When the first Rolex Sky-Dweller was introduced in 2012, it aimed to silence all the brand's haters, who constantly scoffed at the "new models" – that there was no difference from the previous ones, that practically no technological innovations were introduced, that they use 50-year-old movements, etc.

The mouths of all such "commentators" and "connoisseurs" were silenced once again, because the product is truly impressive. The size is different, the functionality truly impressive, the dial design is different from anything known so far, and the movement.... In fact, that is where the big surprise lies... The main reason for pride is precisely Calibre 9001, which was developed exclusively for the Sky-Dweller. Like all Rolex Perpetual calibres, it too uses the common architecture for bidirectional self-winding via the Perpetual rotor, Paraflex anti-shock protection, and a Parachrom hairspring. Here, however, the automatic winding system has been seriously improved, with the rotor now on a ball bearing, and its efficiency increased by 15%. As for lubrication, the reversing wheels, as one of the problematic areas in terms of friction, are Teflon-coated – as a result of all this, the power reserve is increased to an impressive 72 hours!!! To this day, it remains the most complex calibre ever created by Rolex!

All this gave Rolex grounds to initially release the model only in precious metal cases, and it was not until 5 years later, in 2017, that the steel and bi-metal versions of the model were launched. We have the pleasure of presenting to your attention just such a specimen, and in the most desired blue dial color among followers!

Truly, the detail of this watch (as with all modern Rolexes we have had the opportunity to examine) is impressive. Close inspection reveals the jewel-like craftsmanship, and the overall impression is very aristocratic. Starting with the incredible dial (in the case of the watch presented, it is the much sought-after dark blue dial). Moving on to the incredible sapphire with the "cyclops" – in this case, the brand's highest grade of sapphire is used, which has allowed the overall height of the watch to be reduced compared to its predecessors. Of course, separate attention must be paid to the case and the bezel – an incredible combination of polished highest-grade 904 L steel with faceted polished edges and details in places (as you know, Rolex pays special attention to the steel used and for this purpose has its own foundries for the production of all its alloys) with a Rolesor bezel in the brand's characteristic "fluted" style, which gives an incredible radiance, and the fact that the bezel is made of 18-carat gold further reinforces the overall impression! Unlike all other models of the brand that use this bezel, in this case, it is functional!

The Sky-Dweller displays two time zones simultaneously - the local time and date are in the standard Rolex format, while on a separate off-center disc is a 24-hour display, with the hour indicated by a fixed inverted triangle. The 24-hour scale makes it easy to distinguish between day and night, and the month is displayed through one of the 12 apertures located around the hour markers.

Adjusting so many indicators usually requires you to remember several crown settings, or several additional pushers, or those hidden small correctors for which you have to use that special tool that the dealer gave you separately with the express mention "do not lose it under any circumstances, or else...". However, this is not the case here – yes, here too you use the crown for quick setting of all functions, but here it does not work in the usual way. Instead, you first select the function you want the crown to perform.

The Sky-Dweller uses an intelligent bezel technology known as the "Ring Command" – it is similar to the one used in the Yacht-Master II. Rotating the bezel interacts with the movement, thereby selecting which function is activated by turning the crown. This complex mechanical module includes over 60 components, and it can be operated by turning the bezel in both directions.

Before the Sky-Dweller, Rolex only offered a so-called "full calendar," which, although similar, does not take into account the different lengths of the months - Rolex solved this problem by introducing four additional gear wheels. In this way, the simple but ingenious annual calendar system called SAROS was created.

"Saros" is a Greek term - it means the astronomical cycle governing the recurrence of an eclipse. The design is inspired by the cyclical alignment of the Sun, Earth, and Moon – hence the name.

A satellite (earth) wheel engages a fixed planetary (sun) gear wheel over the course of a month, driven by the date disc. The "Earth" in turn has its own satellite (moon) wheel, equipped with four fingers for each of the four 30-day months. At the end of these months, one of the fingers causes the date disc to "jump" two days in a few milliseconds. Therefore, the 31st date is "eclipsed". Because of this, manual intervention is only required on March 1st.