Rolex, a world watchmaking brand, has persisted in its unremitting pursuit of precision timing for a century. Through continuous exploration and innovation, it has created the Rolex Hall of Achievement and condensed the incredible story of time into every second.
The legendary history of Rolex
Born in 1881, Hans Wilsdorf entered the Swiss watch manufacturing industry as a young man in the early 20th century. It was an era when pocket watches were popular, but Hans Wilsdorf had already begun to brew his dream of watches. At that time, watch timing could have been more accurate, and it was only regarded as a piece of jewelry to win the favor of women, with minimal production. However, curiosity and creativity made Hans Wilsdorf see the vast potential of the watch market. He firmly believed that watches were also beautiful, accurate, and durable, and from then on, he devoted himself to realizing his dream. Swiss models replica watches.
In 1905, Hans Wilsdorf, who was only 24 years old, opened a watch shop in London, specializing in selling watch products to the U.K. and Commonwealth countries. To convince the public of the accuracy and reliability of these innovative timepieces, he equipped them with small, sophisticated movements produced by a watchmaking company in Biel. Fashionable, sporty young British men and women were drawn to these gold and silver watches. In 1908, Wilsdorf registered the trademark name for his innovation – Rolex. This name fits the pronunciation of all European languages, is very short, and can be easily printed on a watch dial.
To impress cautious customers, Wilsdorf put the quality of the movement first. He always sent the movement to the official quality control agency for testing to improve the movement’s reliability continuously. His unremitting pursuit of precision timekeeping soon brought him the joy of success. In 1910, the Official Watch Rating Centre in Biel granted a fake rolex watch a Swiss official certification, the first time a Swiss official had given such a certification to a watch. Four years later, in 1914, Rolex watches were awarded the A certificate issued by the Kew Observatory in the U.K., which was only used to evaluate marine timepieces. Since then, watches have become synonymous with precision.
In 1919, after the end of World War I, Wilsdorf founded MONTRES ROLEX S.A. in Geneva. The company is adjacent to Biel, famous for producing watch movements, so it can directly control the production of watch cases and finished products.
In 1963, Andre J. Heiniger succeeded as CEO. He joined Rolex at 18 and devoted his early years to expanding the market and developing overseas branches for the company. As an outstanding business strategist, Andre Heiniger holds Rolex’s fate. With rich experience in the industry, he accelerated the pace of development, comprehensively improved Rolex’s global market share, and finally made Rolex one of the world-renowned watch brands.
Andre Heiniger is persistent and has the same keen insight as his predecessors. In the 1970s, Rolex was actively involved in developing the first Swiss quartz movement but then unexpectedly took the path of mechanical watchmaking. This decision fully demonstrated André’s vision for modern watchmaking, prompting Rolex to push the entire Swiss watchmaking industry higher. André Heiniger also worked to increase brand awareness. In the 1960s and 1970s, Rolex launched extensive cooperation with sports events, athletes, and world-renowned artists. This cooperation also set off a trend of luxury brands joining hands with cultural and sports activities.
Hans Wilsdorf was born in 1881 and entered the Swiss watchmaking industry in the early 20th century. At the time, pocket watches were popular, but Hans Wilsdorf had already begun to imagine a watch that would be as sturdy and reliable as pocket watches.
In 1927, young British swimmer Mercedes Gleitze crossed the English Channel wearing an Oyster watch and arrived at the finish line with the watch intact. Wilsdorf used this move to verify the superior quality of Rolex watches thoroughly.
Prestigious watches
Rolex designs many world-renowned watches for the world’s most influential celebrities. In 1926, the first waterproof and dustproof watch was born, another important milestone in the history of Rolex. This “Oyster” watch has a completely sealed case, like a miniature safe, providing optimal protection for the movement. The following year, a young British female swimmer, Mercedes Gleitze, crossed the English Channel wearing an Oyster watch and arrived at the finish line with the watch intact. Wilsdorf used this move to verify the superior quality of Rolex watches thoroughly.
The Oyster watch soon had another feature. In 1931, Rolex invented the patented Perpetual rotor, an automatic winding movement. Every slight wrist swing can be converted into power for the movement so the watch can continue running. This system is the ancestor of all modern automatic mechanical watches. Manual-winding watches are destined to be out of the history stage from now on.
For Rolex, every corner of the world can be used as a laboratory to verify the performance of watches. Oceans, mountains, and various extreme environments have become the touchstones of Rolex watches. In the 1930s, Rolex provided Oyster Perpetual watches to many explorers who climbed Mount Everest in the Himalayas.
In the early 1950s, Rolex developed professional watches with perfect precision timing and excellent waterproof performance. As professional tools, these watches have functions far beyond simple timing. They are designed for emerging professional sports such as deep-sea diving, aviation, mountaineering, and exploration. The Submariner watch, launched in 1953, is the first watch still maintaining excellent waterproof performance under 100 meters (330 feet) of water.
These outstanding watches also inspire a lasting passion for exploration and a sense of achievement. In 1953, Sir John Hunter, Sir Edmund Shearer, and guide Tenzing Norgay wore Oyster Perpetual watches and were the first to climb Mount Everest.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust Women’s Special Model
Rolex Hall of Fame
The legend of Rolex can only be completed with the Rolex Hall of Fame. The Rolex Hall of Fame is a series of non-commercial activities created by the Rolex brand involving charitable and educational causes. In 1976, the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Oyster watch was celebrated. To commemorate the prosperity of this brand, the company established the Rolex Talents and Strategies Program, which aims to encourage visionary and innovative talents in the fields of science and medicine, innovative technology, exploration and development, environmental protection or cultural heritage, and support their unremitting efforts to improve the living environment.
The Rolex Creative Recommendation Self-help Program, established in 2002, seeks young artists who have shown extraordinary talents in dance, literature, music, drama, and visual arts. It allows them to form a one-to-one creative cooperation and guidance relationship with masters in their respective fields for one year.
This is Rolex’s philosophy: adhere to the spirit of exploration and progress and the unremitting pursuit of perfection. Such continuous persistence constantly inspires the brand’s surprise innovation, and through classic and modern watches, it transforms into an eternal legend.
The Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master II watch, designed for sailing sports, is the first high-end mechanical watch with a preset countdown and mechanical memory function. With this unprecedented technology, the Yacht-Master II can set a countdown of 0 to 10 minutes according to the order of the sailboat’s starting time.
Rolex’s global headquarters is located in Geneva. It is responsible for all the company’s administrative affairs and all activities related to the development, final assembly, sales, and after-sales service of watches.
Series: Submariner
Case Color: Silver-tone
Case Size: 40mm
Band Color: Silver-tone
Model: 116610LN
Brand: Rolex
Case Thickness: 15mm
Band Length: 18cm
Gender: Men’s