A fixed inverted red triangle on the dial points to the chosen reference time – the time at home or at the traveller’s usual workplace – on the off-centre 24-hour disc. At a glance, this 24-hour display clearly distinguishes daytime hours from night-time hours in the other time zone. The dials now feature rectangular index hour markers and longer hands, as well as a Chromalight display with long-lasting luminescence, which enhances legibility.

A deep red rectangle in one of the 12 windows around the dial indicated the current month, a striking characteristic of the Saros annual calendar. This ingenious mechanism simplifies life for the wearer of the watch, who no longer needs to think about adjusting the date at the end of a 30-day month. The annual calendar displays the correct date through the year. Only one adjustment is needed – on 1 March (February having only 28 or 29 days). The date is connected to local time and automatically changes according to the traveller’s local time zone.

The Rolex fluted bezel is a mark of distinction. Originally, the fluting of the Oyster bezel had a functional purpose: it served to screw the bezel onto the case helping to ensure the waterproofness of the watch. It was therefore identical to the fluting on the case back, which was also screwed onto the case for waterproofness, using specific Rolex tools. Over time, the fluting became an aesthetic element, a genuine Rolex signature feature. Today the fluted bezel is a mark of distinction, always in gold.

By operating its own exclusive foundry, Rolex has the unrivalled ability to cast the highest quality 18 ct gold alloys. According to the proportion of silver, copper, platinum or palladium added, different types of 18 ct gold are obtained: yellow, pink or white. They are made with only the purest metals and meticulously inspected in an in-house laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment, before the gold is formed and shaped with the same painstaking attention to quality. Rolex's commitment to excellence begins at the source.