THE ART OF LIVING

“I count my Rolex watch amongst my most treasured possessions."
- Sir Edmund Hillary, first man to climb Mount Everest, 1953

Synonymous with luxury and prestige, the house of Rolex has a history which makes it worthy of its great reputation. The remarkable success of Rolex can considerably be attributed to the way they constantly progress their product to suit society’s ever-evolving trends and needs, always aiming to improve the usability, durability, service friendliness and reliability of their timepieces. These unfailing characteristics make up the Rolex DNA. With watches by the crowned firm from the impressive selection of Rolex watches offered in our sales, we can track the technical development, attractive functions and designs developed by Rolex throughout the 20th century and beyond.

Perpetual
The early 1930s marked the next big milestone for Rolex when they developed an automatic, self-winding watch, eliminating the need for users to wind the crown of the watch each day. This meant the crown could be sealed, closing another possible point of entry for water into the case. This stunning 1942 bubble back Oyster Perpetual is a perfect early example which combines the Oystercase and self-winding mechanism that we all desire in a watch.

Oyster
Rolex was the first watch manufacturer to render a truly waterproof timepiece. First developed in 1927, the Oyster case protects the mechanical movement from water, pressure and dust. Rolex proved the reliability of this mechanism to the public by displaying Rolex Oysters in fish tanks in their shop windows. It was a successful marketing ploy, further enhanced when a young British swimmer, Mercedes Gleitze, swam across the channel sporting one of the very first Oysters.

The Milgauss Factor
The Milgauss model was introduced to market in the 1950s – a watch which harmoniously marries science and beauty. The wristwatch was designed for areas of high electromagnetic radiation, such as research labs or power stations, which can have chaotic effects on ordinary timepieces. Using the principles of a “Faraday Cage”, an iron inner case shields the movement of the watch from any external radiation which might lead to inaccuracies.

Fit for a King – The King of Cool
From the 1950s onwards, Rolex continued inventing and launching new products, repeatedly aligning themselves with key figures and heroes in society. From Sir Edmund Hilary, who sported the first Explorer watch for mountain climbers and explorers, to Steve McQueen, the King of Cool, whose name is linked to the Explorer II version shown here.

Record time
In 1960, Rolex came out with an updated chronograph, the Daytona. Named after the famous car race in America, this watch was designed for drivers racing at phenomenal speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. The Daytona, also known as the Cosmograph, is a chronograph, meaning that it can double up as an accurate stopwatch. Furthermore, the watch is equipped with a tachometer, allowing the wearer to assess his average speed per hour – in this case, it is calibrated from 50 to 200 kilometers. Although this watch was not a novel concept in a watch, the Daytona was the first model to feature the tachometer scale engraved on the bezel, thus better legible, rather than having it printed in small on the dial, underneath the crystal.

Time and Date Settings
Rolex was the first company to create a wristwatch with a date indication on the dial, as well as being the first watch to show a 24-hour indication. The new 24 hour hand of the GMT Master could tell busy travellers whether it was night or day. After all, sometimes it’s hard to keep track!

All these little stories about the evolution of Rolex enhance the ever-increasing appeal to collect such pieces. The older models were produced in much smaller quantities than those created today, and furthermore, they were genuinely used in the mountain-climbing, oxygen-depleting, radiation-emitting, life threatening scenarios for which they were developed. The natural wear and tear that comes with these heroic activities means that surviving examples of such early models are few and far between making them all the more sought after.