There are few athletes in the NBA more likeable than Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Milwaukee Bucks power forward – better known as the ‘Greek Freak’ – isn’t just popular for his versatile and dynamic court presence, but also for his surprisingly humble and charming personality. The 26-year-old Athenian is a breath of fresh air in a sport that’s too often filled with divas and egos.
He’s also not afraid to break the mould when it comes to wrist candy. Like many of his NBA peers, Antetokounmpo has started to amass quite the luxury watch collection – it comes with the territory, we suppose.
But where other NBA stars go for extravagant, iced-out pieces or flashy brands like Richard Mille or Jacob & Co., Antetokounmpo has a surprisingly mature taste in timepieces. He might be young but he’s quickly building what might just be one of the most respectable watch collections in his sport.
His latest pickup? A Rolex Sky-Dweller. While Rolex is hardly an unpopular watchmaker among NBA players, the Sky-Dweller is a somewhat left-field pick. It’s easily one of the most underrated watches the famous Swiss brand produces and hints at how Antetokounmpo takes a more considered approach to watch collecting than many of his fellow athletes.
The Sky-Dweller is Rolex’s youngest model, having only hit the market in 2012, and is one of the brand’s largest and most unique watches. It’s Rolex’s first and only annual calendar timepiece – which also happens to feature dual time zones – and is an interesting hybrid between a dress watch and a tool watch that’s often overlooked by Rolex buyers.
A GMT watch like the famous GMT-Master, the Sky-Dweller has a truly unique approach to telling time that’s quite unlike any other watch. The dial of the Sky-Dweller indicates the local time and date via the centre hands and 3 o’clock date window – so far, so normal – but also indicates the month by the small rectangular windows next to the hour markers, which change from white to red. The 24-hour disc in the middle of the dial displays a second time zone, intended to be your home time.
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The iconic Rolex fluted bezel, made famous on watches like the Day-Date, is actually functional on the Sky-Dweller. Rolex call it the ‘Ring Command Bezel’ and it is used in conjunction with the screw-down crown to adjust the two time zones as well as the date and month.
Unlike many of Rolex’s other watches, the Sky-Dweller has never been offered in straight stainless steel, always being totally constructed from precious metal (specifically, gold) or featuring some combination of gold and steel. Giannis’ Sky-Dweller, for example, is made out of ‘White Rolesor’ – a combination of Rolex’s signature Oystersteel and 18ct white gold, with an Oystersteel bracelet.
Watch Rolex explain the Sky-Dweller’s unique setting process below
In short, it’s a unique and classy watch for a rather unique and classy dude. It’s dressy, but not too ostentatious – a real connoisseur’s piece. It’s rather practical for a jet-setting man of the world like Antetokounmpo, too.
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Antetokounmpo picked up his Sky-Dweller to celebrate the Bucks taking home the 2021 NBA Finals, in which he also won the Bill Russell MVP Award for his effort. It’s not just basketball where he’s making an impact, either: Antetokounmpo has also just joined the ownership team of Milwaukee’s baseball team, the Brewers, ESPN reports.