Video Discription |
Welcome to the first installment of our mini-documentary series. In this episode, we’re discussing the lifework of Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf. Shop Rolex watches https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex/
Would you like to learn more about the evolution of the Rolex brand, including Hans Wilsdorf’s life and the expansion of the Rolex company? Read our extensive Rolex timeline here: https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/history-of-time/hans-wildorf-rolex-founder.html
HANS WILSDORF: ROLEX FOUNDER
The Rolex dream began in 1905 when the brand’s founder, Hans Wilsdorf, opened his own watch company with Alfred Davis called “Wilsdorf and Davis.” He spent the early years of his youth working for the watch company Cuno-Korten, during which Hans developed a passion for everything that pertained to watchmaking. Hence, it only seemed natural that he would eventually create a watch company of his own.
In the early 1900s, wristwatches were primarily worn by women. However, Wilsdorf’s eye for innovation lead him to explore manufacturing and marketing his own wristwatches for men as well, instead of the more common pocket watch, and the early years of Rolex began.
In the beginning, the movements for his timepieces were outsourced to Swiss manufacturer Aegler. Their movements were smaller than other options on the market, making them perfect for wearing on the wrist. The movements were placed inside cases, and the early Rolex as we know it today was born.
THE ROLEX NAME
After much consideration, Hans Wilsdorf settled on the name “Rolex” in 1908 for his blossoming watch brand. It’s believed that the name meant nothing at the time and was chosen simply because it was easy to pronounce in any language, commanded a certain level of authority, and had just the right look when printed on watch dials. That same year, the name Rolex was officially trademarked.
AGE OF INNOVATION
It didn’t take Wilsdorf long to embark on what would become a very prosperous age of watchmaking innovation, beginning in 1910 with the very first certification for chronometer precision for any wristwatch. This distinction was handed down by the Official Watch Rating Centre based in Bienne, Switzerland, the same Swiss town where Wilsdorf outsourced his early watch movements.
Next came the Oyster case, which is now a fixture of the Rolex catalog. What many might not know is that it was invented decades ago, in 1926. With its hermetic seal and rounded shape, the Oyster case more than lives up to its iconic name. It is also responsible for earning Rolex the title of the very first waterproof wristwatch – just the next in a very long line of innovations dreamt up by Rolex.
The following year, swimmer Mercedes Gleitze became the first British woman to swim the English Channel successfully. During her historic swim, Gleitze wore a Rolex Oyster as a testament to the brand’s ground-breaking waterproofness. This event kickstarted what would become a long line of partnerships with various well-known explorers and other professional athletes that continues to this day.
The Perpetual movement is another fixture of the Rolex catalog, named after its convenient, self-winding technology that powers itself from the movement of the wearer’s wrist. It was released just a few years after the Oyster case in 1931. Today, most of the models within the Rolex catalog bear the distinction “Oyster Perpetual” on the dial alongside the model’s name to signify the use of both the waterproof case and the self-winding movement.
EVOLUTION OF THE ROLEX CATALOG
That brings us to 1945 and the release of the first Datejust wristwatch. In addition to using both the Oyster case and Perpetual movement, the model boasts the first instance of an automatically changing date mechanism on the dial. The collection was released during the 40th anniversary Jubilee, which also happens to be the first instance of the brand’s iconic Jubilee bracelet.
The next decade saw the release of Rolex’s professional series, which included the Submariner diver’s watch, the dual-time GMT Master, the anti-magnetic Milgauss, and the Explorer mountaineer’s watch. Also released during the 1950s were the Oyster Perpetual, ladies Datejust, and Day-Date dress watches.
The now-iconic Cosmograph Daytona chronograph and Sea-Dweller, which brought the brand’s waterproof capabilities up to 2,000 feet, were released the following decade in the 1960s. The Explorer II, complete with a fixed 24-hour bezel and dedicated hand on the dial, made its debut in 1971. Other models followed, including the GMT Master II in 1982, the Yacht-Master in 1992, the Deepsea in 2008, and the Sky-Dweller in 2012.
00:00 Intro
00:25 Hans Wilsdorf Background
00:54 Pre-Rolex
01:18 Birth of Rolex
01:51 Rolex Trademark
02:07 Rolex Marketing
02:23 Rolex Innovation
03:19 Rolex Tool Watches
03:39 Hans Wilsdorf Foundation
04:25 Outro [2uvVNLprMzM] |