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In today's world, the name Rolex is synonymous with quality, luxury and status. Rolex watches are considered to be the ultimate luxury timepieces and are in demand across the globe. Like many iconic brands, however, Rolex started small. In this article, we take a look at the first Rolex watch and celebrate the history of the Rolex brand.
What was the first-ever Rolex watch?
The first-ever Rolex watch was the Oyster Perpetual, a waterproof, self-winding watch. Although the first-ever Rolex looks fairly different to the new and pre-owned Rolex watches available for sale today, for example, the signature crown logo was not added to Rolex watches until the 1930s, the Oyster is a key collection of Rolex watches and is still being adapted and updated. There is, however, some contestation among Rolex history fanatics about whether the Oyster Perpetual was the first-ever Rolex watch. Some argue that Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, had created an ’11-ligne Rebberg watch using Aegler pieces years prior to the Rolex and consider this to be the first Rolex watch. Others argue that because all the pieces were Aegler and Wilsdorf is not mentioned on the documentation of the watch, it should not be considered a Rolex.
When was it made?
The first-ever Rolex watch was made in 1929. Its creator had been working in the timepiece industry since 1905 and launched the Rolex brand in 1908.
Where was the first Rolex made?
Hans Wilsdorf was born in Germany but was living in London when he created the first Rolex. He later moved to Switzerland to open up a Rolex store in Bienne.
Who made the first Rolex watch?
Hans Wilsdorf was the founder of Rolex and created the first-ever Rolex watch. Wilsdorf started his career as a watchmaker with his brother-in-law Alfred Davis. Before founding Rolex, Wilsdorf and Davis worked in London and imported Hermann Aegler's Swiss mechanisms to the UK and placed them in new watch cases. They then sold the cases to jewellers who would engrave their own names on the dial. You can still find early Wilsdorf and Davis timepieces today, with a trademark "W&D" inside the case back.
Was the first Rolex popular?
The first Rolex, though it may be hard to believe, was met with a fair amount of scepticism. Uneducated critics of the watch named it "too complicated, too fragile, ill-adapted” as Edwardian gentlemen were familiar with pocket watches, rather than wristwatches, and were unsure how successful a wristwatch would be. Despite early criticisms, the quality of the watch proved the potential of wristwatches and Rolex quickly gained attention and acclaim. One of the ways in which Rolex silenced their critics was by asking British swimmer, Mercedes Gleitze, to swim across the English Channel with the Oyster watch around her neck. The swim proved that the watch was waterproof and silenced critics in the media who doubted the durability of the watch. Gleitze became one of the first official ambassadors for Rolex.
Who owns the first Rolex?
It is not known who owns the first Rolex, it's likely that the watch was accidentally discarded or lost.
Why was the first Rolex so iconic?
Not only was the first Rolex wristwatch entirely waterproof, but it was also perpetual. Unlike other watches currently on the market, the watch did not need to be would by hand and instead ran on energy generated by the wearer by moving their wrist.
Did Rolex achieve any other 'firsts'?
As a brand, Rolex made many ground-breaking and innovative achievements, such as… • To celebrate its 40th anniversary in 1945, Rolex released the first-ever watch to have a date window that changed automatically at midnight. The 'Datejust' timepiece was the first of its kind. Similarly, in 1956, Rolex launched the Rolex Day-Date watch which was the first watch to feature the day of the week and was available in 26 different languages. • The first-ever Rolex would eventually become an 'ancestor' watch of the first watch to ever reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953. Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to reach the top of Everest and was wearing a Rolex watch when he made this achievement. • In tribute to the Oyster Perpetual, in 1954 Rolex released the first watch that was waterproof up to 100 metres and suitable for diving. • Rolex has not stopped pushing industry boundaries and in 2013 it created a ceramic bezel with two colours, which was previously believed to be impossible. The bi-colour formed one timepiece with no colour bleeding and a gradual fade of colour.
While you may struggle to find an original Oyster Perpetual, many of the new and pre-owned Rolex watches available for sale today feature technology inspired by the first-ever Rolex. From their first watch, Rolex truly made an impression and continued to build and grow their reputation for being stellar timepiece creators and industry innovators. It is unsurprising that Rolex watches only grow in value as the brand continues to innovate and push boundaries.
