Rolex is not generally thought of as a brand given to sudden departures from established practice. Its reputation has been made by a kind of engineering conservatism; measured, deliberate refinement of proven ideas. The Land-Dweller marks a striking break from that tradition. At first glance, it is nominally an expansion of the brand’s sports watch vocabulary. But the point, however, is inside. The Caliber 7135 is the first high-frequency movement Rolex has ever produced. It beats at 36,000vph, compared to the standard 28,800vph of contemporary Rolex calibers.

Rolex Land-Dweller (©Revolution)

A higher frequency means that disturbances are averaged out over more oscillations per second, resulting in greater rate stability in daily wear. Fast-beat calibers remain uncommon in mass-produced movements, and rarer still when combined with robust power reserves. The difficulty is that higher frequencies demand more energy. The Caliber 7135 manages a power reserve of 66 hours at 5Hz, which is already impressive, but what makes it a landmark is the way it gets there.

The Caliber 7135 (©Revolution)

This efficiency is due in large part to a wholly new escapement developed alongside the movement. Named Dynapulse, it is a double-wheel, tangential impulse escapement made from silicon. Superficially, although it recalls the first silicon escapement in watchmaking, the Ulysse Nardin Dual Direct, the Dynapulse is fundamentally different.

The Dynapulse escapement

In the Ulysse Nardin Dual Direct, the lever is alternately locked by one wheel and impulsed by the other, in a symmetrical see-saw motion. However, the locking and impulse functions are handled by different teeth on the same escape wheel and on different contact surfaces of the lever. This arrangement creates dead angles where the lever is moving but not actively transmitting or receiving energy. The Dynapulse eliminates this inefficiency by rethinking the interaction entirely. Each escape wheel in the Dynapulse performs both locking and impulse with the same tooth in a continuous sequence. A single tooth on an escape wheel first holds the lever in place during the locking phase, and the nonce released by the balance, it immediately pushes against an adjacent impulse surface on the same lever to transmit energy. The lever is thus always in functional contact, dramatically improving efficiency. Furthermore, the escape wheels are skeletonized, which reduces inertia, and in turn, the amount of energy needed to accelerate them. Rolex states the Dynapulse is 30 percent more efficient than the Swiss lever, a figure that is double the gain achieved by the Chronergy.

The Rolex Chronegry

The geometry of the escape wheel is mathematically highly refined, indicating rigorous study of its morphology. The locking teeth are shaped like shark’s teeth, the drive teeth are U-shaped blades and the lever features concave locking surfaces that secure engagement, eliminating the need for a traditional guard pin and safety roller. The escapement is also self-starting, a quality absent in many non Swiss lever escapements.

The balance assembly is just as radical. Rolex re-engineered the regulating organ for stronger resistance to magnetism and shock, and for stable running at high frequency. The free-sprung balance uses optimized brass, a non-ferromagnetic alloy with higher resistivity than Glucydur, to reduce eddy-current drag in strong fields while preserving target moment of inertia.

The balance staff is made of ceramic shaped by femtosecond laser and polished to nanometric finish, giving it perfectly smooth, hard, non-magnetic bearing surfaces with low friction. The Paraflex shock absorber has also been optimized, adopting a double-cone internal geometry that axially centers the cap stone and spring. Paired with an enhanced, lower-stiffness leaf spring, it maintains a more constant preload on the end stone, so the ceramic pivots experience less point loading, and return to center smoothly and predictably after an impact. Finally, the Syloxi hairspring was re-profiled for 5Hz, with increased effective stiffness.

Dynapulse ceramic balance staff

The Caliber 7135 is a testament to what highly advanced, first-principles engineering joined to equally advanced material science can achieve. It is a technical master piece dressed as an integrated sports watch that moves the category and watchmaking as a whole forward from within.

Rolex Land-Dweller (©Revolution)

Tech Specs: Rolex Land-Dweller

Movement Self-winding Caliber 7135; 66-hour power reserve
Functions Hours, minutes and seconds; instantaneous date with rapid setting; stop-seconds for precise time setting
Case 36mm or 40mm, both with 9.7mm thickness; Rolesor (steel and white gold), Everose gold or platinum; water resistant to 100m
Dial Honeycomb motif executed with femtosecond lasers
Strap Flat Jubilee bracelet with concealed folding Crownclasp