Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Rolex Watches is a Swiss manufacturer of mostly mechanical wristwatches renowned for their
dependability, prestige, and cost (from a few thousand to more than one hundred thousand
U.S. dollars). Rolex watches are considered status symbols by many. Rolex is the largest
single luxury watch brand by far, with estimated revenues of around US $3 billion (2003). BusinessWeek
magazine ranks Rolex 71st on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most important global brands,
top among all watchmakers.
Rolex History
Rolex SA was founded in 1905 by the German Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred
Davis. Contrary to popular belief, Hans Wilsdorf was neither Swiss, nor a watchmaker. Wilsdorf
& Davis was the original name of what later became the Rolex Watch Company. They originally
imported Hermann Aegler's Swiss movements to England and placed them in quality cases
made by Dennison and others. These early wristwatches were then sold to jewelers, who then put their
own names on the dial. The earliest watches from the firm of Wilsdorf and Davis are usually
marked "W&D" - inside the caseback only.
Hans Wilsdorf registered the trademark name "Rolex" in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
in 1908. The origin of the name is obscure. One story, which was never confirmed by Wilsdorf,
is that the word "Rolex" came from the French phrase horlogerie exquise, meaning exquisite
watch industry. Another is that the name was chosen to indicate movement when spoken in
English.
The Wilsdorf & Davis company moved out of the United Kingdom in 1912. Wilsdorf wanted
his watches to be affordable, but taxes and export duties on the case metals (silver and
gold) were driving costs up. From that time to the present, Rolex has been headquartered
in Geneva, Switzerland, though the company owns facilities in other cities (Bienne, etc)
and continents (North America, Asia, Australia, etc).
The company name Rolex was officially registered on 15 November, 1915. It is thought this change
was part of a drive to popularize wristwatches, which at the time were still considered a
novelty largely for women (pocket watches were more common). Wilsdorf was said to desire
his watch brand's name to be easily pronounceable in any language. The company name was officially
changed to the Rolex Watch Company during 1919. It was later changed to Montres Rolex,
SA and finally Rolex, SA.
Rolex SA is a foundation initiated and originally funded by Hans Wilsdorf and the Aegler family.
According to foundation documentation, the Rolex SA company can never be sold, nor traded
on any stock market.
Other Rolex Innovations
Among the company's innovations are the first waterproof watch case; the first wristwatch
with a date on the dial; the first watch to show two timezones at once; and most importantly
the first watchmakers to earn the coveted chronometer certification for a wristwatch.
To date, Rolex still holds the record for the most certified chronometer movements in
the category of wristwatches.
Another little known fact is that Rolex participated in the development of the original quartz
watch movements. Although Rolex has made very few quartz models for its Oyster line, the
company's engineers were instrumental in design and implementation of the technology during
the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1968, Rolex collaborated with a consortium of 16 Swiss
watch manufacturers to develop the Beta 21 quartz movement used in their Rolex Quartz
Date 5100. Consequently, after five years of research, design, and development, Rolex
engineering efforts finally culminated in the "clean-slate" 5035/5055 movement that
would eventually power the Rolex Oysterquartz - arguably the finest quartz movement that
has ever been made.
The first self-winding Rolex watch was offered to the public in 1931, preceded to the market
by Harwood which patented the design in 1923 and produced the first self-winding watch
in 1928, powered by an internal mechanism that used the movement of the wearer's arm.
This not only made watch-winding unnecessary, but eliminated the problem of over-winding
a watch and harming its mechanism. Rolex was also the first watch company to create a truly
waterproof watch - another milestone from novelty to functional timepiece. Wilsdorf
even went so far as to have a specially made Rolex watch attached to the side of the Trieste
bathyscaphe, which went to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. The watch survived and tested
as having kept perfect time during its descent and ascent. This was confirmed by a telegram
sent to Rolex the following day saying "Am happy to confirm that even at 11,000 meters
your watch is as precise as on the surface. Best regards, Jacques Piccard".
Rolex has also made a reputation in watches suitable for the extremes of deep-sea diving,
aviation and mountain climbing. Early sports models included the Rolex submariner, Oyster
Perpetual Sea Dweller 2000 (in 1971). This watch featured a helium release valve, co-invented
with Swiss watchmaker Doxa, to release helium gas build-up during decompression. Another
sports model is the Rolex GMT Master II, originally developed at the request of Pan Am Airways,
to assist pilots in transcontinental flights. The Explorer and Explorer II were developed
specifically for explorers who would navigate rough terrain - such as the world famous Everest
Expeditions.
On the more glamorous side, Ian Fleming's James Bond character wore a Rolex Oyster Perpetual
in the series of spy novels. In the early EON production Bond films, Commander Bond
wore a Rolex Submariner. However, for the Bond films starring Pierce Brosnan and the
film with Daniel Craig, James Bond's standard issue watch is a Omega Seamaster. This is
due in part to Omega being open to jointly promote their association with the films'
producers.
In a famous *** case, the Rolex watch that the victim wore on his wrist eventually led
to the arrest of his murderer. When a body was found in the English channel in 1996 by
a fisherman who caught the body, and the 4.5 kilogram anchor attached to it through the
victim's belt, in his net about 10 kilometers from the English coast, a Rolex wristwatch
was the only identifiable object on the body. Since the Rolex movement had a serial number
and was engraved with special markings every time it was serviced, British police traced
the service records from Rolex, and Ronald Joseph Platt was identified as the owner of
the watch and the victim of the ***. In addition British police were able to determine
the date of death by examining the date on the watch calendar and since the Rolex movement
had a reserve of two to three days of operation when inactive and it was fully waterproof,
they were able to determine the time of death within a small margin of error.
Rolex Watch models
Rolex SA has three watch lines: Oyster Perpetual, Professional and Cellini. Among modern Rolex
Oyster watch models are the:
o Air-King
o Date
o Milgauss
o Datejust
o GMT Master II
o Explorer
o Explorer II
o Submariner
o Sea-Dweller
o Daytona Cosmograph
o Day-Date
o Oyster Perpetual
o Yacht-Master
o Yacht-Master II
o President
The stainless steel Rolex Daytona has become one of the most sought after watches of all
time. Dealer waiting lists can run from three to seven years and there are reports of collectors
paying up to $15,000 for the privilege of owning this exclusive watch, though it is
not uncommon for jewellers to rake up the profits themselves by buying the watches and
selling it on, hence it is rumored that Rolex has dropped the infamous waiting list.
The primary bracelets for the Rolex Oyster line are named Jubilee, Oyster and the President.
Rolex "dressy" watches are from their Cellini line. The third brand in the Rolex family
is the less expensive, but high quality, Tudor brand. It was established by Rolex founder,
Hans Wilsdorf, in 1946. While still sold in Europe and the Far East, the Tudor line was
discontinued in the United States as of 2004.
Rolex is the largest manufacturer of Swiss made certified chronometers.