How durable is the stainless Sky Dweller?

[rolexjackson]

Is this a watch that you can wear on an Alaska fishing expedition ? Or possibly a Colorado elk hunt? Or should you just wear it out to dinner with your wife? My hope is that it’s both I really love this watch but I’m afraid to wear it.

[YYR]

Don’t be afraid to wear it, It’s very durable, the one thing I would watch out for more then a regular Rolex is the command bezel as it is somehow attached to the movement and a significant bang may be able to do some minor damage. But you should be more then fine from regular knocks and bangs

[TswaneNguni]

18ct wg bezel ,like on DJs is the most vulnerable area ,rest as tough as nails like any Rolex .

[YYR]

The Impact to the bezel damaged the dial

[rolexjackson]

Yea I banged the bezel at my office the other day, thought I broke it, I read the manual and found that the bezel turns freely when the crown is screwed down. It’s my first Rolex and I want to take care of it but i also want to enjoy it!

[David5807]

It's durability is probably that of a DJ, perhaps less given the complexity of it, but I'd probably stick to wearing this piece while going out.

[YYR]

Originally Posted by TswaneNguni

18ct wg bezel ,like on DJs is the most vulnerable area ,rest as tough as nails like any Rolex .

Well apparently it’s not as durable as any datejust.. lol

[rolexjackson]

Originally Posted by YYR

The Impact to the bezel damaged the dial

Ouch I’m so sorry! That had to make you cry

[YYR]

Refer to the pic above, I do not believe a banged bezel would damage the dial of a datejust as with the skydweller

[YYR]

Originally Posted by jdg443

Ouch I’m so sorry! That had to make you cry

Lol it was frustrating but not cry worthy lol, I dropped it a few times and definitely hit some door posts so I don’t know when it happened, now I wear it tighter on my wrist

[rolexjackson]

Would Rolex fix that if you sent it for repair? Would it be covered under warranty?

[YYR]

Originally Posted by jdg443

Would Rolex fix that if you sent it for repair? Would it be covered under warranty?

Great question, simple answer is no, they told me That they can replace The dial for 2k, but i told them that since it’s a new model and still under testing stages maybe there is some kind of issue with the engineering. Long story short they replaced the dial for free which I was very impressed with.

[rolexjackson]

Originally Posted by YYR

Great question, simple answer is no, they told me That they can replace The dial for 2k, but i told them that since it’s a new model and still under testing stages maybe there is some kind of issue with the engineering. Long story short they replaced the dial for free which I was very impressed with.

How long did it take them to turn it around?

[YYR]

I don’t remember this was about 3 years ago, I think about 6 weeks

[mrockperez]

If you are looking for something that can do it all, get a sub. There is a reason they have been around and done everything since 1953!

[Verdi]

Originally Posted by mrockperez

If you are looking for something that can do it all, get a sub. There is a reason they have been around and done everything since 1953!

I think that a strong hit like that could have broken the ceramic bezel on the modern Sub.

You want a tough Rolex? Id go with an OP or Explorer.

[Likestheshiny]

I think that a strong hit like that could have broken the ceramic bezel on the modern Sub.

Ceramic inserts are set into the bezel -- it takes something somewhat pointy from a specific angle for an impact to even reach them. And it would take one hell of a knock from any other direction to deform the bezel so much that the insert shatters from the pressure. (Which, maybe a knock that could somehow reach the dial would do, but that seems more like a consequence of the bezel being connected to the movement.)

[Golfbone]

I have a 20 year old sub and I've just beaten the crap out of it and it looks brand new. That is a tool watch that you can knock a round. A Sky Dweller is a big piece with a white gold bezel and complications and beating it up is probably not a smart play. Like wearing dress shoes to play touch football. Makes no sense to me. If you want to travel with your SD pick up a Swatch and use that as a backup piece for beating up while you lock the SD in your hotel room safe.

[horseShu]

There won't be any "Rolex out in the wild" shots if you discourage people from bringing their watches with them.

So take out those watches, and post those winsome shots.

That's the circle of life... lol

[joli160]

If you hit it hard enough anything will break.
Quite some examples can be found of broken ceramic inserts .

My PM SkyD goes everywhere I go. Forest and sea. Zero issues

[padi56]

Originally Posted by jdg443

Is this a watch that you can wear on an Alaska fishing expedition ? Or possibly a Colorado elk hunt? Or should you just wear it out to dinner with your wife? My hope is that it’s both I really love this watch but I’m afraid to wear it.

All Rolex watches are meant to be worn and when on earth's surface they are all equal to whatever environment your own body can stand.And if you are afraid to wear it then no Rolex watch would be suitable for you.All Rolex are just watches yes they are expensive but like all watches just to tell the time on the wrist nothing more.

[1William]

As we always say, you can wear your watch doing anything you want. But is that the best choice, I would say not. Would you take a sports car 4 wheeling, wear your best suit swimming or wear your summer attire outside for extended periods of time in the cold winter months? Of course not, but you could. Why try to make one watch do it all for everything. Can you come close with a watch, sure, but we are back to the same premise. The Sky-Dweller is a great watch, I own two, but I use them dressing up or in casual attire for around town activities. I also own some very cool Seiko's that I use for other activities. The right tool for the right job.

[Harry-57]

Originally Posted by jdg443

Is this a watch that you can wear on an Alaska fishing expedition ? Or possibly a Colorado elk hunt? Or should you just wear it out to dinner with your wife?

If I ever go on an Alaska fishing expedition or a Colorado elk hunt, I'll get back to you.

But it can stand the punishment of my daily routines, and even a good dinner.



I've had the clasp ping open just once. I suspect I did not push it all the way closed on that occasion.

[HogwldFLTR]

All modern Rolex watches are highly water and shock resistant. They are on the other hand relatively easily subject to cosmetic damage. Just because they're rugged doesn't mean that they should be handled without attention of the environment they're being worn in if living with blemishes is disdainful.

[Daveclock]

There was a thread on here about dust/water leakage through the complex front moving bezel on these watches, not sure how that ended?

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by 1William

As we always say, you can wear your watch doing anything you want. But is that the best choice, I would say not. Would you take a sports car 4 wheeling, wear your best suit swimming or wear your summer attire outside for extended periods of time in the cold winter months? Of course not, but you could. Why try to make one watch do it all for everything. Can you come close with a watch, sure, but we are back to the same premise. The Sky-Dweller is a great watch, I own two, but I use them dressing up or in casual attire for around town activities. I also own some very cool Seiko's that I use for other activities. The right tool for the right job.

Very well said

[rolexjackson]

Wow this is such a great forum! I really appreciate all of this really great advice and each of your perspectives! I am very grateful thank you! I’m going pheasant hunting in Kansas next month I will wear my SD I might even take a picture of it in the wild!

[Rrpdc]

Originally Posted by jdg443

Would Rolex fix that if you sent it for repair? Would it be covered under warranty?

Lol. Why would they? It is not a manufacturing defect but rather damage fro owner.

[BDL]

It is a 17.9 on the durability scale.

[YYR]

Originally Posted by Rrpdc

Lol. Why would they? It is not a manufacturing defect but rather damage fro owner.

Turns out they did replace it free of charge. My argument to them was that a hit to the bezel should be just that, a hit to the bezel it should not dent the dial. Long story short is they agreed to swap disks free of charge which I was very impressed with, they definitely could have easily said no but they did so anyway.