The Rolex name is synonymous with quality watches that have pushed limits in watch making. The name gained recognition in 1926 with the first waterproof wristwatch the “Oyster” and in 1927, with genius marketing efforts, the “Oyster” crossed the English channel on the wrist of swimmer, Mercedes Gleitze, to prove its worth. Next came the innovation of the perpetual rotor, which senses ever so slight wrist movement, to keep the self-winding watch running. Rolex has continuously showcased superior timekeeping performance, stacking itself up against the world’s greatest adventurers, athletes, and explorers.
While pushing boundaries in timekeeping has been a priority at Rolex, design is never sacrificed. The Rolex watch band adheres to both form and function priorities. At Rolex, the band is referred to as a bracelet.
The “Oyster” bracelet, designed in the 1930s, comprises three flat links. The “President” bracelet, made of three arched links has a rounder profile and was designed in 1956 for the Day-Date and certain Datejust models. The “Jubilee” bracelet, rounded like the “President”, features a five-piece link for the Oyster Perpetual Datejust watch.
In 1905, at age 24, German businessman Hans Wilsdorf founded a company with Alfred Davis called Wilsdorf & Davis in London with the goal of selling high-quality, affordable timepieces. Three years later, he and Davis registered the brand name Rolex in Switzerland with a singular vision: quality, good-looking watches. Wilsdorf created the first watch to receive the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision in 1910. In 1914, he changed the name of the company to The Rolex Watch Company and several years later he moved their headquarters to Geneva, Switzerland, where the company remains to this day.
Rolex is likely the most recognizable watch in the world, and for good reason. The “Crown” (as it is affectionately called by collectors) it is in many ways the brand to which all other brands are compared. Rolex’s “firsts” are myriad and include the first waterproof watch in 1926 and the first self-winding mechanism in 1931. They are not the oldest watchmaker, nor are they the most exclusive, and certainly not the most expensive. However, when one thinks watches the first name that often comes to mind is Rolex, in large part due to it having been the timepiece of choice for athletes and adventurers.
In 1927, a Rolex Oyster made it across the English Channel on the wrist of swimmer, and in 1953, a Rolex survived Sir Edmund Hillary’s Mount Everest conquest. The dive into the Mariana Trench and the James Cameron Deepsea Expedition are two more examples of where a Rolex came out unscathed. The company also designed watches specifically for pilots, navigators, and world travelers.
It can be argued that every single model in the Rolex lineup is iconic, from the Submariner to the Daytona. For as long as Rolex has existed, the company has been synonymous with sport, adventure, luxury, and royalty. Some of the most famous names in history have donned a Rolex including Sir Winston Churchill, Paul Newman, and Roger Federer.
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