Rolex The History

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It is in 1905 that began length and brilliance way of the Rolex saga. Hans WILSDORF, German clock and watch maker of profession, and his brother-in-law, Alfred DAVIS, have both created in London, in the district of the clock industry and the jewels, company WILSDORF and DAVIS.

The new clock making company imported at the beginning in England the movements of dials of Switzerland ordered at Hermann AEGLER and laid out them in watch-cases of high-quality built by DENNISON. As one rarely forgets the first people with whom one collaborates, we had to expect that today, the collaboration between ROLEX and AEGLER is always of topicality.

It should here be known that the very first wrist watches of the clock making company were stamped “WILSDORF & DAVIS” on the inner face of the bottom. The idea of the wrist watch was for the time very avant-gardist because on that time, the fashion was that of onion of pocket. This very promising position avant-gardist made it possible the clock making company to obtain the first certification of precision for the movements for a watch of wrist by the Swiss Company of Chronometry (1910). The reliability of the avant-gardism of the clock making company could not consequently be disputed any more. It was then the turn of Kew Observatory of the United Kingdom to come to a conclusion about the quality of the wrist watches of company WILSDORF and DAVIS and to issue a certificate of precision thus to him classifies A (certification which only had been allotted to military stop watches of the British navy). Success was going to be irrefutable.

From the beginning, the clock making company positions in the crenel of the luxury and will never leave it, until becoming the reference as regards timekeeper of luxury.

The Rolex mark was recorded only a few years later in 1908 in Switzerland (La Chaux-de-Fonds). With the aim of keep a visibility near the customers, the models of the clock making company will take the name of WILSDORF & DAVIS – ROLEX.

Then, a certain November 15th, 1915, the ROLEX mark is finally deposited and in this great movement in which affirms itself more and more, the clock making company installs its head office in Geneva (Swiss) in 1919. Company name will become successively ROLEX S.A, The Rolex Watch Company, and finally Montres Rolex in 1920.

This same year, Hans WILSDORF is director and proprietor of the mark. Henceforth, from the manufacture of the movements, to the assembly, via control and finally the sale, all is made in Switzerland. Indeed, the movements are manufactured in Bienne where the remainder of the production process is centralized in Geneva.

Beyond these important historical facts for ROLEX, it was in two of most important which concern the deposit of the name “Oyster” by Mr Hans WILSDORF and the advertizing partner carried out within the British press during 10 years.

Six years later, Mr Hans WILSDORF deposits a patent for screwed revolutionary crown case which improves the sealing of the wrist watches. It is perhaps what explains why the following year, on October 7th, 1927, Mercedes GLEIZ crossed the English Channel to the stroke in 15:15 with to its wrist a watch Rolex Oyster. Simple chance or successful publicity campaign, it doesn’t matter, Rolex was going consequently to rise very high among the great names of clock making industry.

Was born besides, just a year later, in 1928, the model Rolex Prince equipped with a double dial: success was once more not made wait.

What remained to be made for this famous mark? To stop with a growing success and an acquired notoriety or then continuing to present highly technical timekeeper ? Pure rhetoric question. Sirs Hans WILSDORF and Emil BORER thus present in 1931 the model Rolex Perpetual. It is about an automatic movement with rotor turning (NB permanently: the rotor is a semicircular metal plate which moves freely by the fact of gravity). The automatic movement with rotor is the subject of a patent which conferring at ROLEX a 15 years exclusive right. Without any error of appreciation, it is possible to affirm fully that the model Rolex Perpetual, first automatic mechanism of rolling up, was a real revolution in the world of the clock industry. The model Rolex Bubbleback will be equipped besides with this movement which will evolve with the liking of time.

At the end of the Second World War, ROLEX presents the new model Rolex Datejust which one finds until today and who does not stop evolving and to astonish us for our great happiness.

Always more avant-gardist, always more visionary, sometimes even revolutionary, ROLEX present in the years 50.7 new models available in its so much snuffed catalog: from the Rolex Tru-Happy, by the Rolex Milgauss, by making a turning by the Rolex Turn-O-Graph, the Rolex SubMariner, or by the Rolex GMT Master, the Rolex Oysterdate and finally while stopping to contemplate the Rolex President and Explorer. All the ingredients necessary are there to make it possible its timekeeper to engrave on the marble of the clock making great names that of ROLEX.

Parallel to this undeniable notoriety, the glass of Aperture, Cyclops, is installed on the model Rolex Dayjust.

Unfortunate year will be the year 1960 when we will deplore the death of famous and illustrate Director and owner of the Rolex mark, Hans WILSDORF, on July 6th. It will be replaced two years later by another personality of talent, Mr André HEINIGER, industrialist of formation and which one retains in particular the installation of Rolex Award (price having for concern of underlining and rewarding personal projects on a scientific or environmental way).

The ROLEX mark, strong to preceding year experiment without and has meticulous clock making manufacture, endeavors always to make evolve its models, whether it is by transition gold modification. For this reason, let custom notes ace good example the model stop watch Rolex Daytona which was equipped into 2000 with has very new movement 100% made by ROLEX, the movement Zenith.

This search of excellence appears with many regards and is still confirmed when in 1971, a record of depth is established on the model Rolex Sea-Dweller 2000 with a diving with 2000 feet (where from the name of the model). The aforementioned record was doubled in 1980, with a descent with a depth of 4000 feet.

If we wanted to summarize in figure the success of this clock making company, we would have to retain only three of them: ROLEX they is some 750,000 timekeeper per year, 23 branches in the world and only one store in proper name, the “Chrono-Time” located at Geneva.

A question arises then: what do we have to wait on the part of the clock making manufacture? The best of course!

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust (2009)

Some words about …

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual: model which today was modified and transformed and from which the initial model “Oyster” was born in 1926. It profits from the clever movement says “winding-mechanism automatic Oyster Perpetual” thanks to which arises it from the barrel is rearmed during the simple port of the timekeeper. This model is water-resistant until 100 meters of depth.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust (2009)

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust: model launched into 1945 which was the first to post the date in a perfectly readable way thanks to the Cyclops glass. It is an automatic model having of a Perpetual rotor and a Saphir ice.  This model is water-resistant up to 100 meters.

The Rolex Datejust Lady: model intended for the female gente, it offers more delicate forms. It is an automatic model having the Cyclops glass which thus makes it possible to see the date with a perfect legibility. This model is him also water-resistant until 100 meters of depth.

The Rolex SubMariner Date: automatic model symbolizing par excellence the sealing (up to 300 meters), it is equipped with a Perpetual rotor and has a quite precise specificity which is that of one-way revolving glasses which make it possible to control times of immersion. This model was in particular carried by Mr Sean CONNERY in the film “James Bond 007 against Dr. No”.

The Rolex GMT Master: the great innovation of this model consists in having an additional hand 12 hours having a completely independent adjustment as well as graduated revolving glasses 24 hours with a view to jointly reading the hour in two different time zones. This model was carried in particular by Mr Robert REDFORD at the time of film “The men of the President”.

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