Monthly Archives: October 2013

Rolex Watch History and Innovations

Rolex Watches is a Swiss manufacturer of mostly mechanical wristwatches renowned for their dependability, prestige, and cost (from a few thousand to more than one hundred thousand U.S. dollars). Rolex watches are considered status symbols by many. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, with estimated revenues of around US $3 billion (2003). BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex 71st on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most important global brands, top among all watchmakers.

Rolex History

Rolex SA was founded in 1905 by the German Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis. Contrary to popular belief, Hans Wilsdorf was neither Swiss, nor a watchmaker. Wilsdorf & Davis was the original name of what later became the Rolex Watch Company. They originally imported Hermann Aegler’s Swiss movements to England and placed them in quality cases made by Dennison and others. These early wristwatches were then sold to jewelers, who then put their own names on the dial. The earliest watches from the firm of Wilsdorf and Davis are usually marked “W&D” - inside the caseback only.

Hans Wilsdorf registered the trademark name “Rolex” in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland in 1908. The origin of the name is obscure. One story, which was never confirmed by Wilsdorf, is that the word “Rolex” came from the French phrase horlogerie exquise, meaning exquisite watch industry. Another is that the name was chosen to indicate movement when spoken in English.

The Wilsdorf & Davis company moved out of the United Kingdom in 1912. Wilsdorf wanted his watches to be affordable, but taxes and export duties on the case metals (silver and gold) were driving costs up. From that time to the present, Rolex has been headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, though the company owns facilities in other cities (Bienne, etc) and continents (North America, Asia, Australia, etc).

The company name Rolex was officially registered on 15 November, 1915. It is thought this change was part of a drive to popularize wristwatches, which at the time were still considered a novelty largely for women (pocket watches were more common). Wilsdorf was said to desire his watch brand’s name to be easily pronounceable in any language. The company name was officially changed to the Rolex Watch Company during 1919. It was later changed to Montres Rolex, SA and finally Rolex, SA.

Rolex SA is a foundation initiated and originally funded by Hans Wilsdorf and the Aegler family. According to foundation documentation, the Rolex SA company can never be sold, nor traded on any stock market.

Other Rolex Innovations

Among the company’s innovations are the first waterproof watch case; the first wristwatch with a date on the dial; the first watch to show two timezones at once; and most importantly the first watchmakers to earn the coveted chronometer certification for a wristwatch. To date, Rolex still holds the record for 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 Rolex has made very few quartz models for its Oyster line, the company’s engineers were instrumental in design and implementation of the technology during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1968, Rolex collaborated with a consortium of 16 Swiss watch manufacturers to develop the Beta 21 quartz movement used in their Rolex Quartz Date 5100. Consequently, after five years of research, design, and development, Rolex engineering efforts finally culminated in the “clean-slate” 5035/5055 movement that would eventually power the Rolex Oysterquartz - arguably the finest quartz movement that has ever been made.

The first self-winding Rolex watch was offered to the public in 1931, preceded to the market by Harwood which patented the design in 1923 and produced the first self-winding watch in 1928, powered by an internal mechanism that used the movement of the wearer’s arm. This not only made watch-winding unnecessary, but eliminated the problem of over-winding a watch and harming its mechanism. Rolex was also the first watch company to create a truly waterproof watch - another milestone from novelty to functional timepiece. Wilsdorf even went so far as to have a specially made Rolex watch attached to the side of the Trieste bathyscaphe, which went to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. The watch survived and tested as having kept perfect time during its descent and ascent. This was confirmed by a telegram sent to Rolex the following day saying “Am happy to confirm that even at 11,000 meters your watch is as precise as on the surface. Best regards, Jacques Piccard”.

Rolex has also made a reputation in watches suitable for the extremes of deep-sea diving, aviation and mountain climbing. Early sports models included the Rolex submariner, Oyster Perpetual Sea Dweller 2000 (in 1971). This watch featured a helium release valve, co-invented with 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 developed specifically for explorers who would navigate rough terrain - such as the world famous Everest Expeditions.

On the more glamorous side, Ian Fleming’s James Bond character wore a Rolex Oyster Perpetual in the series of spy novels. In the early EON production Bond films, Commander Bond wore a Rolex Submariner. However, for the Bond films starring Pierce Brosnan and the film with Daniel Craig, James Bond’s standard issue watch is a Omega Seamaster. This is due in part to Omega being open to jointly promote their association with the films’ producers.

In a famous murder case, the Rolex watch that the victim wore on his wrist eventually led to the arrest of his murderer. When a body was found in the English channel in 1996 by a fisherman who caught the body, and the 4.5 kilogram anchor attached to it through the victim’s belt, in his net about 10 kilometers from the English coast, a Rolex wristwatch was the only identifiable object on the body. Since the Rolex movement had a serial number and was engraved with special markings every time it was serviced, British police traced the service records from Rolex, and Ronald Joseph Platt was identified as the owner of the watch and the victim of the murder. In addition British police were able to determine the date of death by examining the date on the watch calendar and since the Rolex movement had a reserve of two to three days of operation when inactive and it was fully waterproof, they were able to determine the time of death within a small margin of error.

Rolex Watch models

Rolex SA has three watch lines: Oyster Perpetual, Professional and Cellini. Among modern Rolex Oyster watch models are the:

o Air-King

o Date

o Milgauss

o Datejust

o GMT Master II

o Explorer

o Explorer II

o Submariner

o Sea-Dweller

o Daytona Cosmograph

o Day-Date

o Oyster Perpetual

o Yacht-Master

o Yacht-Master II

o President

The stainless steel Rolex Daytona has become one of the most sought after watches of all time. Dealer waiting lists can run from three to seven years and there are reports of collectors paying up to $15,000 for the privilege of owning this exclusive watch, though it is not uncommon for jewellers to rake up the profits themselves by buying the watches and selling it on, hence it is rumored that Rolex has dropped the infamous waiting list.

The primary bracelets for the Rolex Oyster line are named Jubilee, Oyster and the President. Rolex “dressy” watches are from their Cellini line. The third brand in the Rolex family is the less expensive, but high quality, Tudor brand. It was established by Rolex founder, Hans Wilsdorf, in 1946. While still sold in Europe and the Far East, the Tudor line was discontinued in the United States as of 2004.

Rolex is the largest manufacturer of Swiss made certified chronometers. In 2005 more than half the annual production of COSC certified watches were Rolex.

Rolex counterfeits

Like many high-priced, brand-name watches, Rolex watches are one of the most counterfeited brands of watches available and can be found illegally being sold on the street and the internet. These fake Rolex watches are mainly produced in Asian countries such as India and mainland China (EU figures show that 54% of fakes seized in 2004 originated in China), and retail anywhere from $5 upwards to $1000 for high-end Rolex replica watches fabricated in gold. By some accounts, over 75% of all replica watches produced annually are copies of Rolex Oyster Perpetual designs. These fake watches have been nicknamed “Folex” or “Fauxlex”, or “Trolex” in Spain (trola means fake in Spanish).

Tarnished Gold, What Makes it Happen?

Many people that have an interest in gold jewelry and coins often will claim that tarnished gold doesn’t exist, however, that’s the furthest thing from the truth. Pure gold will not tarnish, but it is rare to find jewelry that contains this pure element. When pure gold is added to alloyed gold, such as 18 carat or higher, this will also lessen the risk of tarnishing, with the exception of a few conditions. Tarnishing is generally only seen in smaller carats, depending on the base metals and the elements that each one is exposed to. For example, if a 10 carat gold piece has a decent amount of copper in it, it can oxidize, creating a red or black tarnish. Silver also exposed to the elements when combined with gold produces black tarnish.

So what causes tarnished gold? When gold is mixed with these base metals, as it almost always is, exposure to environmental factors that are going to have an effect on the metals. Moisture, organic vapors, oxygen and sulphur compounds in the atmosphere, and even human sweat and oil from human touch can make gold tarnish if it is mixed with a high amount of base metals. Surprisingly, perfumes and deodorants with certain chemicals in them can also affect gold to a point that it will tarnish.

One of the most surprising offenders that cause gold to tarnish is certain food products. Pickles, fruit juices, onions, and other items with high acidity or sulphur compounds are likely to create a tarnishing affect on gold that is less than pure.

Sometimes the way a piece of jewelry or something made of gold is manufactured can have an effect on its susceptibility to tarnishing. Items that are cast by lost wax casting and other methods that leave a micro-porous surface can actually cause the jewelry to trap various acids, compounds, and other elements which will cause a form of local tarnishing wherever the foreign impurities gets trapped.

Jewelry can be kept from tarnishing by storing it in a pouch or bag in a dry atmosphere. You should also polish your jewelry regularly to remove contaminants and other inconsistencies. You can even have the item electroplated with pure 24 carat gold which will prevent tarnish for awhile, but will eventually wear through with use and age. Some countries such as India and the Middle Eastern countries do experience a blackening of higher carat gold pieces, and no one seems to know the cause. Generally, it is related to a different lifestyle and condition or environment, since the problem doesn’t occur elsewhere in the world, but no one knows for sure.

When it comes to coin collecting, many consider a bit of tarnishing, or toning as it is called in collecting circles, to be highly desirable. Gold coins rarely tarnish because of their purity, but some exceptional toned coins exist and this toning makes them all the more valuable. You may want to clean your jewelry to have it restored to its original shine, but all coin collectors know to never, ever clean the tarnish off their coins. In fact it is a general rule to not clean your coins in any way. Collectors desire the antique look of an old coin and want that look preserved. Cleaning highly collectible gold coins can ruin their value.

Just remember it is perfectly okay to clean tarnish off of your beautiful jewelry, but never clean the tone off of valuable old gold coins. Stick by these rules and keep your gold valuables of any kind in the best condition and highest valuable possible.