watch with a busy dial and a Cyclops on top wasn t eye-catching enough, already offered a Jubilee bracelet for the Sky-Dweller, but it was a steel one matched to a steel model with a white gold bezel. Full gold in two colors is new and makes the Sky-Dweller shine like never before. The opulence of gold is not for the faint of heart. Be it in the equivalent of rose gold - Everose - or yellow gold, the Sky-Dweller is not a watch for introverts. They will undoubtedly appreciate the build quality, comfort, and folding Oysterclasp equipped with the Easylink comfort system. This clasp allows an extra 5mm on-the-fly adjustment without requiring any tools. The introverts will also be grateful for the ceramic inserts that make the bracelet feel simultaneously supple and robust.The Sky-Dweller is a watch for-?The Sky-Dweller is an impressive watch in multiple ways. Its 42mm case has a 14mm thickness, 50.5mm length, and a 21mm lug spacing. Like most es, it looks bigger than it is, making the Sky-Dweller a massive watch. It feels too big on my 18cm wrist and looks even bigger. Thats also because of the plethora of lavish gold. The yellow gold reference 336938 with a white dial ($56,800) is the most traditional-looking version, but its too big to be a classic. The Everose reference 336935 with a slate-gray dial ($60,100) is a more contemporary creation. The dial is less outspoken than the white one, but combined with the fluted rose gold bezel and Jubilee bracelet, the visual effect is on par with the white-dialed version.So, who is the perfect person to wear the full-gold Sky-Dweller? This is a larger-than-life watch and, therefore, a perfect fit for basketball great Michael Jordan and rapper DJ Khaled. They ve both been seen wearing a blue-dialed Sky-Dweller, so these full-gold Jubilee-equipped references should also be to their taste. Other famous wearers of the Sky-Dweller include UFC champion Conor McGregor, actors Will Smith and Tom Cruise, basketball all-star LeBron James, and comedian Kevin Hart.What about a Sky-Dweller EVO?The big, brash Sky-Dweller has such an outspoken look that its ingenious insides are often overlooked. How could set that straight? Functional evolution would do the trick. The caliber 9002 has a 33mm diameter, meaning it can most probably fit in a smaller case than the 42mm case it beats in now - a 40mm case, for instance. The thickness would probably remain about the same, but that wouldnt be too much of a problem proportionally.There will also be no issues regarding comfort because the Sky-Dweller EVO I have in mind has a flat-sided RLX titanium case. The titanium Oyster bracelet builds for its superb Yacht-Master 42 in RLX titanium will be a perfect fit for the most utilitarian Sky-Dweller ever. I envision a matte black dial with legible white indexes, plenty of luminous material to light up the cockpit or cabin, and a few color accents to make all the functions easy to read. The Sky-Dweller EVO will attract fans who fully appreciate the brand s technical qualities. These people dont want a big and shiny watch but, instead, appreciate the functionality of their travel timepiece. Finally, there will be Sky-Dweller wearers noticing that the watch, while displaying the local time using the central hands, also presents a 24-hour-graduated off-center rotating disc, making it possible to read the time in another time zone. The fact that the date, month, hours, minutes, seconds, and an additional time zone are all visible at a glance will finally be noticed and appreciated. The same goes for the Saros calendar, which requires only one date adjustment a year on the first day of March.From opulent behemoth to nimble travel toolIn its current form, the Sky-Dweller is more a mile-high-membership kind of watch than an instrumental travel companion for the discerning watch connoisseur. But in a smaller and different case, it could most definitely be the latter. It could also be a future classic. Having said all that, please dont get your hopes up. I have no idea what will be presenting during the upcoming edition of Watches and Wonders. No inside information came to me regarding a possible Sky-Dweller in titanium. But please remember that the titanium Yacht-Master also came out of nowhere. With that in mind, then, I look forward to being surprised by a next-generation Sky-Dweller. What about you? Watch specifications Model Sky-DwellerReference 336935 / 336938Dial Slate gray with sunburst finish and applied luminous Everose gold indexes / Intense white with applied luminous yellow gold indexesCase Material 18K Everose gold / 18K yellow goldCase Dimensions 42mm (diameter) 50.5mm (lug-to-lug) 14mm (thickness)Crystal SapphireCase Back Everose or yellow gold, screw-in Movement 9002: automatic with manual winding, 28,800vph frequency, 72-hour power reserve, Chronergy escapementWater Resistance 100 metersStrap 18K Everose or yellow gold Jubilee bracelet (21mm width) with folding Oysterclasp and Easylink extensionFunctions Time (hours, minutes, seconds hands), second time zone (24-hour ring), annual calendar (month and date)Price $60,100 (336935) / $56,800 (336938)