Rolex | Watches for sale, auction results and history

It’s no surprise that Rolex ranks as the most recognisable watch brand in the world today. For more than a hundred years, Rolex has produced models that have often become genre-defining timepieces. Founded as Wilsdorf and Davis in London in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis, the company registered Rolex as the brand name in 1908. At the end of World War I, the company moved out of London and registered itself as Montres Rolex SA in Geneva. It has been owned by a private family trust, the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, since 1960.

Some of the most important milestones in watchmaking are attributed to Rolex. In 1926, Rolex introduced the Oyster case, the first waterproof wristwatch case that was fitted with a screw-down crown to keep moisture and dust from damaging the movement. Five years later in 1931, the brand introduced the first self-winding rotor on its Perpetual line, which ensured that the mainspring barrel was consistently wound. In 1945, the Datejust became the first chronometer wristwatch with an automatically changing date function.

However, it’s the ‘tool watches’ Rolex produced (purpose-built watches for diving, motorsport or tracking different time zones) in the 1950s that have helped forge its reputation among the watch cognoscenti. It all began with the Oyster Perpetual Submariner Ref. 6204 in 1953, a wristwatch water-resistant up to 100 metres and aimed at helping divers measure elapsed dive time via a rotatable bezel. Rolex then introduced what is arguably the most famous dual time wristwatch in the world, the Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 6542 in 1954, and an anti-magnetic wristwatch made for scientists and engineers, the Ref. 6451 Milgauss, in 1956.

Eight years later in 1963, Rolex introduced a chronograph intended for use by the motorsport community capable of measuring elapsed time and calculating average speed. The Daytona, as this chronograph was eventually christened, is today among the most desirable sports watches. Early examples in gold regularly breach the million dollar mark at auction.