There's only one Rolex watch I'd buy – and I think it's the most underrated

Rolex Sky-Dweller — (Image credit: Rolex)

If you're a lover of watches, it's almost impossible to not be aware of Rolex. In fact, even if you're not that big of a watch lover, the brand will still have permeated your consciousness through advertising and a general household name status.

The brand has earned a place as a true status symbol, with a series of beloved models across its portfolio. That includes its iconic dive watch – the Rolex Submariner; the Rolex Daytona chronograph and GMT watches like the Rolex GMT-Master II and the Rolex Explorer II.

But for me, there's only one which is truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. Sure, all of those are good watches, but I don't think any of them are unique enough to command the furore they do.

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What does is the Rolex Sky-Dweller. Something of an unsung hero in the range, the Sky-Dweller packs both a GMT and an annual calendar into a watch which looks broadly the same as a Datejust.

It's an astounding feat of engineering, and one which I think deserves a heck of a lot more recognition. The case is slightly larger at 42mm, but if you can get away with it, the Sky-Dweller packs a whole lot into that case.

How does the Rolex Sky-Dweller work?

With the watch featuring a number of complications and a distinct lack of additional controls, you might be wondering how it all works. The majority of the magic is hidden in the bezel, with something called the Ring Command system.

This patented Rolex technology allows users to rotate the bezel to different notches to adjust different parts of the mechanism. The first notch allows for adjustment of the date and the month, which are showcased at the three o'clock position and with small windows around each hour marker, respectively.

The next notch adjusts local time, which is displayed on the central pinion. The third adjusts the reference time – a second time zone display, which is shown with a 24-hour wheel offset in the centre of the dial.

Remarkably, all of this creates an annual calendar complication, which means you'll only need to intervene to manually adjust things once per year (at the end of February, where the number of days can change). Each of the other months can track the relevant number of days and change accordingly.

Sam Cross is an award-winning journalist, with nine years of experience in the media industry. His work can be found in publications as diverse as Oracle Time, Metro and Last Word on Sports.

Here at T3, Sam is best known as the brand’s go-to guy for all things luxurious – from exquisite watches to fine fragrances; the latest performance vehicles to intricate audio equipment, and more.

He’s often found travelling around the world to test new launches, complete with high-end backpacks and suitcases in tow. And when he’s not adding to his air miles, Sam can be found in front of a video camera, bringing his distinctive brand of storytelling to T3’s social media channels.

Sam also loves all things analogue including listening to music on vinyl or cassette, and photography on vintage film cameras.