The year 1905 saw the beginning of the legacy that is Rolex, by a 24-year old young man, Hans Wilsdorf. He began with the dream of wearing a watch on his wrist – something completely unheard of at the time (unless you were a woman wearing bracelet watches as a form of jewellery). Coined in the year 1908, the name Rolex is an aspiration for young collectors worldwide, even today.
The first wristwatch in the world to receive the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision in 1910, Rolex shifted base to the watchmaking city of Geneva and registered themselves in 1920 as Montres Rolex S.A. What happened after, is history as they say. A historic amalgam of achievements which included the development of the world’s first water proof timepiece named “Oyster”; the launch of the “Testimonee” concept with a young English swimmer named Mercedes Gleitze who swam across the English Channel in 1927 sporting the Rolex Oyster; the first expedition to fly over the Everest in 1933; the revealing of the first divers’ watch, the Submariner, waterproof to a depth of 100m, in 1953; and the launch of the iconic Day-Date or the President’swatch in 1956; – and these are just naming a few.
Have a look at the video to introduce yourself to the man whose determination made this all possible.
Alternatively, click here to view the timeline of the Rolex Oyster.
