From London
to the deepest sea.
Rolex began in London in 1905, when Hans Wilsdorf set out to make the wristwatch precise and reliable enough to replace the pocket watch. The name followed in 1908. What came next was a century of firsts, proven not in the showroom but in the Channel, on the mountain and at the bottom of the ocean.
London
Hans Wilsdorf founds the company that would become Rolex.
The Name
The Rolex name is registered, short, elegant and easy to say in any language.
The Oyster
A sealed case that keeps out water and dust: the first waterproof wristwatch.
The Channel
Mercedes Gleitze swims the English Channel wearing an Oyster.
Perpetual
The self winding Perpetual rotor, powered by the movement of the wrist.
Everest
Oyster Perpetual watches accompany the expedition to the summit.
The Deep
An experimental Rolex reaches the bottom of the Mariana Trench on the Trieste.
Geneva
An independent house, headquartered in Geneva.