Rolex watches are a Swiss manufacturer of mechanical watches, primarily for its reliability, prestige, prestige, and cost (several thousand more than $ 100,000). Rolex watches considered status symbols by many. Rolex is the largest single investment luxury watch brand by far with an estimated turnover of about U.S. $ 3000000000 (2003). BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex 71: and its 2007 annual meeting of the 100 most important global brands, first of allWatchmakers.
Rolex history
Rolex SA in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and his brother, Alfred Davis founded. Contrary to popular belief, Hans Wilsdorf was neither Swiss, or a watchmaker. Wilsdorf & Davis was the original name of what later Rolex Watch Company. Hermann Aegli imported Swiss movements to England and put them in quality cases Dennison and others. These early wristwatches were then sold to jewelers, as wellput your name on the dial. The oldest Watch Company Wilsdorf and Davis are usually with "W & D – only when you return.
Hans Wilsdorf registered the trademark "Rolex" in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland 1908: the name and origin is unclear. A story that was never confirmed by Wilsdorf, the word "Rolex" came from the exquisite French Horlogerie sentence, meaning exquisite watch industry. Another reason is that the name was chosen to indicate when the movementspeaking in English.
The Wilsdorf & Davis moving from the UK in 1912. Wilsdorf wanted his watches to be affordable, but taxes and export duties on the case metals (silver and gold) floating on the cost. Since then and until today, has Rolex Geneva, Switzerland has been established, although the company has plants in other cities (Bienne, etc) and continents (North America, Asia, Australia, etc..)
The company name Rolex was officially registered on 15November 1915 is considered that this change was part of a unit watch, to disclose, the time is still considered a novelty, especially for women (pocket watches were more common). Wilsdorf was said that his desire to see the logo can be easily pronounceable in any language. Its name was officially changed to Rolex Watch Company in 1919. It 'was then Montres Rolex, Rolex SA, and finally changed SA.
Rolex SA is a foundation initiated and originally funded byHans Wilsdorf and family Aegli. According to foundation documentation, Rolex SA, the company can not be sold, exchanged or in any bag.
Other innovations Rolex
the company's innovations are the first waterproof watch case shows the first wristwatch with a date on the dial, the first watch with two time zones at once, and to serve, above all, the manufacturer of the first watch, the wristwatch for the coveted chronometer certification. To date, Rolex still holds the recordfor the most certified chronometer movements in the category of wristwatches.
Another little known fact is that Rolex participated in the development of the original quartz watch movements. Although very few quartz models Rolex for its Oyster line, the technicians of the company was instrumental in designing and implementing technology in late 1960 and early 1970. In 1968, Rolex collaborated with a consortium of 16 Swiss watch manufacturers to develop the Beta 21 quartzUsed their Rolex Quartz Date Movement in 5100: and why after five years of research. Design and development, engineering Rolex efforts culminated in the "clean-slate" 5035/5055 movement that ultimately, the power Rolex Sea-Dweller – probably the best quartz movement I've ever done
The first self-winding Rolex watch was offered to the public in 1931, before the market Harwood which patented the design in 1923 and produced the first automatic movementUr in 1928, driven by an internal mechanism that uses the movement of the arm of the wearer. This is not only useless to see in charge, but eliminates the problem of excessive load a clockwork and hurt her. Rolex was also the first watch manufacturers to create a truly waterproof watch – another milestone from novelty to functional timepiece. Wilsdorf even went so far, a specially made Rolex watch on the side of the submersible Trieste, which went all the wayMariana Trench. Watch survived and tested as a perfect time, which took place during the descent and ascent. This sent a telegram to say the next day confirmed Rolex "pleased to confirm that even at 11,000 meters the watch as accurately as the surface. Best regards, Jacques Piccard".
Rolex has also made a reputation in watches suitable for extreme diving, aviation and mountain climbing. The first models were sports Rolex Submariner, Oyster PerpetualSea Dweller 2000 (in 1971). This watch features a helium release valve, co-inventor of the Swiss watchmaker Doxa, to release helium gas build up during decompression. Another sports model is the Rolex GMT Master II, originally developed at the request of Pan Am Airways to assist pilots in transcontinental flights. The Explorer and Explorer II were specific for the explorers to navigate uneven terrain – like the famous Everest Expeditions developed.
For most glamorousPage was Ian Fleming's James Bond character with a Rolex Oyster Perpetual in the series of spy novels. In the early EON production Bond films, Commander Bond wore a Rolex Submariner. But the Bond movies with Pierce Brosnan and films starring Daniel Craig, James Bond's standard issue Clock is an Omega Seamaster. This is partly open Omega jointly promote their cooperation with the producers of the film '.
In a famous murder case, Rolex watch, the victim had on hisPulse led to the arrest of the murderer. If a body was in the English Channel in 1996, guaranteed by a fisherman who found him took the body and the 4.5 kg anchor of the victims to a belt in his net about 10 miles off the English coast, a Rolex wristwatch was the only identifiable object on the ground. Like the Rolex movement had a serial number and is kept with special markings, each time was recorded, after British police service records from Rolex,and Ronald Joseph Platt was identified as the owner of the guard and the victim of murder. Moreover, the British police can determine the time of death, examining the date on the calendar, and since the Rolex movement had a reserve of two or three days after surgery, when idle, and was completely waterproof, they can determine time of death within a small error rate.
Rolex Watch Models
Rolex SA has three watch lines: Oyster Perpetual,Professional and Cellini. Among modern Rolex Oyster watch models:
Or Air-King
Or Date
O Milgauss
Date or Just
Master's or GMT
Or Explorer
Explorer II or
or Submariner
Or Sea-Dweller
Or Daytona Cosmograph
or Day-Date
Or Oyster Perpetual
Or Yacht-Master
Or Yacht-Master II
OR President
The stainless steel Rolex Daytona is one of the most sought after watches of all time. Dealer waiting lists can be executedpay three to seven years and there are reports of collectors to $ 15,000 for the privilege to have this exclusive watch, though it is not uncommon for jewelers to rake profits by buying and selling watches, so they say, Rolex dropped the infamous waiting list.
The primary line of bracelets for Rolex Oyster are named Jubilee, Oyster and the President. Rolex "smart" watches are from their line Cellini. The third mark RolexThe family is the most economical but high quality, Tudor brand. It 'was developed by the founder of Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf, which was founded in 1946. While still sold in Europe and the Far East, Tudor joined the line in the U.S. since 2004.
Rolex is the largest manufacturer of Swiss made certified chronometers. certified in 2005, more than half the annual production of Rolex watches were Thighs.
Fake rolex
How many expensive watches, Rolex watches are one ofcounterfeit branded watches are available and can be sold illegally on the street and on the Internet. These fake Rolex watches are mainly in Asian countries like India and China (to EU values indicate that 54% of fakes seized in 2004 from China) and retail up anywhere from $ 5 to $ 1000 for Rolex replica watches high end-product of gold. According to some, more than 75% of all replica watches produced annually are copies of Rolex Oyster PerpetualDesign. These fake watches were "Folex" or "Fauxlex" or "Trolex" in Spain (nickname trol means fake in Spanish).