Rolex
Rolex

THE BRAND

Perpetual. That is the word inscribed on every dial of an Oyster. Today it means so much more than a self-winding watch movement. It is a spirit that is pure Rolex – one that defines our past, shapes our present and directs our future. It is continuous improvement and lasting excellence.

Each watch produced by Rolex reflects more than a century of innovation and refinement in engineering, design and functionality. The spirit of Hans Wilsdorf, founder of Rolex, inspires constant progress. He dedicated his life to creating wristwatches so precise and reliable that explorers depended on them, whether at the top of mountains, on the high seas, in polar ice or in the heat and dust of deserts.

Some examples for legendary and iconic models are the Submariner, Day-Date, DateJust, GMT-Master II, Explorer and Cosmograph Daytona.

THE HISTORY

“Perpetual”, “Oyster”, “President”, these iconic words are unmistakably associated with a company standing for quality, innovation, and luxury as one of the world’s most famous brands – ROLEX.

Across multiple sites in Switzerland, literally all essential components of Rolex watches are totally developed and built in-house, and they are built to last. Each watch is tested to the extreme undergoing very specific and unique Rolex test procedures before receiving the famous “Rolex Green Seal”, representing the Superlative Chronometer status each Rolex is entitled to hold proofing it’s precision, longevity and reliability. 

With iconic models like the Rolex Submariner, the GMT Master and the DateJust for example, Rolex is proving its versatility, offering professional tool watches as well as dress watches and literally bridging the gap between “the beach and the boardroom”.  

Since the beginning of the Rolex story, the company registered more than 400+ patents and contributed significant achievements in modern wristwatch history.

TIMELINE

Let’s take a look at some essential milestones in Rolex’s history:

1910

First wristwatch in the world to receive the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision.

1926

Creation of the first waterproof and dustproof wristwatch, given the name “Oyster”.

1927

A Rolex Oyster crossed the English Channel, worn by a young English swimmer named Mercedes Gleitze – that’s what we call an “early” influencer.

1931

Patented for the world’s first self-winding mechanism with a „perpetual“ rotor winding the mainspring.

1945

Release of the first Datejust, a watch indicating the date in a window on the dial.

1952

An Explorer prototype is launched (model 6098) later issued to Sir John Hunt’s Everest expeditions.

1953

Creation of the Submariner, first divers’ watch waterproof to a depth of 100 metres and  launched in 1954.

1955

Launch of the GMT Master made for Pan American World Airways.

1956

Launch of the Day-Date being the first wristwatch display the date and day of the week fully spelt out.

1956

Launch of the Millgaus designed meet the demands of the scientific community, tested by CERN engineers.

1960

The Deep Sea special was attached to the bathyscaphe „Trieste“  successfully descended into the Mariana.

1963

Launch of the Chosmograph (Daytona), Mark 1 series was originally named „Rolex Le Mans“.

1967

Launch of the Sea Dweller to meet the needs of professional deep-sea divers.

1985

Rolex became the first watchmaking brand to use this steel from the 904L family for its cases.

2005

Rolex developed and patented the Cerachrom bezel for specific Professional models.

2012

The Deep Sea Challenge is an experimental diving watch certified waterproof up to 12,000 metres.