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

[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)

[fishingbear]

All indices on rolex dials are made of gold, white gold or platinum due to precious metal anticorrosion properties.
Even the indices on the explorer II that are painted black.

Great thread topic.

[grimps]

Hans Wilsdorf left London for Switzerland for tax reasons

[Sandpit]

Don't know whether it's confirmed true, but I like the story that the cyclops bubble was first thought up after Wilsdorf saw a drop of water on the date window whilst sat in the bath and it magnified the date.

[Daveclock]

The watches are hard to source from their AD network

[Number3]

Originally Posted by Daveclock

The watches are hard to source from their AD network

[Gab27]

They once recalled several hundred GMT Masters due to excessive radiation
(that might be well known though?)

[Brew]

I know I can't wait for Padi to post.

[Das]

Hans Wilsdorf heard about watches being confiscated from British and American POWs during WW2, so replaced them for free.

This might be well known though!

[padi56]

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

[sutats]

Originally Posted by Brew

I know I can't wait for Padi to post.

Right on cue. Just like clockwork. :D


There's an extremely small batch of Panerai watches cased with Rolex movements.

[Brew]

Originally Posted by sutats

Right on cue. Just like clockwork. :D


There's an extremely small batch of Panerai watches cased with Rolex movements.

My response was/remains sincere. Padi's posts are invaluable and, sadly, unique.

[lukey77]

A Rolex isn’t actually made, it’s ‘born’. Hence why there is such a lack of supply of sports watches (born singularly) as opposed to DJ’s who are born as part of a litter of up to 10.


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[ROLEX*]

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

[padi56]

Originally Posted by sutats

Right on cue. Just like clockwork. :D


There's an extremely small batch of Panerai watches cased with Rolex movements.

Quite true very early production of Radiomire Panerai one of the first with Rolex Movement even the Rolex crown,and Marina Militare again with a Rolex movement. These very early watches were worn by divers on the very first two manned propelled torpedo subs Italian navy.

[rambo99]

Originally Posted by ROLEX*

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

from whom? I'm curious.

[watchmavan]

Originally Posted by rambo99

from whom? I'm curious.

Wilsdorf was not a watchmaker. He made no watches. All were made under exclusive contracts. Almost every in innervation was bought.


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[rambo99]

Originally Posted by watchmavan

Wilsdorf was not a watchmaker. He made no watches. All were made under exclusive contracts. Almost every in innervation was bought.


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at least he knows what people like to wear, i think.

[KKholiday77]

A broken Rolex is right twice a day


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[lukey77]

Originally Posted by KKholiday77

A broken Rolex is right twice a day


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


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[Justinmg]

Cool thread, that a bunch of gears and a spring count out 86,400 SEC a day, and we get hung up when it’s off by a few seconds a day haha it’s amazing to me how precise and rugged these watches really are.

[turkeysub93]

Before Wilsdorf passed, it is said that he buried a map revealing the coordinates to an AD that actually has a full stock of Rolex watches. The location of the map is still undisclosed per Rolex lore.

[sgwatchguy]

Originally Posted by ROLEX*

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

Now that’s interesting. Care to post details? Or this remains a drive by...

[zengineer]

I never really cared much one way or another but it was interesting to read here (and see proof) that in fact Rolex did use the name/term "Explorer I" it catalogs for many many years.

I can't count how many times people suggested otherwise and clearly they were just parroting what they read here.

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[77T]

Originally Posted by ROLEX*

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

Originally Posted by rambo99

from whom? I'm curious.

Originally Posted by watchmavan

Wilsdorf was not a watchmaker. He made no watches. All were made under exclusive contracts. Almost every in innervation was bought.


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Originally Posted by sgwatchguy

Now that’s interesting. Care to post details? Or this remains a drive by...

I can’t imagine what that post by ROLEX* meant - but it is terribly flawed. But the truth is better than an obtuse allegation methinks.

Hans Wilsdorf patented a water-tight watch case in 1926.

However, a year earlier, Perregaux and Peret patented a screwdown crown/stem. I am sure it sparked ideas at Rolex. By adding a screwdown caseback and a midcase with pressdown crystal/bezel, they created a water-tight case.

But Hans did not steal - he innovated from inspiration to invention (and he purchased the patent to the screwdown crown from Perregaux and Peret).

Ergo, the birth of the Rolex Oyster Case. Ever since then Rolex has acquired companies, patents and done their own patents. Calling them thieves is just wrong.

Rant over.


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[sgwatchguy]

Originally Posted by 77T

....Calling them thieves is just wrong.

agree

[padi56]

Originally Posted by ROLEX*

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

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.

[DoctorA]

Cool thread
Here are a few facts that might be known to some but new to others
Rolex is the first brand to create a 360 degree moving rotor
The datejust was the first wristwatch to feature a changing date on the dial
The name “oyster” came because rolex created the very first waterproof watch in 1926

[watchmavan]

Originally Posted by 77T

I can’t imagine what that post by ROLEX* meant - but it is terribly flawed. But the truth is better than an obtuse allegation methinks.

Hans Wilsdorf patented a water-tight watch case in 1926.

However, a year earlier, Perregaux and Peret patented a screwdown crown/stem. I am sure it sparked ideas at Rolex. By adding a screwdown caseback and a midcase with pressdown crystal/bezel, they created a water-tight case.

But Hans did not steal - he innovated from inspiration to invention (and he purchased the patent to the screwdown crown from Perregaux and Peret).

Ergo, the birth of the Rolex Oyster Case. Ever since then Rolex has acquired companies, patents and done their own patents. Calling them thieves is just wrong.

Rant over.


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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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[ippon20]

There is no such thing as a waterproof Rolex....every watch will succumb to water intrusion at some given pressure. Whether the wearer can survive is the true question. :)