- At the turn of the 20th century, watches were basically pocket watches, and the few wrist watches that men did wear were not reliable or precise.
A young German watchmaker by the name of Hans Wilsdorf worked for a Swiss watch maker in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. His vision was to make wristwatches that were not only reliable but that were elegant to look at.
In 2005, he moved to London, England and partnered with his brother-in-law to open a company called Wilsdorf and Davis. They began to make wristwatches using small, precise movements that Wilsdorf purchased from his previous employer. He then partnered with Hermann Aegler, a watch manufacturer in Bienne, to import his wristwatches.
Within a year, he was marketing precision wristwatches. As the word spread quickly throughout Switzerland, his watches became an item of great demand. By 1920 Wilsdorf had returned to Bienne, Switzerland and opened another company, Montres Rolex, S.A.
The name "Rolex" was created by Wilsdorf and it was short for "horological excellence." - In 1926, Rolex created a watch with a hermetically sealed case and it became the world's first waterproof and dustproof watch. This milestone invention was named the Oyster Watch.
In 1927, the Oyster was tested by a young swimmer named Mercedes Gleitze who wore the watch in a 10-hour swim across the English Channel. At the end of her swim, the watch proved to be totally dry inside and still keeping precision time.
The Oyster had proved its purpose and this victory was the beginning stage that set the pace for the status of the watch. It was soon accepted as being the only watch worn by men and women around the world who were recognized athletic achievers. - In 1931, Rolex invented and patented another outstanding feature on the Oyster watch, and this was the very first self-winding mechanism using a perpetual rotor. This landmark invention was the first of its kind and other watch companies adopted the feature in their own products.
This self-winding mechanism feature is the basis for every automatic watch available today. - By 1950, Rolex was designing watches with chronometric precision that were extremely durable as well as water resistant. They were designed to accommodate people in new professional sports events such as deep-sea diving and mountain climbing and they quickly became part of the recognized wardrobes of sports enthusiasts.
In 1953, a group of mountain climbers led by Sir John Hunt, Sir Edmund Hilary and Tensing Norgay climbed to the top of Mount Everest. They were the first climbers ever to reach the top and that was a great victory for them. But it was also another great victory for Rolex because once again, the Rolex Oyster proved it could endure strenuous physical movement and air pressure and kept perfect precision time. - Rolex has expanded beyond its market of high-endurance performance watches and has enhanced the style and design so that today they are the leading name in luxury wristwatches. Their watches have outstanding luxury features including diamonds on the face and body of the watch and bands made of quality gold.
The headquarters for Rolex is in Geneva, Switzerland. It has 28 affiliates around the world with 4,000 watchmakers in over 100 countries that put together these luxury wristwatches. Rolex has maintained their symbol of performance and prestige for over 100 years and still is the most valued and respected watch on the global market.