How do you celebrate a first NBA championship? If you’re Giannis Antetokounmpo, you buy yourself a new watch.
The Milwaukee Bucks superstar showed up to the team’s celebratory parade on Thursday morning with a brand-new piece of wristwear—a Rolex Sky-Dweller. The Finals MVP has shown himself to be something of a watch enthusiast over the past year, and this latest timepiece only adds to that reputation.
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.
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.
With a price tag of $14,800, it’s an elegant timepiece. It also just so happens to be the watch favored by the greatest NBA player of all time, Michael Jordan.
Having recently entered the market in 2012, the Sky-Dweller is one of Rolex’s newest models and also one of the biggest and most distinctive timepieces available. Many Rolex buyers ignore this intriguing mix between a dress watch and a tool watch, which is Rolex’s first and only annual calendar wristwatch, which also happens to include dual time zones.
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.
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.
NBA Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Rocks Rolex’s Most Underrated New Watch