Among the so-called status brands – objects that most of those to have “succeeded in life” feel compelled to buy to prove/consolidate their new status – Rolex has been an undisputed leader for a long time along with Porsche, Brioni, Picasso or more recently Damien Hirst. In spite of all this, there is probably no other brand that could be more low profile, less willing to be associated with the battalions of new masters of the world luxury.
Had he lived in our times, Rastignac would have certainly bought a Rolex when he had finally reached the top of the social ladder. Bernard Madoff, another example of social climber, whose rise, however, ended terribly and spectacularly bad, had no less than 16 Rolexes in his watch collection, among which a model similar to those used in WWII by the allied prisoners to determine the time it took the Nazi patrols to do their rounds so as to be able to plan their escape (Madoff, of course, was not allowed to keep his watch in prison).
Rather unwillingly, Rolex has lately become a passport that guarantees acceptance in certain circles or in some cases a talisman that helps debutants in some social classes feel they belong there, like some sort of password or secret handshake. This was not something the brand had been looking for, however, as it is one of the most discreet, quiet and reliable there are in the haute horologerie business. While many top watch brands resort to publicity and marketing stunts to promote their watches and their chief executive officers are one step away from turning into a Richard Branson in this regard, the Rolex officials do not speak, do not promote and stay away from the stars and the bling social events. Rolex quietly makes watches that have changed very little over the last hundred years, focusing on movements, on models that can be regarded as genuine instruments for professional activities like deep diving, aviation, mountain climbing and scientific experiments. For instance, during the expedition headed by Sir John Hunt, Sir John Hillary and Tensing Norgay in 1953, which conquered Everest for the first time, the three wore Oyster Perpetuals.
The Turn-O-Graph was launched in 1953 and relaunched in 2004. The model is actually an evolution of the Datejust range, to which a bidirectional 60-minute bezel was added, to measure short intervals. Water resistant to 50 metres and sporting the A296 and then A260 calibre, it features as ref. 6309 in Rolex’s 1954 catalogue. It has become very rare over the years, but now it is available in several versions: steel and white gold, white dial and Oyster bracelet (ref. 116264), steel and yellow gold, anthracite or gold dial and Jubilee or Oyster bracelet (ref. 116263) or in steel and pink gold, slate or black dial, Jubilee or Oyster bracelet (116261).
The Submariner was launched in 1953, as ref. 6204. It came with an Oyster bracelet back then and a Twinlock crown, which made it perfectly watertight, like the porthole of a submarine. This was the first diving watch with an automatic movement. The 36 mm diameter case was waterproof to 100 metres back then, and the rotating bezel was graded for 60 minutes to control the decompression duration. An instrument-watch by excellence, the Submariner took part in many experiments.
In 1953, professor August Piccard and his son Jacques reached the record 3150 metre depth onboard the Trieste bathyscaphe – and they had an experimental Submarine prototype with them. In 1954, the Submariner ref. 6200 was guaranteed to be waterproof to 200 metres. Ref. 6538 was to be named James Bond because Sean Connery wore the watch while playing the role of the famous secret agent. Meanwhile, the Submariner ‘instrument’ had already become the favourite of the Royal British Navy, of the Canadian Navy, of the Peruvian Navy, of the US Air Force and even of the French Navy. In 1959, an enhanced crown guard is added and the diameter increases to 40 mm. In 1960, Jacques Piccard and a lieutenant of the US Navy dive into the Pacific Ocean close to 11,000 metres – the Deep Sea Special model had been installed on the outside of the hull of the bathyscaphe. Which proved the watch was very capable of withstanding a pressure of more than one tonne per square centimetre. One of the few models produced was sold at an auction for approximately 100,000 euros in 2000. In 1967, Rolex created the Sea Dweller 2000, the first self-winding diving watch to come with a helium valve. It was guaranteed to be waterproof up to 610 metres (that is 2,000 feet, as the name suggests). Again the technical specifications are validated by a live experiment – in 1974, Compagnie Maritime d’Expertises (COMEX) conducts the Sagittaire IV mission – two professional French divers plunge to 610 metres. As a result, Rolex continues to improve its instrument watch and in 1978 launches the Sea Dweller 4000, which is water resistant to 4,000 feet or 1,220 metres. Since 1970, the COMEX divers had been wearing Submariner COMEX watches, identical to classical Submariners but with helium valves included and with COMEX inscribed on the dials. In 1979, a flat sapphire crystal dial 300 metre water resistant Submariner came out. The Submariner is available in several versions today – with or without date, made of steel, steel and gold or gold only, with unidirectional bezel, which is black, green or blue. It has been regarded as the ideal watch for diving for fifty years, but goes very well with a suit, too. The unidirectional bezel allows calculating the duration of the dive, and the extendable Oyster Fliplock bracelet can be easily worn over the diving suit. Oyster Perpetual Submariner has an automatic movement, a Perpetual rotor and is guaranteed to be water resistant to 300 metres.
In 1955, another legendary Rolex instrument, the GMT-Master (ref. 6542, with the 1036, 1065, and 1066 calibre) was launched. In 1982, the GMT Master II (ref. 16750) came out, and in 2005 Rolex showcased ref. 116718 in Basel, the ultimate evolution of the Oyster case. The model has a massive bracelet with a safe locking system, a ceramic disc bezel and a novel looking dial, with hands and indexes that clearly stand out. Ever since its launch, the GMT Master has had an additional hand showing time in the second time zone – visible on the 24-hour marked bezel. The bezel was initially made of a red/blue combination to indicate day and night and the latest versions come with a black ceramic disc. As an instrument, the GMT Master was first designed for pilots, specifically for the pilots of the Pan American aircraft. It was the first watch that could simultaneously display time on two different time zones. Today it is available in several versions: steel with black bezel, steel and yellow gold with black bezel and dial, or yellow gold with black bezel and black or green dial. The wearer adjusts the time for the second time zone while the watch continues to work, thus preserving accuracy. The rotating bezel of the current model makes it possible to display time in a third time zone. The watch is water resistant to 100 metres.
Rolex started manufacturing chronographs in the thirties, with round or square cases, made of steel or gold, with dials with two or three counters for minutes, hours and seconds, with tachymeters or gradation used to calculate pulse. In 1963, the Cosmograph chronograph was launched (ref. 6239).
It will later have the Daytona name written on its dial, referencing the famous endurance car race. This is how Cosmograph Daytona, one of the most popular Rolex models, was born.
The robust and stylish Daytona initially had a classic mechanical movement, and the tachymeter was engraved on the bezel. The watch made history partly because of Paul Newman, who was a big fan and wore an exotic model (a bespoke black with white indexes watch), during the filming of “Winning” in 1969. Since then, models sporting such dials are called “Paul Newmans” by collectors.
In 1988, the Cosmograph Daytona instrument gets an automatic movement - back then a Zenith EL Primero calibre modified by Rolex. As of 2000, its movement has been the Rolex designed and made – Calibre 4130, after five years of tests. The automatic chronograph movement is very shock and magnetic field resistant and has a 72-hour power reserve. The watch is the ideal instrument for calculating the time since the beginning of the period timed and the average speed. Daytona is the world’s first waterproof chronograph (guaranteed to 100 metres) and remains one of the most sought after models by collectors.
Milgauss came out in 1954, designed as a special antimagnetic watch for those working in nuclear power stations or research labs, where electromagnetic fields could disrupt any watch movement. The original Milgauss model was very much like the Submariner - oversized case and bezel, Twinlock crown and Oyster bracelet. There were only two models (6541 and 1019) in this range, which was discontinued in 1988, though Milgauss has remained a favourite among collectors. It was brought back to life in 2007, when it became available in three “flavours” with 40 millimetre cases. Milgauss has been regarded as “the scientist’s watch” ever since its launch, more precisely a watch for all those who were working in places where magnetic fields exceeded the maximum 60-70 gauss level after which a regular watch ceases to work properly. In 1954, such categories included researchers, engineers, electricians, chemists, physicists, doctors and the entire medical staff etc.
The brand’s aversion to changes (Rolex’s founder must have hated the “go with the flow” saying) is also proven by the resistance of other models to change. Datejust, the first wristwatch to display the date in a dial aperture (the date automatically changes at midnight), was launched in 1945, while Datejust II was launched in 2009. The case is now 41 millimetres (after over 45 millimetre watches had been a standard at other brands for years) and the 48-hour power reserve movement is designed and manufactured by Rolex entirely. In 1956, Rolex introduced the Day-Date on the market, the first wristwatch to display the date and day of the week in full on the dial. Day Date II came out in 2008, again in a 41-millimetre case, sporting a 100% Rolex movement, which is shock and magnetic radiation resistant. Rolex even made the unexpected decision to launch a new range of dials for this line, with a very contemporary design, tempered by classical lines, of course.
From time to time, however, the designers of the brand go “wild” and come up with models like the Cosmograph Daytona, nicknamed the Leopard (gold case inlayed with diamonds and yellow sapphires, with an ‘animal print’ dial, which continues to the strap) or Zebra (a Royal Black Datejust whose dial resembles the colours of zebra, and whose bezel is inlayed with black diamonds and sapphires, while the dial is decorated with white and black diamonds). In 2009, Rolex launched the new Oyster Perpetual Datejust Rolesor, in a very feminine version, with romantic, even poetic dials, adorned with flowers and stars, while the bezel is laced with diamonds for the first time. As the people at Rolex put it - “creative reverie”. No bling, anyway.
