Hans Wilsdorf was an observer of fashion, and he had noticed that the men’s traditional waistcoat was falling out of favor. He guessed that the end of the pocket watch could not be far off.
The company then imported Swiss watch movements and parts and assembling them into completed timepieces. The name ‘Rolex’ was chosen because it was clear, easy to spell, and easy to pronounce.
Having established his London based watch company Rolex in 1908, he had decided to test the accuracy of his products by sending them off to a Swiss observatory.
It was a decision worth taking, in 1914 the Kew Observatory certifies Rolex as the first wristwatch in history to outperform the pocket watch. And just in time, accurate wristwatch were needed by soldiers in the First Word War, as they were easier to use than pocket watches in the trenches.
In 1926, the world’s first truly water and shockproof watch is created when Rolex sculpts the revolutionary Oyster case from solid metal.
In 1931, Rolex patented the perpetual winding mechanism, which meant the manual wider on the side of the watch was no longer needed. In 1945, it became the first watch to have a date window.
It is now a premium Swiss watchmaker. Rolex watches hold their value so well they tend to resell at a higher price than they were originally bought for.
Rolex watch in history
