![]() The Oyster was the quintessential Rolex watch before the advent of the Professional line, which in a way stole the limelight from it, and is made in many different configurations, both for men and ladies, ranging from 26 mm to 39 mm. The modern-day Oyster Perpetual line is the direct heir of the original Oyster of 1926, and so, it is the longest-running series of watches by the company. In time, what were known and used as “tool watches” surged to become a status symbol worldwide - and today the company enjoys its reputation of being the most well-known watch manufacturer of the world. The Commander, Jacques Piccard, confirmed that the watch survived the ordeal. A special model, the so-called DeepSea, was secured to the hull of the bathyscaphe Trieste, which reached the bottom of the Mariana trench, at 11.000 meters. This happened also with the changing date on the dial of the Datejust, in 1945, and the two timezones tracking of the GMT Master, in 1954.īut the main Rolex achievement was the creation of watches such as the Submariner, one of the first in the market to be water-resistant to the (back then) astonishing depth of 100 meters. In 1931, Rolex launched a self-winding watch with a central rotor that could freely rotate on its axis, charging the main spring, improving decisively the previous solutions implemented by other manufacturers.Īctually, most Rolex notable achievements were improvements over other companies’ achievements - but the company of the Crown just made them better. Most possibly, Rolex also invented then the concept of the “testimonial” in horology advertising, as it posted an ad in a newspaper to publicize the feat. The crossing lasted over 10 hours, during which time the watch remained in excellent condition. In 1926, it manufactured the first Oyster, featuring a water-resistant case, and the watch was worn in 1927 by a woman, a young British swimmer called Mercedes Gleitze, during her crossing of the English Channel. ![]() ![]() The company was the first to manufacture a personal watch that was so precise it earned the qualification of “chronometer”, in 1915: before that, this feat was only reserved to marine chronometers. Their first production was often sold to jewelers, who branded the watches as theirs, while the W&D brand was stamped inside the case back.īut the company grow fast, and became a respected watchmaker quite soon, specializing in several key fields: the chronometer certification the creation of water-resistant watches the evolution of the automatic movement, which until then was still rudimentary and the development of the antimagnetic capabilities of watches. The two founders of the watchmaker were brothers-in-law, and originally they just assembled watches: they imported movements from Switzerland (made by Hermann Aegler) and placed them inside cases made in the UK. ![]() Since 1960, the company has been owned by a private family trust, the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation. The company switched its name to Rolex in 1915 and was transferred to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1920. Rolex today is the most famous watchmaking company in the world - but despite its huge reputation, it is a very late newcomer to the horology field, having been founded in London in 1908 as Wilsdorf & Davis, by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Retail prices shown represent the current replacement value of the item and are the manufacturer's suggested retail price which may not reflect actual selling prices.If you haven’t ever heard about Rolex, then probably you are dead. Prices are subject to change without notice. This site, including its owners, operators, and developers, are not affiliated with nor endorsed by Rolex, Rolex USA, or any of its subsidiaries, in any way, nor are they an authorized dealer of any of the fine Swiss watch brands or any other brands of watches or jewelry items offered for sale. and/or their respective trademark owners. Datejust, Day-Date President, Presidential, Super President, Pearlmaster, Masterpiece, Submariner, Cosmograph Daytona, Explorer, Sea Dweller, GMT Master,Yacht-Master, Air King Milgauss, Prince, and Cellini are all registered trademarks of the Rolex Corporation (Rolex USA, Rolex S.A.) All trademarked names, brands and models, mentioned on this site are the sole property of Rolex, USA, Inc. Unless purchased directly from an authorized Rolex dealer, all Rolex watches are considered pre-owned. DeMesy Fine Watches is not an authorized Rolex dealer nor is it affiliated with the Rolex Corporation or any of its subsidiaries.
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