zones at once; and most importantly
the first watchmakers to earn the
coveted chronometer certification
for a wristwatch. To date, Rolex still
holds the record for the most certified
chronometer movements in the category
of wristwatches. Another little known
fact is that Rolex participated in the
development of the original quartz
watch movements. Although Rolex has
made very few quartz models for its
Oyster line, the company’s engineers
were instrumental in design and
implementation of the technolog y during
the early 1970s.
specifically for explorers who would
navigate rough terrain such as the world
famous Everest Expeditions.
On the more glamorous side, Ian
Fleming’s James Bond character wore a
Rolex Oyster Perpetual in the series of
spy novels. In the early EON production
Bond films, Commander Bond was seen
to wear a Rolex Submariner.
The first self-winding Rolex watch was
offered to the public in 1931, powered
by an internal mechanism that used the
movement of the wearer’s arm. This not
only made watch-winding unnecessary,
but eliminated the problem of over-winding
a watch and harming its mechanism.
Rolex was also the first watch company
to create a truly waterproof watch another
milestone from novelty to functional
timepiece. Wilsdorf even went so far
as to have a specially made Rolex
watch attached to the side of the Trieste
bathyscaphe, which went to the bottom of
the Mariana Trench. The watch survived
and tested as having kept perfect time
during its descent and ascent.
watches suitable for the extremes of
deep-sea diving, aviation and mountain
climbing. Sports models include the
Oyster Perpetual Sea Dweller 2000 feet
in 1971. This watch featured a helium
release valve, co-invented with Swiss
watchmaker Doxa, to dispense helium
during decompression. Another is the
GMT Master, originally developed at the
request of Pan Am Airways, to assist
pilots in transcontinental flights. The
Explorer and Explorer II were developed
Among modern Rolex watches are
the Air-King, Datejust, GMT Master/
GMT II, Submariner, Sea-Dweller,
Daytona Cosmograph, Day-Date, Oyster
Perpetual and Yacht-Master. Most Rolex
watches have a case design called the
Oyster. Dressy designs usually fall under
the sister brand called Cellini. The third
line in the Rolex Empire is the lesser
expensive, but high quality, Tudor brand.
The primary types of Rolex bracelets
include the Jubilee, Oyster and the
President.
Rolex has also made a reputation in
Rolex, SA, the current company name,
is not a public corporation. In fact, it is a
foundation initiated and originally funded
by Hans Wilsdorf and the Aegler family.
According to foundation documentation,
the Rolex, SA Company can never be
sold, nor traded on any stock market.
James Ross
jamesrossjewellers.com
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