Thursday, January 29, 2015

Chapter 1. History and Mission Statement

Brief History

1905
HANS WILSDORF
The history of Rolex is inextricably linked to the visionary spirit of Hans Wilsdorf, its founder. In 1905, at the age of 24, Hans Wilsdorf founded a company in London specialising in the distribution of timepieces. He began to dream of a watch worn on the wrist. Wristwatches were not very precise at the time, but Hans Wilsdorf foresaw that they could become not only elegant, but also reliable.
To convince the public of the reliability of his resolutely innovative timepieces, he equipped them with small, very precise movements manufactured by a Swiss watchmaking company in Bienne.


1908
GENIUS IN
FIVE LETTERS
Hans Wilsdorf wanted his watches to bear a name that was short, easy to say and remember in any language, and which looked good on watch movements and dials.
He said, “I tried combining the letters of the alphabet in every possible way. This gave me some hundred names, but none of them felt quite right. One morning, while riding on the upper deck of a horse-drawn omnibus along Cheapside in the City of London, a genie whispered ‘Rolex’ in my ear.”


1919
GENEVA
Rolex moved to Geneva, a city renowned internationally for watchmaking. Montres Rolex S.A. was registered in Geneva in 1920.


1926
THE FIRST
WATERPROOF WATCH
In 1926, the creation by Rolex of the first waterproof and dustproof wristwatch marked a major step forward. Given the name “Oyster”, this watch featured a hermetically sealed case which provided optimal protection for the movement.



1953
PIONEERING WATCHES





In the early 1950s, Rolex developed professional watches that served as tools and whose functions went far beyond simply telling the time. These watches were intended for professional activities, such as deep-sea diving, aviation, mountain climbing and scientific exploration. The watches generated lasting enthusiasm and became known as the watches of achievers.


THE SUBMARINER
Launched in 1953, the Submariner was the first divers’ watch waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet). Its rotatable bezel allows divers to read their immersion time

1956
LEADERSHIP
Rolex watches have long been associated with those who have, over time, guided the destiny of the world. No matter their vision, their domain of excellence, or their achievements, the one thing these exceptional men and women have in common is often their watch: the Day-Date.



And the Rolex legacy started... 


Mission

Look in all the dictionaries, there is no word for what we do. It's not ‘tradition’, though our craft is timeless. ‘Limitless’ is too limiting. ‘Enduring’ is not enduring enough. ‘Innovation’ can only begin to describe it. We sculpt, paint and explore. But explorers, sculptors and painters we are not. This is the only thing we make. The only thing we will ever make. There is no word for what we do. There's only a way. The Rolex Way.


The Rolex Way
 / ro • lex /:
1. A way of doing things unlike any other. 2. The way we make watches, the only thing we will ever make. 3.‘Precise’ is too imprecise for our attention to detail. 4. ‘Tradition’ is too conventional for the innovation we undertake. 5. We sculpt, paint and explore. But sculptors, painters and explorers we are not. 6. There is no word for what we do. 7.  There is only a way. 8. The Rolex Way.



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