The biggest news from the Rolex catalog update from 2021 is the all-new generation submarine watch with the 41mm case. However, while it’s Rolex’s iconic diving watch line that has grabbed the headlines, there’s also the new fake Rolex Sky-Dweller watches, which now comes with the brand’s iconic Oysterflex bracelet.
Featuring both an annual calendar complication and a dual-timezone display, the Sky-Dweller is positioned as the ultimate great travel watch within Rolex’s catalog. However, ever since the last of the solid gold models with leather straps were discontinued a couple of years ago, the Oyster bracelet became the only option available for the collection.
Released in 2012, the Sky-Dweller is Rolex’s most recent all-new addition. It is also (by a significant margin) the most complicated piece in the brand’s contemporary lineup. Inside its 42mm case, it shoehorns in a date display, a dual timezone indicator, and the brand’s first-ever annual calendar. Still, in its first few years after release, it was fairly tame. Sales of the watch have been hampered by some unorthodox looks, and the watch is made of 18K pure gold, so the price is correspondingly high.
Of the three original models, the yellow and white gold variants sat on the three-link Oyster bracelet, while the Everose piece was given a brown alligator leather strap. These models were joined in 2014 by another three, which reversed the configurations of the first series, with yellow gold and white gold models with leather straps, and Everose choice on a matching Oyster bracelet.
However, they were still all-gold fake watches. It wouldn’t be until 2017 that the first signs of stainless steel appeared in the form of a pair of Rolesor examples. The steel/yellow gold and steel/white gold models made the Rolex Sky-Dweller significantly more accessible to a wider audience because of the lower cost, and the watch finally saw its stock begin to rise among fans. The dial has also been modified to replace the Arabic numerals with truncheons, the off-center GMT dial has been given a matching color, and the main hand has been lengthened to make it easier to read. These changes all add up for the Rolex Sky-Dweller, which is now a high demand watch. So what’s the effect of adding some stylish new straps?