Vision
Rolex watches became the luxury status symbol they are today from one man's vision. The wristwatches' innovative technology is just as alluring today, as it was when it first appeared over a hundred years ago.
While no one knows where the name “Rolex” originated from, there are speculations. It has been rumored that Hans Wilsdorf, the man behind the Rolex machine, simply made the name up and commented that it was onomatopoeic, i.e. the name mimicked the noise a watch makes when it is being wound.
Others claim that Wilsdorf wanted a watch that could readily be pronounced in any language; Rolex really just rolls off one's tongue. While the name Rolex might always remain a mystery, this latter speculation came true. Whether one is in Tokyo, Switzerland, America, Dubai, Australia, or jet-setting across any other part of the world, Rolex's luxury status is universal; one man's vision was shared with the world.
Precision
Over a century ago, Wilsdorf dreamt of the day where wristwatches would dominate the pocket watches he was used to seeing in his epoch. Many doubted that wristwatches could be as precise as pocket watches; Wilsdorf accepted the challenge. Eventually, Rolex watches would become so chronometrically precise that they would become the first wristwatch in the world to receive the prestigious Swiss Certificate of Precision, in 1910. And the quality of this luxury wristwatch has never wavered; Rolex is the official time keeper of Wimbledon and the Australian Open, and the watch of choice of NASA astronauts, including Jack Swigert and Ron Evans (this is how Rolex got its “Moonwatch” nickname).
Adventure
Yet, Rolex watches are known for much more than being inextricably linked to precision. Another hallmark of this luxury wristwatch is that it was the first water and dustproof wristwatch in the world.
Mercedes Gleitze spent ten hours in chilly water during her great vindication swim across the English Channel; her Rolex's distinctive steel technology kept the Rolex hanging around her neck in mint condition. Thus, the rudiments for the pearl that became known as the “Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner” were set.
Other foundations for other rugged, professional activities were also set and led to the birth of Rolex's “The Explorer” wristwatch: deep-sea diving, aviation, mountain climbing, and scientific exploration, to name a few. Rolex watches are so durable that one can hike up to the summit of Mt. Everest ... literally. In 1953, Sherpa Tenzing Norway and Sir Edmund Hillary were the first men to make it to the 29,035 ft. summit. Tenzing Norway made it with his Rolex Explorer on his wrist; this notable triumph would mark another moment where the Rolex brand would be on top.
Technology
Yet, Rolex is not only memorable because of the wrists and necks it has been worn around. Rolex watches are synonymous with ground-breaking technology. Rolex watches were the first wristwatches in the world, with a repertory of victorious and ingenious feats: they were the first watch to automatically change date on dial, to automatically change the day and date on dial, to use the world's first self-winding mechanism with a Perpetual rotor, and to show two time zones at once.
For these reasons, and a smorgasbord of others, Rolex is the epitome of luxury. Not even Sean Connery could get his hands on this highly coveted luxury item for the Dr. No, the first film of the James Bond series. Even though the watches would go on to appear in eleven films chronicling the Bond saga, in the beginning, the film's producer had to lend Connery his own.
It should not come as a surprise, though. Thousands of watchmakers, designers, gem-setters, and chemists across the globe work to craft one Rolex (not to mention the stringent and grueling inspection process that the watches undergo before reaching one's wrist). Rolex watches have undergone their own saga. A saga full of leadership, winners, possibilities, dangers, ruggedness, resilience, ingenuity, and triumph. However, none of this would have been possible without vision. Watch out for what Rolex does next.
Georgie Henderson - I work from home writing articles on all sorts of things. Recently, I've been renovating mine and my sister's houses so a lot of what I ...
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