M2 2021 Luxury Watch Preview: Rolex
M2 brings you its top watch picks in a series featuring the best of this year’s luxury timepiece releases.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II
If you are a regular international traveller, then this is the timepiece for you. In addition to the conventional hour, minute and second hands for local time, the Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II also features an arrow-tipped hand which circles the dial once every 24 hours to show what the time is at home. These numbers are displayed on a Cerachrom insert in two-colour ceramic bidirectional rotatable bezel. Thanks to a independent hour hand mechanism, the local time can be set easily with the hour hand “jumping” from hour to hour without affecting the minute, second or 24-hour hands.
The case is guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 metres and has been crafted from a monobloc case middle made of highly corrosion resistant Oystersteel material, while the Cyclops lens crystal at 3 o’clock is made of virtually scratchproof sapphire. Inside is Rolex’s own Calibre 3285, a self-winding mechanical movement featuring a Perpetual rotor, which harnesses wrist movement for energy plus a blue Parachrom hairspring and its oscillator fitted on high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers. Thanks to its barrel architecture and the Chronergy escapement’s superior efficiency, the power reserve extends to around 70 hours. Available on a three-piece link Oyster bracelet or on a five-piece link Jubilee bracelet.
Rolex Sky-Dweller
One Saros equals around 6,585 and a bit days – just over 18 years – which is the amount of time required for the Earth, Sun and Moon to realign in a straight line for another eclipse exactly like the eclipse they had one Saros ago. The Babylonians knew about it over two and a half thousand years ago and Rolex Sky-Dweller owners do too due to the Saros calendar function on their watches.
Of course, 18 years is a long time to wait between anniversaries so Rolex have made their Saros annual calendar, but it does automatically differentiate between 30 and 31-day months. A red indicator next to an hour marker displays the correct month and requires only one adjustment a year – on March 1st if it’s a leap year. Designed for international travellers, the Sky-Dweller also shows two sets of times – local as well as home via an off-centre disc on the dial. The Sky-Dweller also features an innovative Ring Command system where you can select the watch’s functions one-by-one simply by turning the fluted bezel.
Crafted from a monobloc case middle made of highly corrosion resistant Oystersteel material and 18ct carat gold, the case is guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 metres while inside, Rolex’s own Calibre 9001 is a self-winding mechanical movement with a power reserve of around 72 hours. Depending on the version, the Sky-Dweller is available with either a three-piece link Oyster bracelet or an Oysterflex bracelet, both of which are equipped with a folding Oysterclasp.
