One & Done: Chapter Twenty - Rolex (#defsoneanddone)

Welcome and welcome back! If you're new here, I'm exploring the 20 best-selling watch brands of 2022 (as seen on GQ Australia) and answering the question: If I could only have one watch from this brand FOREVER, which would I pick?

WELCOME TO THE FINAL CHAPTER!

Today we are looking at Rolex, but if you want to see my previous article where I covered Cartier, follow #defsoneanddone or click the link here!

#1: Rolex

Realistically, I didn’t have to write this. At all. What more is there to say about the Crown? They’re unbeatable. In almost every aspect of the watchmaking world – let’s face it – they’ve won. In marketing, in exclusivity, in business – they’ve gathered the horological Infinity Stones, snapped their fingers, and half of all revenue of the luxury watch industry disappears and reappears in the palm of their hands. Rolexmania is real, and it’s here to stay.

Given that news about Bucherer, too – oh boy. This is gonna be something to witness for sure.

But one big flaw in Rolex’s system is how important that logo and name can be to people. Anyone who is anyone knows what a Rolex is – The word ‘Rolex’ has become synonymous with the word ‘watch’ itself. It’s so ubiquitous in culture that the product that it is most associated with almost doesn’t matter anymore. I suppose my point is that people are beginning to forget the astronomical heights of horology that Rolex is more than capable of reaching, to the point where we almost always celebrate mediocre changes in their lineup solely because they are so scarce.

I believe that Rolex knows this, too, but the sheer amount of demand and the equally insane revenue they produce on a yearly basis have a knack for eliminating all doubt in their business model. They know that all they need to do is release the exact same watch in a different colour and the world goes bananas. They don’t try anything new because they don’t have to; Why take a risk when you have the world on your wrist? I guess it is true what they say...

Heavy is the head that wears the Crown. I’m sure someone has made this connection before – it can’t have just been me.

However, despite my many misgivings, I don’t believe that Rolex is entirely lost in their ways. The Rolex Sky-Dweller is, to me, the last bastion of supreme craftsmanship that truly demonstrates why Rolex is such a coveted brand to this day outside of its successes elsewhere.

It oozes elegance and ostentatiousness - 42mm wide, 51mm long, standing 14mm tall, the near-monstrous dimensions of the classic Sky-Dweller are encased with Oystersteel sans the fluted bezel, which is finished with 18k white gold and a sapphire crystal covering the sunray brushed dial.

However, it does so whilst being infused with Rolex’s signature rugged practicality – and the Sky-Dweller has that in spades and does it better than any watch in the room. A traveller’s GMT through and through, the Cal. 9001 mixes the unique 24-hour ring with the subtle, almost unnoticeable, annual calendar. The date cyclops must only be adjusted every March 1st – and you’ll know when it is March when you see the red square indicate it so on the 3 o’clock mark. Not least of all, however, is the bezel ring command system, which is as ground-breaking and innovative as it is eye-wateringly complicated, especially for a company as vanilla as Rolex.

Not that vanilla is a bad thing – it’s the best flavour for a reason. Fight me on that.

On a personal note (because we all know an opinionated article has zero personal bias), I believe that the Sky-Dweller exemplifies precisely why I am attracted to certain kinds of watches. My tastes, like everyone else’s, change – and they change often. But I know what watches I am attracted to, and it’s usually the ones that set themselves apart from anything that can or ever will be, made. It’s why I love the Cartier, or the Richard Mille, or the Breitling, Hublot, or Vacheron.

Each one of those watches is more different than the last, none of them stands as an equal to another. This sets the Sky-Dweller apart from the rest of its siblings. To me, it’s Rolex magnum opus, because it’s everything they needed it to be. So simple, but so complex; elegant, but ruthlessly practical, and so utterly, inconceivably, quintessentially… Rolex.

Finally wrapping up the #defsoneanddone, it's clear that Rolex, with its unmatched reputation and influence, stands as a titan in the horological world. The enduring allure of the brand, synonymous with excellence and luxury, is undeniable. Yet, amidst the crowd of iconic and unique timepieces throughout history, the Rolex Sky-Dweller emerges as a beacon of supreme craftsmanship and innovation, with its marriage of elegance and practicality putting it firmly in a league of its own.

And that's it! Finally all done! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this series as much as I did writing it.

Maybe it will return in a different form - just to build up my writing portfolio and get more comfortable doing stuff like this. 🙂