What rarely cited historical or technical fact about Rolex do you know?

[padi56]

Perrelet invented the first self winding mechanism around 1770.Later Breguet improved it and called his winding system perpetuelles,now perhaps this is where Rolex got the idea to call there automatics Perpetual.But John Harwood from the Isle of Man UK around 1923 took out a UK patent for the very first automatic winding watch.Now he went on with backing to produce many thousands of these watches.But mainly owing to the depression in the mid 1920s to 1930s in the UK he went bust.Now old Hans of Rolex being a very clever but very shrewd man bought and took up this patent for the Rolex Watch Company. And in the very early 1930s incorporated it into the Borgel type oyster design case another one of Hans acquired patents.And also with the newly aquired Paul Perregaux and Georges Peret,waterproof screw down crown system a Swiss patent they took out in 1925 .Hans Wilsdorf quickly negotiated to have the Perregaux and Peret patent assigned to him. Wilsdorf then obtained a British patent on October 18, 1926. And with the Oyster case and this acquired Harwood patent auto wind mechanism that only then wound around 300 degrees.But Rolex did improved the design by the help of Hans brother in-law,who made it more efficient by winding a full 360 degrees.And a power reserve then of around 36 hours,after the auto watch and the oyster case Rolex really took off the rest is just pure marketing genius by Hans.

Wilsdorf came up with the name oyster while he was having a dinner party and having a hard time getting into an oyster. He made a remark to his guests that he hoped the new design of watch case would prove to be as resilient as this oyster mollusk

A Rolex watch played an important part in the real prisoner of war Great Escape in WW11 Corporal Clive James Nutting, one of the main organisers of the Great Escape.Now he ordered a stainless steel Rolex Oyster 3525 Chronograph by direct mail directly from Hans Wilsdorf in Geneva.It was sent to him with a promise that he would pay after the war had ended

The watch is believed to have been ordered specifically to be used for the Great Escape,because a chronograph could be used to time patrols of prison guards more accurately.And to time the 76 escapees through that very narrow tunnel called Harry on 24 March, 1944.

Nutting was only charged £15 pounds sterling for the watch after the war ended.

[ppbskis]

Rolex means absolutely nothing. No ones name, nothing. Its just a nice name easily pronounced in most languauges as it rolls off the tomgue. And looks really good on a dial.

[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by padi56

That today most are not interested in historical or technical facts about Rolex,now it's mainly investment, nicknames,discontinued,and ££££$$$$€€€€€.

[77T]

Originally Posted by watchmavan

Don't be quoting me and then saying things I didn't say. None of your quoted posts said he "stole" anything. He bought good ideas and developed them. That all that was said. He didn't "create" good ideas though.


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Please go back and read my post. I quoted many people because those posts were related to the first commenter who did say stolen (in all caps by the way).

I included yours because you correctly indicated Rolex had bought some innovations.


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[cronos]

The Dalai Lama wears a blue Day-Date on a Spiedel bracelet

[Fred48]

A Rolex watch played an important part in the real prisoner of war Great Escape in WW11 Corporal Clive James Nutting, one of the main organisers of the Great Escape.Now he ordered a stainless steel Rolex Oyster 3525 Chronograph by direct mail directly from Hans Wilsdorf in Geneva.It was sent to him with a promise that he would pay after the war had ended

The watch is believed to have been ordered specifically to be used for the Great Escape,because a chronograph could be used to time patrols of prison guards more accurately.And to time the 76 escapees through that very narrow tunnel called Harry on 24 March, 1944.

Nutting was only charged £15 pounds sterling for the watch after the war ended.[/B][/QUOTE]


i can't help but wonder how Nutting was able to order a Rolex into his prison camp. You would think the Germans would have grabbed such a valuable item?! Was it hidden in a cake?!

[Robert Bruce]

Likely everyone here knows that Rolex is owned by The Wilsdorf Foundation, a non-profit charity, but people in general are surprised when I tell them.

[cronos]

Originally Posted by Fred48

A Rolex watch played an important part in the real prisoner of war Great Escape in WW11 Corporal Clive James Nutting, one of the main organisers of the Great Escape.Now he ordered a stainless steel Rolex Oyster 3525 Chronograph by direct mail directly from Hans Wilsdorf in Geneva.It was sent to him with a promise that he would pay after the war had ended

The watch is believed to have been ordered specifically to be used for the Great Escape,because a chronograph could be used to time patrols of prison guards more accurately.And to time the 76 escapees through that very narrow tunnel called Harry on 24 March, 1944.

Nutting was only charged £15 pounds sterling for the watch after the war ended. i can't help but wonder how Nutting was able to order a Rolex into his prison camp. You would think the Germans would have grabbed such a valuable item?! Was it hidden in a cake?!

Clive Nutting?s POW Stalag Luft III Watch?

[zengineer]

Originally Posted by lukey77

Daytonas and No Date Subs yes. Others only twice per month...


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If the date is stuck on 31st, it would be right just 14 times per year.

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[Liga]

Originally Posted by slfkjasldfj

Since every third thread on here is about the recent Daytona price surge I thought I would start a thread about the historical and technical aspects of the brand.

What is a rarely cited historical or technical fact about Rolex that you know?

Mine is that the 4130 movement in the Daytona utilizes spring loaded teeth in the chronograph gear train to eliminate backlash. It is an incredibly clever and cool way to solve a systemic problem with gears. Its also something you can't find on the Rolex website... (or at least I am not smart enough to find it)

That's not all there is to the Liga gears.
They are actually grown.
https://watchesbysjx.com/2020/11/rol...4130-liga.html

They are replaced at no charge to the customer. But cost significantly more to produce.

There two gears in the movement that need replacing.

This is the 4th update in the 4130 movement

Rolex is a not for profit organization
Their Philanthropic endeavors are nothing more than fantastic and there is a lot of money put into what they do.
www.rolex.org


Hans Wilsdorf grave site is very close to headquarters and nobody knows about it. In the Cemetery of Kings. Fresh flowers are placed every day.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...en%C3%A8ve.jpg

[watchmavan]

Originally Posted by 77T

Please go back and read my post. I quoted many people because those posts were related to the first commenter who did say stolen (in all caps by the way).

I included yours because you correctly indicated Rolex had bought some innovations.


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Stand corrected. Apologies.


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[aayates]

Originally Posted by padi56

That today most are not interested in historical or technical facts about Rolex,now it's mainly investment, nicknames,discontinued,and ££££$$$$€€€€€.

How about accuracy of the movements - seems pretty technical to me and a topic routinely discussed on the forum. But, still not a worthy technical discussion I suppose based on the feedback typically given. We need a list of acceptable topics - oh, wait, that's not what a live, diverse, forum would subscribe to...

[Rashid.bk]

Originally Posted by watchmavan

Don't be quoting me and then saying things I didn't say. None of your quoted posts said he "stole" anything. He bought good ideas and developed them. That all that was said. He didn't "create" good ideas though.


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Pretty crazy people find a few pieces of data and try to use that to negate anything Wilsdorf did. He built what is now the most successful and popular watch brand in the world. He wasn't a watch maker or an engineer or even a designer, but he was a genius in his own right.
He saw the value in different products and ideas laying around not being put to particular use and created groundbreaking world renowned products even to this day. Walk into a mall with a Datejust and an Aquatimer or any Breitling and ask people about the watch, a higher percentage will know what a Rolex is and most would prefer it.

You have to give credit where credit is due. There are some very powerful and successful men who built great businesses and created opportunities because of their ability to take random ideas, products, designs and form them into cohesive products.
I could name a few such men but the thread would probably derail into talking about those people. Not everyone has to be a Bill Gates to be credited with building a company.

Hans was a leader in business, genius at marketing and made great decisions. He absorbed many companies to form what is Rolex today. To get caught up in the marketing language regarding firsts and invented is an exercise in legal futility....
We know how relevant Doxa, Blancpain, and even Panerai were, Rolex even worked closely with some to develop products. Look at how enduring the cohesive and durable products he oversaw have become, Datejust, Submariner, Explorer...timeless cohesive products.

He deserves a little more credit than some are willing to give, if you can't see his genius, you have to go back to what is was like in 1915 for the wrist watch. Rolex is Rolex because of the foundation that Hans laid down.
The companies Rolex absorbed and the patents he bought deserve their credit for sure, but I bet no one walks into an antique store and sees something invaluable and walks up to the owner and says, you know this vase, it's from 17th century China and really worth millions, here put it aside and I'll get you a bunch of information on it so you can sell it and make millions, I'll look around the store and see what else is valuable...."just trying to help, being a good customer".

[wclowe]

Rolex watches in pictures always display 10:10:31, and models that also show day and date always advertise Monday the 28th.




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[farscott]

The Cellini Prince models are the only Rolex wristwatches to have display case backs.

[SS Oyster]

Steve McQueen wore a 1655























Just kidding. I know he didn’t.

To honestly answer the thread, I love knowing the technical details about things like the DSSD ring lock system, blue parachrome hairspring, 904L steel and how they figured out how to make the single piece BLRO cerachrome bezel in two colors.


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[Dazlewis]

Originally Posted by zengineer

If the date is stuck on 31st, it would be right just 14 times per year.

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And only 7 if it has a GMT complication, and zero times in 2021 if it is a day-date stuck on Thu 31.

[Malum]

Originally Posted by ROLEX*

The founder STOLEN the simple and robust watch designs from someone and make it a huge success

Grammatically interesting .

[77T]

Originally Posted by watchmavan

Stand corrected. Apologies.

No problem - I think we were on the same side of the topic. I should have been better at parsing my comment.



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[77T]

Originally Posted by Dazlewis

And only 7 if it has a GMT complication, and zero times in 2021 if it is a day-date stuck on Thu 31.

And only right twice in 4 years if it was a Sky-Dweller stuck on Feb 29...


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[Devildog]

Stainless steel, TT and yellow gold on oyster bracelet Daytonas all have asymmetric cases ( which once I saw I cannot unsee )

Platinum, white gold, rose gold and all PM Daytonas on oysterfex have symmetrical cases with thicker (deeper) lugs and wear slightly larger

[zengineer]

Originally Posted by Dazlewis

And only 7 if it has a GMT complication, and zero times in 2021 if it is a day-date stuck on Thu 31.

Maybe never if we add a moonphase complication.

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[inadeje]

Originally Posted by ROLEX*

The founder STOLEN the simple and robust watch designs from someone and make it a huge success

Correct, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms was the stolen recipe that brought us the now iconic submariner

[Glidelock]

Hans Wilsdorf stated in an interview given in the late 50’s that after having come up with 100’s of different ideas for watch company names by attempting to combine every possible letter combination of the alphabet, it was ultimately “A good Genie” that whispered the name “ROLEX” into his ear while he was a passenger on the upper deck of a horse drawn Double Decker bus traveling along through Cheapside in London!

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Rashid.bk

Pretty crazy people find a few pieces of data and try to use that to negate anything Wilsdorf did. He built what is now the most successful and popular watch brand in the world. He wasn't a watch maker or an engineer or even a designer, but he was a genius in his own right.
He saw the value in different products and ideas laying around not being put to particular use and created groundbreaking world renowned products even to this day. Walk into a mall with a Datejust and an Aquatimer or any Breitling and ask people about the watch, a higher percentage will know what a Rolex is and most would prefer it.

You have to give credit where credit is due. There are some very powerful and successful men who built great businesses and created opportunities because of their ability to take random ideas, products, designs and form them into cohesive products.
I could name a few such men but the thread would probably derail into talking about those people. Not everyone has to be a Bill Gates to be credited with building a company.

Hans was a leader in business, genius at marketing and made great decisions. He absorbed many companies to form what is Rolex today. To get caught up in the marketing language regarding firsts and invented is an exercise in legal futility....
We know how relevant Doxa, Blancpain, and even Panerai were, Rolex even worked closely with some to develop products. Look at how enduring the cohesive and durable products he oversaw have become, Datejust, Submariner, Explorer...timeless cohesive products.

He deserves a little more credit than some are willing to give, if you can't see his genius, you have to go back to what is was like in 1915 for the wrist watch. Rolex is Rolex because of the foundation that Hans laid down.
The companies Rolex absorbed and the patents he bought deserve their credit for sure, but I bet no one walks into an antique store and sees something invaluable and walks up to the owner and says, you know this vase, it's from 17th century China and really worth millions, here put it aside and I'll get you a bunch of information on it so you can sell it and make millions, I'll look around the store and see what else is valuable...."just trying to help, being a good customer".

Have to agree I would say Hans Wilsdorf was one of the first true marketing genius of this world today. Yes he acquired many patents over the years for the RWC, but only to make his products the best you could buy. And I salute him for his history and marketing of the brand and all the excellent watch products, thats made Rolex a worldwide household name today.

[Dazlewis]

Originally Posted by 77T

And only right twice in 4 years if it was a Sky-Dweller stuck on Feb 29...


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And zero times in almost 8 years from 1 March 2096 to 28 February 2104 if stuck on Feb 29.

[Mr. K]

The date is at the 3:00 position so it is the 1st thing to peek out from under a shirt cuff. You do not have to reveal your whole watch if you just want to check the date

[hamrwood]

In early 20's, Wilsdorf was staying at a hotel in London. He wanted a snack and decided to visit the kitchen to see if the chef would whip him up some chow.

The kitchen was uncharacteristically empty because the staff was at the market buying ingredients for the evening meal.

Hans said to himself, Self, he said, "If you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce, they would taste more like prunes than rhubarb does." He then decided to test his hypothesis.

In so doing, he noticed a very large oyster shell near where the head chef worked. It was the size of a baseball mitt.

About this time, the chef returned. Hans asked him about the oyster shell.

The chef then removed his watch and ring and placed them in the shell thus demonstrating its purpose.

Hans had the epiphany of a lifetime. Ionian Enchantment. Oyster!

And the rest is history.


Except it isn't. None of that is true. But it makes a hell of a story ;)

[HogwldFLTR]

Originally Posted by Mr. K

The date is at the 3:00 position so it is the 1st thing to peek out from under a shirt cuff. You do not have to reveal your whole watch if you just want to check the date

And on a Day Date the Day is as 12:00 since it is the first place someone with memory issues will check when they can't remember what day of the week it is. As most world leaders who wear Day Dates are in that period of their life where they need reminder of what day it is.

[CastorKrieg]

During the WWII Hans Wilsdorf never had doubt in the Allies finally prevailing over the Nazis - when the order came for a watch from a serviceman from a POW camp he would send the watch and ask the owner to pay after the war has ended. I think all the watches were paid in full eventually.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-...t-tragic-story

At that time, Rolex indeed offered its watches for free to Allied prisoners of war, on the honor system – men who ordered watches could receive them and not need to return or pay for them until the war's end. This stance shows the confidence that Hans Wilsdorf – German by birth, but British then Swiss through Rolex – had in a victory from the Allied Forces, and his willingness to be involved.