History of Rolex luxury watches

Hans Wilsdrof is a young German who founded a luxury and quality watches company, which is very famous in the world, the Rolex. He was born in Kulmbach, Franconia, Germany, on March 22, 1881.

Hans Wilsdrof knowledge about the watch technology, beginning in 1900, when he apprentice in a watch export company, located in La Chaux De Fonds, Switzerland. Because confident with his skills, then at the age of 24 years, he decided to create his own watch company called Wilsdorf & Davies in London, England, in 1905. Davies name here comes from the name of Law William Davis, his brother in law. The company is very successful and well known throughout the United Kingdom in 1908.

Wilsdrof is a perfectionist type person in jobs and always have a strong desire to make the best watches standards, including in the making at a smaller and more accurate watch. Because of his skills, Aegler, a small company from Bienne, Switzerland, agreed to supply Wilsdrof with small movement, so enough to be included in a watch.

The birth name of Rolex

Because the watches that were produced became famous, Hans Wilsdrof have a desire to create a brand of watches belongs to him and finally decided to give it name “Rolex”, which is short for “horlogerie exquise” from Spanish. Selection of the name because it’s easy to say in the language of any nation. Also Rolex consisting of 5 letters only which very fit if printed on a watch. In 1910, the brand gain official recognition from the Bureau Official in Bienne.

Beginning of technological developments

In 1910, Rolex sent watches movement for the first time to the School of Horology in Switzerland. This movement was eventually certified chronometer in the world. Rolex’s movement was successfully meet two main criteria in the chronometer trials in accuracy and reliability.

In general, watches that produced in this period have a weakness on the casing. Small particles such as dust and water can easily enter through caseback and knobs. On the basis of this weakness that generally occurs on the watch, Wildrof finally tried to innovate by creating a casing that anti dust and water system. Findings at the end of 1926 is finally completely change the production system on the world’s horology.

A British woman swimmer, Mercedes Gleitze, which is the first woman swimmer to cross the English Channel, try Oyster casing for the first time. At that time, Mercedes uses at Rolex Oyster that offered by Wilsdrof. Once used to swim it, a month later actually proved that at Rolex from Wilsdrof really waterproof. That success is an important advantage for product promotion. This is recognized correctly by Wilsdrof, and then he do a massive publicity in the British newspaper.

Although already created a world recognized success, Rolex Oyster are still having a small problem on his system chassis. That had to unscrew the knob first before turning it, to get power for hours. The longer people will forget to lock it back, so that small particles of water and dust can enter through the gap, and it could damage the watch movement. But the problem was eventually found its solution in 1931, with a patented winding perpetual mechanism, by Emile Borer, child Aegler family law, which is the R & D at the Rolex factory in Bienne.

For now, someone who wearing Rolex watches do not need to rotate the knob to get power for hours, because the power is automatically saved on the watch when someone is moving. Knob at hand needs to be opened only when the watch need to match the correct clock.

Another important invention from Rolex was the addition of a calendar at position number 3 in the watch. This important additional was introduced in 1945, and this model is called the Datejust. Until recently, this model still being produced with little change in variation of design, which is a design that most well known in the world, because it is a hallmark of Rolex watches.

If review of its history, the Rolex is a luxury watches that are the result of hard work and dedication of its founder, Hans Wilsdrof, who died in 1960. Unique and interesting facts are, Rolex produced by the Germans, who learned to make a clock in Switzerland, then made in England and using the brand from the Spanish language. Because of quality, luxury, reliability and the fame of watches brand, Rolex watches got the title as the most widely counterfeited in the world for today.