rolex waterroof watch to 1000 feet preowned

#Rolex waterroof watch to 1000 feet preowned full#

In 1935, Sir Malcolm Campbell was wearing a Rolex watch when he set the land speed record of more than 300 mph, in Bluebird, on Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. Rolex continued this marketing approach of testing watches to the extreme in 1933, when the first expedition to fly above Mount Everest were equipped with Rolex Oysters. Today Rolex are proud sponsors of Formula One, making the brand synonymous with extremes of speed, endurance, elite sportsmanship, and supreme technical expertise.

#Rolex waterroof watch to 1000 feet preowned full#

The watch remained in perfect working order, and in celebration, Rolex carried a full page advertisement on the front of the Daily Mail. In 1927 Rolex highlighted the effectiveness of their waterproofing system, when Mercedes Gleitze wore a Rolex Oyster watch for her 10 hour swim across the English Channel. In 1919 the company was moved to Geneva, to take advantage of the city’s international reputation for watchmaking. Innovative MarketingĮven 90 years ago, creating the right brand image and memorable marketing campaigns were integral to the success of Rolex. The winding crown, the interface between the outside environment and the protected watch interior, is made up of around a dozen parts, then screwed onto a tube shaped integral part of the watch case creating a water-resistant seal. Its hermetic construction guarantees waterproofness to at least 100 metres. Once a precise mechanism had been created, that was small enough to use inside a wirst watch, the next challenge was to develop a casing which could protect it from dust and water.įirst created in 1926, the Oyster case delivers the robustness needed to make Rolex watches dustproof and waterproof. To achieve certification, the watch must maintain extreme precision over 15 days of evaluation, in a variety of temperatures and positions. The inscription signifies that the movement of the watch has undergone testing by the independent, not-for-profit COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres). Rolex watches now carry an engraving of the words “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” on the dial. In 1910 Wildorf achieved certification from the Chronometry Society, proving his Rolex watches were as precise as traditional pocket watches.įour years later, in 1914 the watches were awarded a class “A” precision certificate from Kew Observatory, a distinction that until then had been made only for marine chronometers. The first challenge for Rolex was to develop a timepiece small enough to be worn comfortably and fashionably on the wrist, but precise enough to keep time accurately.

After playing around with all the letters of the alphabet in a bid to find a name that looked good inscribed on a watch, and sounded right in any language, Wilsdorf came upon the name while travelling on a horse-drawn omnibus, stating “a genie whispered ‘Rolex’ in my ear”.

Wilsdorf set out to revolutionize time-piece design, and in 1908 he founded the Rolex watch company. Instead, pocket watches were common place. At the time wrist watches were unusual, and often made poor time-keepers, as accurate internal mechanisms were too large to incorporate into a timepiece suitably sized to wear on the wrist. In 1905, Hans Wilsdorf, who would go on to become the founder of Rolex, started a business selling timepieces in London.