ROLEX

The story of Rolex began with Hans Eberhard Wilhelm Wilsdorf's birth. On March 22, 1881, he was born in Kulmbach, Bavaria, Germany. Wilsdorf was born into a family of hardware shop owners (ironmonger). As a result, Wilsdorf's parents died within months of each other when he was 12 years old. Wilsdorf's mother was a descendant of the Maisel Bavarian brewing dynasty, according to legend. There were anticipation that Wilsdorf would continue one of the family enterprises, according to Rolex history.

That, however, was not to be. Wilsdorf and his siblings were sent to his aunt and uncle to look after. They liquidated the family hardware store and put the money into the Wilsdorf Trust until the heirs were old enough to inherit. Despite the fact that the Wilsdorf Trust was founded as a consequence of tragedy, it served as the foundation for the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, which was founded later in Wilsdorf's life.

Wilsdorf attended boarding school in Coburg, Germany, until he was 18 years old, excelling in arithmetic and languages, notably English. Wilsdorf got a job at a pearl distribution firm after boarding school, where he learned a lot about international commerce and the jewelry industry. Wilsdorf learnt industrial practices and gained an interest in technology at this period. Wilsdorf eventually departed at the age of 20 to work for Cuno Korten, a Swiss watch exporter based in La Chaux-de-Fonds. There, he worked with English clientele who introduced him to the world of pocket watches and timepieces. Wilsdorf's attention, according to Rolex history, became concentrated on the perfection of these clocks.

Wilsdorf went to London in 1903 when he was 22 years old. Unfortunately, criminals stole Wilsdorf's fortune, worth 33,000 German gold marks, on his journey. He did, however, continue to work in the English watch business while intending to create his own. During this period, he was granted British citizenship. Finally, when Wilsdorf was 24, he met Alfred James Davis and formed a partnership with him to start their own watch firm. Wilsdorf had the watchmaking knowledge from his time at Cuno Korten, and Davis had the money to invest. Davis, who married Wilsdorf's younger sister, cemented the alliance even further.

Wilsdorf matched Davis' investment with money borrowed from his siblings. As a result, they both controlled 50% of the business. They complimented each other's abilities and backgrounds as equal partners. Wilsdorf was an expert in timepieces, while Davis was an expert on finance and international trade. Wilsdorf & Davis Ltd was founded with ebauches from the Bienne-based manufacturer Jean Aegler. While working at Cuno Korten, Wilsdorf became acquainted with Aegler. Wilsdorf & Davis made just two timepieces, a pocket watch and a purse watch, for men and ladies, respectively.

Keep in mind that wristwatches were referred to as "wristlets" at the time, and they were small in size, few in number, not particularly accurate, and largely worn by women. Gentlemen have been cited as saying, "I'd rather wear a skirt than a wristwatch." A wristwatch, according to the watch industry, could not survive the demands of human activity. However, Wilsdorf's history with Rolex shows that he was always striving for betterment. He brilliantly pointed out that during the Boer War, soldiers were unable to wear coats due to the heat. Furthermore, looking for a pocket watch during a conflict was extremely cumbersome. As a result, soldiers began to wear little pocket watches around their wrists. Wilsdorf was motivated to specialize in a market that didn't exist at the time.

Wilsdorf returned to Bienne in 1908 and struck a deal with Aegler for a steady supply of watch movements. At the time, this was the largest deal ever negotiated for watch movements. At the same time, trademark and logo styles were popular in the business. Wilsdorf & Davis didn't have the same ring to it as Kodak or Coke. Wilsdorf & Davis came up with the name Rolex since it has no specific meaning, is simple to speak in numerous languages, and is difficult to misspell. Rolex had no direct relationship to watchmaking, much as Apple's moniker has no direct connection to computers. Wristwatches proved to be more than a fleeting novelty, and they became extremely popular.

Rolex delivered its first mechanism to the School of Horology in Bienne, one of the first timekeeping schools, in 1910, dispelling the idea that wristwatches are inaccurate. The world's first wristwatch chronometer rating was given to Rolex. Rolex overcome the initial obstacle of keeping correct time with the rating. The other two tasks were to make wristwatches that were both watertight and autowinding. Rolex was awarded the "Class A Accreditation of Precision" from the Kew Observatory in England, the first certificate given to a wristwatch, demonstrating the precision of well-built wristwatch mechanisms.

The test lasted 45 days and covered five different postures and three different temperatures. Prior to Rolex, only maritime chronometers received these accreditation. Wilsdorf recognized the importance of timing certifications and mandated that all Rolex watches be subjected to the same testing and that no Rolex be sold without a "Official Timing Certificate." Rolex would not accept any movements from Aegler until they passed a seven-day battery of examinations. Rolex established the timing standard for the rest of the watch industry by accepting nothing less than a timing certificate.

With a steady supply of watch movements from Aegler, a recognized brand name, and a high-demand product, the firm was on solid ground. The outbreak of World War I boosted wristwatch demand even further, but it also imposed anti-German trade restrictions on England. Because of the high taxes on watch and jewelry components entering England, Wilsdorf and Davis decided to shift much of the manufacture back to Bienne, where they had formed a relationship with Hermann Aegler.

Rolex bought a portion of the Aegler firm in 1919 and renamed it Aegler S.A. Rolex Watch Company. Wilsdorf soon purchased Davis's part of the firm and relocated the headquarters to Geneva, where he registered "Montres Rolex S.A." on January 17th. Wilsdorf chose Geneva over Biel because he wanted the Biel plant to focus only on watch movements, while Geneva would focus on designing case styles that appealed to cosmopolitan sensibilities. The watches are constructed in Geneva, although the movements are made in Biel/Bienne.

In Geneva, Switzerland, Rolex trademarked the renowned crown or coronet on May 2, 1925. "Rolex" began to appear on every dial solely after an expensive advertising effort in 1926 to enhance brand recognition. Rolex became identified with luxury and distinction very fast.

Rolex also addressed the weak place of all watch casings, the winding stem, which had a proclivity for leaking water and dust, in 1925. Wilsdorf learned about a patent for a novel winding stem and button/crown submitted by Paul Perregaux and Georges Peret. Wilsdorf purchased the patent and registered the Oyster, the world's first waterproof casing, on July 29, 1926 in Switzerland, and again on February 28, 1927 in London.

Wilsdorf coined the name "oyster" while attempting to open an oyster at a dinner gathering. To open a Rolexe today, you'll need special equipment, similar to how you'd open an oyster at a restaurant. Wilsdorf now had the three primary watch flaws solved, the crown, the case, and timing accuracy, thanks to the sealed crown, a watertight synthetic crystal also invented at the time, and a threaded bezel and caseback introduced by Aaron Dennison, founder of Waltham Watch Company.

Despite having a patent, Wilsdorf had to defend its patent against copycats. Wilsdorf filed a lawsuit against Schmitz Brothers in Grenchen, Germany, in 1934. On July 8, 1937, a Swiss court decided that Schmitz Brothers owed Rolex compensatory damages after a two-and-a-half-year legal battle. Despite the fact that Wilsdorf did not create the water-resistant watch, he was the first to make it a reality and construct it using current industrial production technologies.

Wilsdorf demonstrated his marketing ability by creating yet another big advertising campaign to sell the Oyster waterproof watch, this time with a human-proof watch. The Oyster, unlike other watches at the time, was built to resist everyday wear and tear. Wilsdorf began an advertisement campaign on October 21, 1927, featuring Mercedes Gleitze, a 26-year-old London typist who was the first woman to swim the English Channel.

Gleitze was the first to accomplish it while wearing a Rolex watch in her vindication swim, which took place two weeks after her first successful attempt. Wilsdorf recognized an opportunity to showcase the robustness of his timepieces by having Gleitze wear one on a chain around her neck during her second swim attempt after her first successful swim.

Wilsdorf knew that advertising alone would not be enough to make people associate quality and dependability; it had to be shown. One of the first uses of athletes and explorers as first-person testimonies for watch durability and dependability was the Mercedes Gleitze swim.

The ad in England's Daily Mail newspaper on November 24, 1927, boasted of the "greatest triumph in watchmaking," as well as Gleitze's testimonial, stating that her Rolex Oyster "proved itself a reliable and accurate timekeeping companion even though it was subjected to complete immersion for hours in sea water at a temperature of not more than 58 and often as low as 51 [10-14 degrees Celsius]."

Although the case was sealed, Wilsdorf recognized that being human was not. Watch wearers would either forget to wind their watches or leave the crown unscrewed, allowing dust and water into the mechanism. The next technological hurdle for Wilsdorf was to devise a system for automated winding. John Harwood had produced the first self-winding wristwatch earlier in the decade, based on a weight swinging from a central point on top of the case, similar to a playground swing, with the mainspring being wound by the weight touching a wheel that tightened the mainspring. They based their design on Abraham Louis Perrelet's pedometer design from 1770.

The weight was limited by the usage of bumpers. The bumpers had a technical flaw in that they were destructive and did not make efficient use of centrifugal force. Nonetheless, the design demonstrated the value of having a fully sealed watch that didn't require unscrewing the crown to maintain everyday functionality.

Wilsdorf was dead intent on modifying his current movement to allow for auto winding. Wilsdorf combined an existing Aegler movement and a winding mass placed on the middle axis that could revolve in both directions without stopping, resulting in a "perpetual" motion in 1931. Herman Aegler's brother-in-law, the technical lead at Rolex, is credited with inventing the center-staff rotating weight design, which is currently used in all automatic watch movements across the globe when the patent expired in 1948.

The mainspring is now regularly coiled, offering a full tank of power that enhances watch timing in addition to having a water-tight casing. Rolex's records for accuracy in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s are based on a full and steady power reserve, which allows for accurate timing. Rolex was the first watchmaker to acquire class certifications from all four major observatories by 1934. (Kew, Geneva, Neuchatel, and Besancon).

1931 was a year of both calamity and opportunity. The Rolex company thrived, but on September 21, the British pound was severely devalued as a result of the global economic crisis and the Great Depression. Rolex prices rose as a result of the devaluation, resulting in a 60% drop in exports. Rolex would have to sell outside of the British Empire if it was to survive. Wilsdorf went on to open subsidiaries in Paris, Buenos Aires, and Milan, as well as pursuing commercial opportunities in Asia. The expansion was a huge success. Rolex boosted the manufacture of Rolex Oyster watches from 2,500 to over 30,000 per year.

Wilsdorf's wife May, as well as his long-time business colleague and friend Hermann Aegler, died in 1944. As a result, Wilsdorf became the sole owner of Rolex. Wilsdorf established the Hans Wilsdorf foundation in 1945 since he had no successors. The trust was established to offer clear instructions on how the firm should be operated following Wilsdorf's death, assuring that it would never combine with another company, be sold, or be listed on the stock exchange.

The Hans Wilsdorf Foundation continues to be in charge of Rolex. Wilsdorf gave specific instructions on dividend distribution. In memory of his late wife, he gave the majority of the funds to charity. In addition, profits were to be used to support a watchmaking school, a fine arts academy, and university business and social science faculty. Wilsdorf Foundation funds the Swiss watch research facility in Neuchatel, as well as a language library for the blind and an animal protection display pavilion in Lucerne. The Rolex Awards are still supported by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation today.

To commemorate the company's 40th anniversary, Rolex launched the date window in 1945. The DateJust caliber 740 was the world's first wristwatch with an automated date mechanism. The DateJust is so named because, well, Date is self-explanatory, but "Just" stands for "just in time," as it advances at midnight without delay. Because most people wear their watches on their left arm and the date window may easily peek out from under a shirt sleeve, the date window was placed on the right edge at 3 o'clock.

The DateJust also had a central second hand, as opposed to the trend of the time, which had a subsidiary second hand. In addition, the initial 15-year patent protection on the automated winding rotor expired in 1948.

Rolex experienced a period of postwar development and accomplishment in the 1950s. On the wrists of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the experimental Rolex Explorers ascended to 29,035 feet above sea level on May 29, 1953. They affixed a specially built Deep Sea Special to the outside of Auguste Piccard's bathyscaphe, which reached a depth of 10,335 feet, the next year. This demonstrated that timepieces can withstand the same amount of pressure as submarines.

In addition, Rolex debuted the Turn-O-Graph, the precursor to the Submariner, at the Basel watch exhibition in 1953. In 1954, Rolex introduced the Submariner, which was water resistant to 100 meters, as well as the Milgauss and GMT Master pilots watches, and the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date, which was the first watch to show both the day and the date at the same time.

In 1959, Rolex introduced the Submariner 5512, a water-resistant watch with a depth of 200 meters, as well as crown guards, which are now standard on all Rolex sport watches. After Wilsdorf's near-sighted second wife couldn't see the date on her watch, Rolex added the famous Cyclops glass to the date aperture in the early 1950s. Rolex also established branches in Bombay, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Dublin, Havana, Johannesburg, London, Milan, Mexico City, New York, Paris, Sao Paulo, and Toronto throughout the 1950s.

It's also worth noting that Rolex's Public Relations Director was instrumental in the company's decision to make actual tool watches. During the 1950s and 1960s, Rene-Paul Jeanneret was one of Rolex's most significant executives. Jeanneret was the main force behind the idea of designing watches for certain sports or vocations. Jeanneret was the first to think of a watch for divers, explorers, and businesspeople. Pan-Am approached Rolex in search of a timepiece that could monitor 24 hour GMT time, which was the norm for airline pilots and navigators at the time. As a result, Jeanneret investigated the idea of a watch with a 24 hour hand and a rotating bezel that could be used to time in another timezone.

Rolex launched the GMT in Basel in 1954, using an existing Turn-O-Graph and equipping it with a 24-hour hand and utilizing the same bezel technology but with a brilliant plastic inlay. It didn't have crown guards since it was a derivation of the Turn-O-Graph, and it was substantially smaller than the Submariner, which was released the same year. The GMT was the first sport watch to have a Cyclops, which was inspired by the Turn-O-Graph.

The GMT Master II and the 16550 both include a separate 12 hour hand. It came with either a white or black dial. Until the mid-2000s, Rolex employed a combination of 316L in its bracelets and cases. Since then, the Deep Sea has been manufactured entirely of 904L steel. The bracelet, case, clasp, and caseback of modern Rolex stainless models released after 2011 also employ 904L. Rolex also introduces the Yacht Master II, the first sailing watch with a programmed countdown feature and memory that works with the side pushers and bezel. The watch made it through the 2.5-hour descent, 60 minutes on the trench bottom, and 70-minute climb up to the surface.

For Rolex, 1960 was both a peak and a low point. Following that, Rolex introduced the first Cosmograph chronograph model featuring a tachymetric timing ring on a metal bezel, continuing its technical advancements. In 1960, Rolex set a new world record for submersion by strapping a Deep Sea Special to the outside of the Trieste bathyscaphe as it plunged to the Mariana Trench's bottom depth of 35,798 feet, a depth higher than Mount Everest's height.

Shortly after the Deep Sea Special's triumph, Rolex's founder Hans Wilsdorf died on July 6th, 1960, leaving the company to appointees named in the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation. Andre J. Heiniger took over as CEO of Rolex in 1963 and remained in charge until 1992, when his son Patrick took over. The present DateJusts, Air Kings, and sports/tool watch lines all evolved in the 1960s.

From the 1970s until the present, Rolex has remained, in the words of Patrick Heiniger, "evolutionary rather than revolutionary." Rolex continues to develop new watches and technology, such as the Paracrom hairspring, Paraflex shock absorbers, and the usage of ceramics, despite competition from both genuine and illegitimate imitators. Rolex now manufactures over 2000 watches each day and is routinely listed among the world's top 100 corporations.

(Above picture of Hans Wildorf)