IN-DEPTH: The 2017 Rolex Sky-Dweller is getting better with age, and these pictures and video prove it
Michael Jordan has just reminded us of the modern classic in our midst that is the latest iteration of the Rolex Sky-Dweller, relaunched in 2017. And while Part 2 of his collection gave me, as a fortunate and fairly fanatical Big Pilot owner (oh, what a watch), a kick to be on team MJ, it also reminded me of a Rolex I’ve not yet managed to bring to earth and to my wrist. That 2017 Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller. I went back to our archives and found a video as well as this long review with absolutely stunning pictures by our main man, Jason Reekie. I was enamoured all over again. It reminded me that, while this lockdown and pause in new releases is surreal and frankly annoying, it is giving us more time than ever to reflect on past as well as present greatness. So here, I combine them into a supersized in-depth review, with a couple of videos and an owner’s perspective to complement it. For good measure, there’s also the video from Baselworld when we first encountered the watch. Scroll to the end of the post to see that, and a more thicc version of me too. If…
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The world’s gone MJ all over again with the first two episodes of the documentary celebrating his life, The Last Dance, dropping yesterday. We’re in tune with the GOAT, with Part 1 of his watch collection being published last week. Today, we bring you Part 2, which continues his Airness’ brilliantly eclectic choices. From pilots to RM Divers, he knows no bounds. IWC Big Pilots MJ is a fan of the brand from Schaffhausen and owns three different Big Pilot models (that we know of). The first is a Reference 5002 Big Pilot in stainless steel with 7 days of power reserve. For most normal people, pulling off a 46mm case is a bit of a tall order but it’s no problem for Jordan. The second model is a platinum model, which he wore to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2016. We know it’s the platinum model due to the blue dial and strap. The final Big Pilot owned by Jordan is a gold Annual Calendar Antoine de Saint Exupéry limited edition of 250 pieces, featuring a calendar that only needs to be adjusted once a year at the end of February. Richard Mille…
Mario Jutronic’s marine-themed microbrand Marnaut is a breath of fresh ocean air. It was beginning to seem impossible that a retro-flavoured dive watch could bring anything new to the table, but one glimpse at a Marnaut dial and you must admit they’ve found a way. Having spent a large portion of his youth snorkelling around the Adriatic Sea, Croatian entrepreneur and watch collector Mario Jutronic decided that his own brand needed to break away from the endlessly recycled designs in the diving world. His solution? Evoking the strikingly symmetrical holes in a Sea Urchin’s exoskeleton by arranging no less than 43 Super-LumiNova filled steel indexes on the dial. Mario describes the watch’s inspiration, the Sea Urchin, as a mesmerising object. And that’s the right word to describe the dial, too. The glinting indexes beneath the gently doming sapphire of the Dark Surge draw the eye, and train it to the centre; it is in fact hard to believe something so symmetrical and perfectly designed comes from an organic being. The downside is the lack of numbers on the timing bezel. With not a minute marker to be seen, it loses a lot of traditional diving functionality. That is part of…
Is collecting mechanical watches meaningful? I’ve thought about this existential question quite a bit. Recently I was fortunate to spend some time chatting with Leonid Khankin, President and Creative Director for the brand Ernst Benz. Leonid has a deep understanding of the watch industry. Our discussion is worthy of a separate article. But at one point he made a statement that, coincidentally, resonated with some of my recent thinking. Leonid said that the pursuits of the watch community are honourable. This was the first time I’d heard this word applied to horology. We’ve all had the question enter our minds at one point or another: are watches, in the end, a frivolous luxury? Is it indulgent to spend our precious time debating topics like the position of a date window? Would we be better off figuring out the number of angels that can dance on the head of pin (a question for which you’d no doubt need a loupe, but I digress)? After giving it some more thought, three clear arguments emerged for why we should feel good about collecting watches, even during a global crisis. The watch industry is generous and quick to act in a crisis It’s been…
At SIHH in 2019, Cartier released something very special, and oddly, it was powered by stock standard quartz. The Cartier Santos-Dumont was met with a standing ovation, not just because it was remarkably faithful to some of the earliest watch designs from Cartier, but it was also slim and relatively affordable thanks to that humble quartz movement. The real boldness of the piece was in its diminutive size and thinness. It was something of a redefined version of masculine style. And it was a bullseye. Perhaps the only thing it lacked, for the watch journalists who care deeply about such things at least, was some more moving parts. Cartier has answered those prayers with the release of the Cartier Santos-Dumont XL with a manual winding movement. The new movement will be available in steel, two-tone and rose gold. Looking past the movement just briefly, let’s talk about that XL new case. It’s not as significant as you might think. The case measures a still very wearable 46.6mm by 33.9mm and is genuinely slimline at only 7.5mm thick. This is only 0.2mm thicker than the quartz references from 2019, which is an impressive concession considering how the slimness of the 2019 reference caused…
For anyone reading this in April 2020, you’ll agree that it’s a strange time to be alive. Somehow, we have already seen three months of 2020, a point that has felt both incredibly fast and agonisingly slow to pass. As the interconnected health and economic crises continue to unfold around the world, the news cycle is dominated by Coronavirus as its impact is felt everywhere. Including the watch industry, with perhaps the peak announcement this last week that yet more pivotal brands would desert Baselworld after a farcical fallout from the first COVID-related cancellation. While some brands have halted production, and even halted the release of new watches in 2020, we have still seen evidence of the show going on, especially over the last few business days, when we actually had some releases. This new crop has certainly been thin, but it’s not without its genuinely exciting highlights. I wanted to wrap up my five favourites from the handful of watches that have been released so far, in what will hopefully be the beginning of an interesting (if quiet) year of watch releases. Grand Seiko SBGW258 in yellow gold (or SBGW257 in platinum) I know this isn’t one watch, but,…
The turn of the century gave us Y2K hysteria, the first use of the Euro as currency and the Spring Drive movement. That’s right, in 1999 we saw one of the most remarkable innovations in watchmaking of the last half-century, with the release of the first-ever Spring Drive powered watch, the Seiko SBWA001. This is the story of a reader by the name of Zach’s pursuit of one of these fairly rare watches that marked a new beginning for the Japanese manufacturer. In June last year I was fortunate enough to attend the spectacular HSNY (Horological Society of New York) lectures in honour of the 20th anniversary of the proprietary Spring Drive movement. As an owner of an SBGA211 “Snowflake” and big fan of the Grand Seiko brand, I was excited at the prospect of really digging into the history of the engine of one of my favourite timepieces. For a complete overview of Spring Drive if you are not familiar already, it is best to hear from the experts themselves and I feel obligated to direct you to the lecture itself by Joseph Kirk, Brand Curator and National Trainer for Grand Seiko Corporation of America. I caution any sceptics…
This year, Seiko is celebrating 55 years since their first-ever dive watch, which was released in 1965. Since then, the dive watch has become a core part of Seiko’s offering, with innumerable watches released over the years, many of which have developed cult followings. To mark this occasion, Seiko have released a trio of limited edition watches, each paying tribute to an important dive watch from their archive. The three watches in question are based on references released in 1965, 1968 and 1975 respectively, and all still make up a significant part of their professional collection today. As I mentioned, they are limited in their production numbers. Each watch will be available in 1100 pieces, and will be delivered between June and July of this year. Seiko 55th Anniversary Dive Watch Collection Australian Pricing The Seiko SLA037J1 reissue from 1965 is AUD$9750, The Seiko SLA039J1 reissue from 1968 is AUD$10,500 The Seiko SLA041J1 reissue from 1975 is AUD$6950. Made in partnership with Seiko. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.
Watch collecting is fun. At least it should be, which means that from time to time, you have to get back to basics and enjoy the roots of the hobby. Even though a lot of us turn a blind eye to it, one of the staples of the watch industry is inexpensive quartz-powered timepieces. For years, Timex has been the go-to brand for people worldwide looking for the time on their wrist at a great price. And I would argue that Timex has in fact cultivated its brand cachet as well as some of the luxury heavy hitters. During these stay-at-home self-isolation days, watch enthusiasts are finding more time to immerse themselves in Instagram and other social media featuring plenty of high-end, high-complication eye candy. This is all well and good, however I propose that an occasional palate cleanser is needed and that the Timex Q Reissue fills that role perfectly. When a brand has accumulated history and a deep archive, inevitably it can start to draw new customers by reprising the past, especially while appetites for styles of yore are not exactly on the wane. Timex has done just that with last year’s Q Reissue. The origin story of…
Stick a fork in Basel, she’s done. LVMH has just announced they’re following Rolex and Patek to Geneva in April of 2021. And I choose those words carefully. Of all the ways you could announce the death of Basel, a sausage has to be in the story. Because, overpriced snags sold daily in the concourse outside Hall 1 came to symbolise all that was wrong with the way the fair, and the city, conducted itself when the watch folks came to town. Have you heard of extortion? If Basel and Baselworld didn’t invent it, they certainly perfected the art. But here’s the controversial part. I actually like Basel sausages. Quite a lot actually. And I partook, every year. At least once a day during the fair, sometimes twice, I’d emerge blinking in the light reflecting off that cheese grater thing and I’d stand in a line to receive a veal sausage on a piece of dry brown bread. I’d chew it down, with lashings of mustard and sauce, and then pour a beer down the neck, take an unsteady breath, straighten my tie and go back in and get to work. Job done. So this announcement is laced with sadness…