In this weeks edition of Timepiece Digest I will take you on a journey covering the newest model from Rolex - The Land-Dweller. There are lots of mixed emotions on it so far, but don’t worry I will go into everything shortly.
Why the Land-Dweller?
In 1977 Rolex had released a new model, the Oysterquartz. This line of watches lasted till 2001 and they were known for their angular case shape and integrated bracelet. The Oysterquartz used Rolex’s in house quartz movement, the calibre 5035/5055 which had thermocompensation (A mechanism that adjusts for temperature changes to maintain accurate timekeeping). Over the 14 years it was in production an estimated 25,000 watches were produced. It was COSC certified — unlike most quartz watches available. So why have I told you about the Oysterquartz? Well it’s because that is what Rolex have based the LAND-Dweller on!
The Watch
It comes in two sizes, 36mm and 40mm with a case thickness of 9.7mm. The movement in the watch is the calibre 7135 which beats at a frequency of 5 hertz which allows the watch to display the time to 1/10th of a second. A total of 16 patents have been filed for this new movement and is water proof to 100 meters/ 330 feet. It has a power reserve of roughly 66 hours and is accurate to -2/+2 seconds a day.
The Money
The retail prices start at $13,900 for the 36mm model and $14,900 for the 40mm model with the diamond set versions starting at $88,300 and the platinum versions starting at $63,500. There have been a few grey market listings seen online so far, I’m not 100% sure if they are real but I have seen one listing for $40,000 for just the basic 40mm model and another at $120,000 for the platinum model, insane!
Public Opinion
So what do people think? There is a big mix of emotions, from my posts on X I would guess its a 55/45 split with 55 not liking it. Partly due to it looking like the Tissot PRX and people seeing it as the ‘rich man’s PRX’. Lots of people have been seen to hate the dial saying it looks like ‘shower tiles’ and the name hasn’t got much love either with people calling it ‘boring’ and ‘dull’ (I wish they had chosen a better name as well). One area that has gotten praise is the movement, particularly the Dynapulse escapement and high-frequency calibre 7135, which has been seen as ‘revolutionary’ and potentially ‘industry-changing’.
Comparison
My Opinion on it
So what do I think…personally I quite like it now. When I first saw it it reminded me straight away of the Tudor Royale. Everything about it looked so similar, the integrated bracelet, case shape even the bezel. As I saw more of it online as saw some better pictures I started to like it more, since at first it just looked like a worse Tudor Royale to me. I do like the open case back, I hope to see more open case backs on watches from Rolex in the future as well. I would also love to try one on as that’s truly the only way to know whether you like a watch or not. I do like the integrated bracelet and who knows maybe one day we will be able to have interchangeable straps for it.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
