The founder of Rolex was a German citizen by the name of Hans Wilsdorf who later became a British citizen after taking an English bride. He opened the company together with his brother in law Davis, so the company was originally called Wilsdorf and Davis. He trademarked the name Rolex in 1908. It was a name that could be said in any language, and that could fit easily on to the face of a watch. It is said that Wilsdorf dreamed the name while on a bus, after thinking about the sound that a watch makes when it is being wound. Wilsdorf was continuously searching for new ways to improve the designs, and change the fashions from the large pocket watches into the smaller wrist watch. The history of Rolex shows that eventually one company agreed to provide Wilsdorf with small enough parts that were accurate and well made.
In 1920 he sent this watch movement to the School of Horology in Switzerland where it was given an award. Wilsdorf understood that people wanted watches that were accurate and reliable. He had perfected the accuracy part, now he just needed to make them more reliable. This part in the history of Rolex revolutionized the world in terms of watch making. One of the reasons that watches were unreliable was because dust and water would enter the watch face and damage the mechanism. The crown and casebook were the weak points, so Wilsdorf developed a screw crown and special casebook mechanism.
The first waterproof watches were made by the Rolex Watch Company, and they embarked on a clever advertising campaign to promote it. Most people were skeptical of watches that were waterproof, until they saw submerged Rolex watches in shop windows, working perfectly.
In 1928 the history of Rolex continues with the introduction of the Rolex Prince which was popular because of its modern rectangular case and dual dial. In 1931 Rolex once again surged forward with their innovative automatic ‘Perpetual’ watch, which consisted of a semi circular metal plate that moved freely with gravity to wind the watch.
In 1969 Paul Newman wore one of the Daytona watches in a racing movie, which increased the Rolex status even more. A Rolex watch from that same model was sold in an auction recently for $21,212. The reason why Rolex watches are so popular is because they are totally unique in design and distinguishable from any distance, whether on the basketball court, or at a black tie event. People from all over the world love these watches.
The history of Rolex is one that will carry on until the ends of time, with each new model of Rolex transcending the rest and becoming even more precise and perfect in form, style and accuracy.
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