In 1905 Hans Wilsdorf founded the company we now know as Rolex. It was based in London and by 1908 it had become one of the leading watch companies in the UK. It was in this year that he brainstromed the name Rolex. Since then Rolex has been famous for making ultra luxurious watches. Rolex Oyster was released in 1926 as it was the first waterproof wristwatch, proven a year later when the watch was worn by the swimmer Mercedes Gleitze in his successful bid to cross the English Channel.
Rolex created a Prepetual Rotor in 1931 which was the basis for self-winding movements. Rolex released the first Oyster Perpetual Ladydate in 1954 and the GMT Master with dual time zone function in 1955 and the first Day-Date in 1956.
Hans Wilsdorf died on 06 July 1960 and Andre Heiniger took over the company following the death. Rolex continued to invent and innovate in terms of technical skill and style throughout this time. The Explorer II was released in 1978 and Cosmograph Daytona in 1988 were released to the international market securing Rolex as one of the world’s most celebrated watch brands. In keeping with its tradition of close ties to motorsports, in 2013 Rolex entered into a long-term affiliation with Formula 1 Racing as Official Timekeeper and Official Timepiece.