Rolex Watches History

1905 Hans Wilsdorf establishes a London based firm and creates timepieces of technical ingenuity and advancement.

1908 Wilsdorf creates the name Rolex and the brand was born.

1914 The Kew Observatory in the Great Britain awards Rolex a Class A precision certificate, a Rolex watch is the first non-marine timepiece to be awarded the certificate making them a brand of unrivalled precision.

1926 Rolex develop and patents the Oyster watch case, deemed to be the first truly water-resistant, outright time piece. The now famous screw down crown and case back are to now found on all round case Oyster watches.

1927 The Oyster crosses the English Channel on the wrist of swimmer Mercedes Gleitze, this event marks the first of a long list of testimonials to the superior quality of Rolex watches.

1931 Brings the perpetual rotor a self-winding mechanism that runs continuously with the flick of the wrist, this made the Rolex watch automatic and is found in all modern watches with exception of some of the Cellini range, Rolex watches have developed this over the years to ensure a Rolex watch keeps perfect time.

1945 Rolex creates the Oyster Datejust, the first watch to display the date automatically via an aperture at 3:00, Rolex watches have update the Datejust over the years but the appearance still remains very similar and instantly recognisable.

1947 Chuck Yeagar chose Rolex watches to be the first watch to break the sound barrier.

1953 Sir Edmund Hillary wears a Rolex to the summit of Mount Everest. Rolex also unveils the Submariner watch, the first diving watch water resistant to 100 metres.

1955 Rolex watches create the first watch to keep time in 2 times zones, the GMT-Master Rolex watch was created to meet the professional demands of pilots, early GMT-Master watches are some of the most sought after of all Rolex's.

1957 Rolex watches account for 92% of all ladies watches made in Switzerland.

1960 Rolex created the bathysaphe, with re-inforced build, crystal and winding crowns, it plunges 35,787 feet into the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean on the hull of the trieste, another triumph for a Rolex Watch.

1971 The Explorer II is launched with an orange hand that indicate day/night orientation, Rolex watches such as these have become very collectable 1st editions of any collectable Rolex, and are now trading for tens of thousands of pounds.

1988 They launch the Oyster Cosmograph Daytona Rolex watch with its perpetual chronograph. The Daytona range has become the Rolex watch to have with some of the longest waiting lists of any watch.

2007 Rolex revises the GMT Master II Rolex watch to include a ceramic bezel insert. They also launches its Milgauss watch, a mechanical watch designed to work in strong magnetic fields another example of the excellence.