time zone
Rolex
A SYMBOL OF EXCELLENCE , PERFORMANCE , PRESTIGE , AND INNOVATION SINCE 1905
First Oyster , Cushion-Shaped , 1926 .
R olex has long been the most esteemed name in wristwatches . Well into the 21st century , the brand continues to pave the way with its growing collection of innovative yet classic timepieces .
Wristwatches began trending in the Great War , when soldiers were struggling to check the time using a conventional pocket watch , and continued to gain popularity after the war was over . Although more convenient , the first wristwatches were large like a pocket watch , making them unwieldy and cumbersome to wear on the wrist . Visionary and Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf set out to change that .
Founded in 1905 , Rolex was built on a dream to devise a watch that was not only elegant , but also reliable . Wilsdorf dedicated his career to the creation of the Rolex , traversing continents to uncover the most precise movements . What he couldn ’ t find , he invented , later working with a Swiss watchmaking company in Bienne to perfect smaller movements and create chronometric precision .
In 1910 , Rolex was the first watch in the world to receive the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision . In 1914 , it was awarded a Class A precision certificate from the Kew Observatory in Britain , which had previously only ever been awarded to maritime chronometers .
Since then , Rolex has filed over 500 patents for its acclaimed timepieces . The brand is credited with inventing the world ’ s first waterproof watch as well as the first ever self-winding mechanism .
In over a century of inventions and new models , Rolex has never compromised on its excellence , performance , prestige , and innovation . From the revolutionary release of the Oyster Perpetual Milgauss , designed to withstand magnetic fields experienced by scientists , to the Deep Sea Special that accompanied Lieutenant Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard on a journey into Mariana ’ s trench , no other brand has achieved the longstanding allure and timeless quality of a Rolex .
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