Monte-Carlo Inspiration Summer/Eté

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Art of Time Haute Horlogerie

First Submariner, Water-resistant up to 100 meters, 1953. Première « Submariner », étanche jusqu’à 100 mètres, 1953.

© Matteo Carrasale

Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbing Mount Everest, 1953. Sir Edmund Hillary et Tenzing Norgay lors de l’ascension du mont Everest, 1953.

Continuously Pushing the Limits In 1926, Wilsdorf introduced the Rolex Oyster model, which featured a screw-down crown that effectively tackled the era’s water and dust resistance issue in watch dials. A forward-thinking innovator, Wilsdorf transformed watchmaking marketing from 1927 onwards, as he illustrated the technical excellence of his watches through unique sporting and human achievements. To showcase the Oyster’s water resistance, he convinced swimmer Mercedes Gleitze to wear it during her swim across the English Channel. After over fifteen hours in the water, the Rolex Oyster proved to be completely hermetic, marking a successful demonstration. This success led to a century of watchmaking innovations. In 1931, Hans Wilsdorf launched the Rolex Oyster Perpetual, the first wristwatch with an automatic mechanical movement with a Perpetual rotor, that winds itself using energy from an oscillating mass. In 1945, the Rolex Datejust was introduced, marking the first time a watch featuring a date window at 3 o’clock on the dial. Then in 1953, the Submariner diving watch debuted, featuring water resistance up to 100m and a rotating bezel for measuring immersion time. That same year, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, guided by Sir John Hunt, became the first climbers to reach Everest’s summit, wearing a Rolex that later inspired the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer. Rolex also ventured into the depths in 1960, when Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard descended to the Mariana Trench, 10,916 metres below sea level, in the bathyscaphe Trieste, equipped with an experimental Rolex Deep Sea Special. This timepiece returned unscathed after enduring the pressure of one ton per square centimetre. After sponsoring the ‘Daytona’ racing circuit since 1959, the brand revealed its first Cosmograph Daytona model in 1963, which remains iconic today. In 1960, Hans Wilsdorf passed away, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy. Back in 1945, he had established the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation in Geneva and transferred ownership of Rolex to it, ensuring the company’s independence independence and longevity. Today, this foundation continues to own the Rolex and Tudor brands, perpetuating Wilsdorf’s humanistic and innovative vision, with his ambition and standards deeply embedded in the brand’s DNA. ■

Sir Malcolm Campbell speeding its Bluebird on Daytona Beach, 1935 Sir Malcolm Campbell au volant de sa « Bluebird » à Dayton Beach, 1935