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Rolex Sky-Dweller Waitlist 2024: How Long Will You Have To Wait?

Choosing the perfect timepiece to buy is as complex as one of Tyson Fury’s contracts. Do you go sporty with a Rolex Daytona, cruising with a Rolex Yacht-Master or dressy with the new Rolex 1908, introduced at Watches and Wonders 2023. The types and styles of each collection vary significantly. But one thing remains watch peeps.

The level of precision, technical prowess and watchmaking that goes into every one of these watches is unparalleled in the horological world. Even the brand's second hand watches should last you year after year if you ensure to service your watch.

As confirmed by Whistler in their Rolex Availability in 2023: Why is it so hard to get a new watch? article, They found that Rolex are building new factories “to meet high demand and address the shortage of their luxury watches”. So, Rolex is getting ready to rumble and meet demands, but when they will be operating at 100%, is still very much in the air.

Of course, we could talk your ears off about how they make their own materials like Everose Gold, and Oystersteel or how they’ve revolutionised the idea of ‘self-made’ business by keeping everything in-house. But you ain't here for that, are you dear Timelords? Just as these watches are lauded for their sublime craftsmanship, they are criticised for their waitlist times, in particular The Daytona which has an estimated wait time of 5 years.

Look, we’ll try not to be moody harbingers in this article… So, join Chrono Hunter today as we run through all the essential details of the watches and pivotal information behind the Rolex Sky-Dweller waitlist in 2024. How long will you have to hang around? There’s no time like the present.

Is Demand For A Rolex Sky-Dweller Surpassing Supply?

As you probably know by now, there are very few of the brand's watches which can be deemed to have its supply match the level of demand. Yes, devoted timepiece lovers, it is the old adage of overwhelming demand and insufficient supply. Unlike Archimedes, not many will be shouting Eureka at this joyous news.

And the Sky-Dweller is no exception.

Sky-Dweller - Source - Rolex

Take for example the Sky-Dweller 336933. These beautiful watches feature their own in-house Oyster Steel and yellow gold casing at a retail price of £16,300 (at the time of writing).

Released during Watches and Wonders 2023, this is straight off the horological press and has mastered the dual time zone functionality through the highly contemporary off-centre disk. Enchanted with a Saros annual calendar, the timekeeping and date keeping is highly accurate. However, you can buy it on the secondary market for upwards of £20,000…at the time of writing. A near 25% increase.

Need another example? How about the Sky-Dweller 336934. Made from Oyster steel and white gold, this is yet another example of a duo material model that was released during Watches and Wonders 2023 delivery.

Modernised with a green dial, the red triangle above the off centre disc ensures you’ll never forget the date. Given a classic fluted bezel, the timepiece oozes luxury and durability due to the watches Oyster bracelet. You can buy a Rolex Sky-Dweller 336934 at retail for £13,300. But, you can buy it on the secondary market for around £20,000 at the time of writing.

Representing an increase of around 40%, while the prices may be higher on the secondary market, the chances of you landing the brand’s timepieces at retail is incredibly rare. Why not get your wrist adorned with a stunning model by using Chrono Hunter. As the best platform for pricing and the opportunity to choose from a number of offers, don’t go with the rest, choose the best!

Of course, to the average consumer, this could easily be considered to be some kind of clever marketing trickery or tomfoolery from the brand. Are they intentionally withholding the supply of the Sky-Dweller in order to bolster demand?

Are they creating a furore to bump up prices? This is especially the case as our timekeeping sources tell us the Pepsi GMT may be discontinued this year. It seems the Swiss giant can generate more hype than Declan Rice’s summer move from West Ham United to Arsenal for a British record transfer fee of £105 million.

The root cause is shrouded by the brands desire to be as private and as exclusive as a Stringfellows club. But let’s strip back the basics for just a minute. Speculations like artificial limitations on the supply are strong arguments for a company that produces 1 million watches a year. It would make sense to do this if they could garner such incredible levels of demand…which they have in spades.

The Actual Truth Behind The Rolex Sky-Dweller

Put the story book down for a second, Timelords. It’s time to delve deeper into the details of the Sky-Dweller waitlist in 2024.

Sky-Dweller - Source - Rolex

Those horological nerds understand all about the thrilling intricacies behind Rolex and their array of luxury watches. After all, it isn’t one of the most culturally and economically renowned businesses of all time for no reason!

The brand was created by Hans Wilsdorf in 1905. Skip forward a number of years towards his passing away in 1960, he had created the groundwork for the brand to continue in his absence. This was done a number of years back in 1944 thanks to the creation of The ‘Hans Wilsdorf Foundation’.

The foundation is essentially a trust that contained all of his shares and would seek to benefit charities or provide reinvestment into the business itself in order to maintain the high quality of production levels.

The trust outlined a few codes which had the sole interest of preserving the great name of the brand. For example, Rolex could only increase timepiece production by a few percent each year. This isn't some dastardly plot by a Bond villain, time fiends.

In fact it’s so the quality and craftsmanship of the brand can be maintained. If Rolex went full steam ahead and released a piece for each person demanding a model, the quality would surely fall and their name would be permanently tarnished.

This means that throughout the duration of the brand’s legacy, they will continually limit their production. Tough break, we know, but it’s all in the name of high quality luxury watchmaking. He sought to enhance the future of the brand through investing in the business and allowing a new generation to take the reins of the phenomenal beast. Hans Wilsdorf, we doth our timekeeping hat!

The Rolex Sky-Dweller Waitlist Explained

Here’s a free tip from us. Save your legs for Bali beach and don’t go waltzing into a boutique, store, corner shop or kiosk asking to buy a Rolex Sky-Dweller.

Sky-Dweller - Source - Rolex

It’s become a running joke that you’ve got more chance of catching lightning in a bottle than getting a Rolex at retail. Sure, if you have a strong history with the boutique in terms of buying other timepieces or fancy schmancy jewellery to boost spending, you might have a slightly bigger chance of having a reasonable conversation with the staff.

Chances are that they’ll inform you about either a waitlist or in this scenario a Sky-Dweller waitlist that may stretch back months or sometimes years. This is of course subject to the model, dial or timepiece in question. The more sought after the longer you will wait.

The waitlist relates to the number of people who have done the exact same thing as you. The difference is, that they were there before you, allowing them to have first dibs when looking to buy a Rolex Sky-Dweller. How infuriating!

How Long Is The Rolex Sky-Dweller Waitlist?

Here comes the truth..and nothing but the truth. But can you handle it? The Sky-Dweller waitlist is estimated at between 8 to 24 months. This, of course, has a few provisos, so listen up.

Sky-Dweller - Source - Rolex

If you haven’t established a rock solid relationship with the boutique or your authorised dealer, chances are you will be waiting significantly longer than others who have dropped solid dough on either watches or jewellery.

Sort of like a pub in South Yorkshire, the barman likes the locals due to their reliability and constant service. But If you walk in with no prior relationship, you may find yourself leaving quite dejected or without that expensive Hennesey in hand, reserved for the most loyal customers...

Throughout this waitlist period, expect to see prices potentially rise if and when you decide to buy a Rolex Sky-Dweller. Sorry, guys. They hold all the cards! Or do they? Enter, Chrono Hunter. Offering multiple offers for your desired timepiece, we can get you the Sky-Dweller of your dreams.

Does The Rolex Sky-Dweller Waitlist Exist?

Have you ever played bingo?

Sky-Dweller - Source - Rolex

There’s always some old lady that’s there every week, seems to do extremely well and has a special relationship with the caller. The likelihood is, that she probably does! In the case of The Sky-Dweller, it’s all about your previous history. You must have shown your face regularly and have a few models to your name in order to be firmly printed on the Sky-Dweller waitlist.

From dressing up smart to delivering all your jokes to rival Peter Kay…even a few niceties for the staff. It’s as if you have to sell yourself first before you have the opportunity to buy a watch and get on the Sky-Dweller waitlist. Not one for the socially anxious, Timelords. Exuding confidence is certainly the name of the game.

Brief Background Behind The Rolex Sky-Dweller

The Sky-Dweller leads the way in the brand’s travelling timepieces. Apologies Marty McFly, you are sadly not on the waitlist.

As one of the more modern Rolex timepieces, the Sky-Dweller was released in 2012. It took away the formality of the GMT-Master with its ode to pilots and aircraft staff. Instead, it focused more on the general consumer who would be travelling across different global time zones.

Sky-Dweller - Source - Rolex

As a new collection, it represents a new timekeeping dawn for Rolex. There was no heritage or history behind the line, allowing for a completely new design and styling without having to adhere to previous design codes.

In 2012, the Sky-Dweller took to the skies like the eagles from Mount Olympus. It was originally a bulky 42mm beast. While this instantly conjures thoughts of the sporty collections such as the Rolex Submariner, the Sea-Dweller or Explorer II, the design took the allure of luxury and style.

Its insistence on being released in precious metals only like yellow gold, white gold and Everose gold promoted the notion that this was a luxury timepiece made for the opulence of the dressy man. These watches also act as a status symbol with bags of celeb allure. Famous wearers through time include;

Will Smith - Sky-Dweller Everose Gold Chocolate Dial 336935
Michael Jordan - Sky-Dweller White Rolesor 326934
Roger Federer - Sky-Dweller Steel and White Gold 326934
Tom Cruise - Sky-Dweller Oyster Steel and White Gold 326934-0005
Connor McGregor - Sky-Dweller Everose Gold Chocolate Dial 336935
Drake - Sky-Dweller White Gold 326259TBR

The dial here is the centre of attention. The time is read through the central hands and the date window at 3 o’clock. The month is read through the boxes astride the hour markers showing a colour. The second time zone on the Rolex Sky-Dweller is read through a red arrow pointing to a 24 hour disc. The centre hands display the local time while the red arrow links to the home time.

Throughout its duration until today, the collection has received leather straps as opposed to just bracelets. The movements have vastly improved and have become more accessible to the public due to the incorporation of duo materials featuring stainless steel.

Rolex Sky-Dweller 2023

The collection has continually expanded and this is no exception in 2023.

Sky-Dweller - Source - Rolex

The 2023 Sky-Dweller received a new movement following the already extremely complicated movement - calibre 9002.

This movement was an upgrade from the previous movement, calibre 9001. Given some of the modern updates like a Chronergy escapement and an updated oscillating weight, the model is infinitely more precise and reliable against knocks or shock.

That’s not all. Dolled up to the nines like Kim Kardashian with a sexy Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers, it can cope with your everyday bumps and scrapes. A 72 hour power reserve means you can jet off to Paris for your offshore business trip, and make it back in time for that 8am early meeting.

Suited and booted with a Ring Command System, the crown and the rotating bezel work in sync to ensure its functions can be altered with ease. Now, whoever said the brand doesn't love their quirky designs?

Secured with the option of a new Oysterflex strap, the new 2023 watches are available in a variety of shades. From a marvellous mint green dial to an oceanic cyan edition, the classic dial face is retained but modernised with vibrant new hues and first class technical developments.

Post Covid Enthusiasm

COVID was a real cruel blow to the horological industry.

With folks kept at bay due to lockdown restrictions and quarantine, it’s as if time stood still…for more than a few precious moments. If you wanted to buy a Rolex Sky-Dweller during this period, you had more of a chance of hitting a bullseye in darts! And look what you could have won.

It wasn't just the consumer that suffered either. Terrifying stats like Swiss exports plummeting by 22% in 2020 serve as a reminder of how dangerous the entire situation was. Need we remind you of the importance Switzerland has in terms of the horological world? There’s a reason why they hold 50% shares of the global luxury watch industry. Furthermore, in 2020, 85% of Swiss watch industry experts had a negative outlook on the financial year. Yikes!

Of course, the dam must burst and boy did it explode! 2021 saw the slow conclusion of COVID-19 and the subsequent boom in value. A growth of £19.37 billion represented the positivity behind the industry, never mind the fact that it was an increase on the previous record statistic of £19.33 billion.

COVID has therefore been the destroyer and the maker of the horological world. Customers flocked with their stacks of cash that they had been burrowing away like enthusiastic squirrels which couldn't be spent due to varied restrictions. It was like the parting of the horological sea. From bursting through the doors of boutiques to utilising B2C online timepiece sites to get their hands on a luxury timepiece, the horological world is well and truly back.

Like UK politics however, nothing can ever be stable. The current rise in inflation and the subsequent cost in living crisis has meant that the explosion in desirability has slightly plateaued. However, these financial complications don't tend to get you hungry horophiles down for a great period! This is a mere blip, but for how long? Only time will tell.

However, the pre-owned market is slowly catching up and is set to overtake the primary market by 2033. In fact the secondary watch market is expected to beat new sales by 2033 at around $85 billion or £67 billion. Gen-Z are the sustainable generation so it only makes sense that one in three consumers consider second hand watches instead of buying at retail.

Final Thoughts On The Rolex Sky-Dweller Waitlist 2024

The Rolex Sky-Dweller has emerged as one of the great watches in the collection with lots of investment potential.

It took the helm as the key aviation timepiece to own due to its unbridled luxury and high quality movement. Don’t get us wrong, the GMT-Master certainly has its place as a quality timepiece for discerning travellers. But the Sky-Dweller takes the function of the GMT-Master and elevates it into the realms of fashion, elegance and damn good timekeeping.

It’s a tough cookie to eat but the Sky-Dweller waitlist isn't going anywhere fast. As long as the codes influenced by Hans Wilsdorf remain and demand for such luxury watches remains high on the agenda, it may be worth casting your eyes to the secondary market to get your horological fix when looking to buy a Rolex.

Conclusion

The pre-owned watch market offers a few benefits over that of retail.

Access to rare, limited edition or vintage watches that have already been and gone on the primary retail market.
Less possibility of diminished value compared to brand new watches at retail
The chance to increase in value due to their age
Opportunity to purchase from a series of reliable sources like Chrono Hunter thanks to our array of established luxury retailers, providing the best prices possible.
More affordable option versus brand new watches.

Chances are any item, luxury or not, that you buy has the potential of dropping in value. Known as depreciation, it’s likely that people will place these items on the watch market for less than what they were originally worth. But with pre-owned watches, you will take less of a hit whereas new watches decrease in value far quicker, similar to taking a car off the forecourt. It’s the scarcity of these watches that drives up the price on secondary markets.

Lucky for you watch buyers, you could buy a pre-owned Sky-Dweller for a much more reasonable price from Chrono Hunter and in a way that’s much more accessible due to much reduced waiting times - in the safest possible environment. Thank goodness! This makes these pieces fantastic for big milestones like graduations, 21st birthdays or wedding day gifts.

I know what you’re thinking. What about if I want to resell my pre-owned Rolex? Won’t the value have deprecated even more? For high quality pieces, the older they are, the better the chance the value of the watch will increase. Besides, everyone loves a solid vintage piece! Especially discontinued Rolex watches which have every possibility of increasing in value if you want to buy a Rolex on the secondary market, and if they are available.

In particular, ref. 326933 ref. 326934, ref. 326938, ref. 326238, ref. 326932 and ref. 326235 with the Sky-Dweller blue dial, yellow gold versions and numerous black dial variations all gone by the wayside are potentially excellent investments. But it is all for a good cause…as you could get your mitts on a beautiful Sky-Dweller almost instantaneously.

Do you really have time to wait 8-24 months for the watch of your dreams? The Rolex Sky-Dweller is a majestic piece which is highly revered amongst the timekeeping community. Celebrity elites such as Will Smith, Michael Jordan, Roger Federer and controversial UFC star Conor McGregor have sported this sought after timepiece.

Its solely precious metal or duo design allows the watch to be adored by those looking to buy a Rolex possessing beauty, sophistication as well as function. What’s not to love?

Looking to buy a Rolex Sky-Dweller at the best possible price? Want to enjoy precious metals and Haute Horlogerie? It’s definitely time to contact ChronoHunter here. Benefit from multiple offers from our established selection of luxury watch retailers and accept which one is right for you. The choice is yours!

Save money the smart way by utilising our dedicated app today or simply entering the details of the watch or watches you want to buy or sell via our online form. With peerless service and brand expertise like no other, we are your go-to source when you decide to buy a watch or sell a watch.

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