Monday, October 31, 2011

AUTHENTIC VINTAGE 10K GOLD FILLED LECOULTRE MEMOVOX WRISTALARM GENTS WRISTWATCH (SOLD)



LARGE AND BRIGHTLY LUMINOUS AND LOUD LECOULTRE
WRISTALARM WATCH


BRAND/JENAMA: AUTHENTIC VINTAGE LARGE 10K GOLD FILLED LECOULTRE WRISTALARM GENTS WRISTWATCH
MADE IN/BUATAN: SWISS
CIRCA/TAHUN: 1950's
MODEL: ALARM - MEMOVOX
CRYSTAL/CERMIN: ACRYLIC
MOVEMENT/ENJIN: RARE LECOULTRE 17 JEWELS MANUAL MOVEMENT CAL.814 BY VACHERON CONSTATIN AXN
DIAL COLOR: CREAM GOLD
FUNCTION/FUNGSI: HOUR, MINUTE, SECOND AND ALARM DISC
HANDS/JARUM: GOLD TONE AND BLUE METAL SECOND HAND
MARKERS/TANDA WAKTU: VERY BRIGHT LUMINOUS DOT, LUMINOUS ARABIC AND RAISED GOLD TONE BARROW HEAD MARKERS
CASING : 10K GOLD FILLED
LUGS: 18mm
MEASUREMENT/UKURAN: 37mm DIAMETER INCLUDING CROWN and 42mm LUG TO LUG
BEZEL: 10K GOLD FILLED BEZEL
DITANDA/ENGARVED BACK CASING: None
CROWN: UNSIGNED ORIGINAL CROWN
STRAP/TALI: BROWN LEATHER BAND
SIZE STRAP/SAIZ TALI: 9.5" FULL LENGHT

DISCONTINUED LECOULTRE MODEL... ALARM SET AND LOUD!
EXCELLENT CONDITION, KEEPING GOODTIME AND RECENTLY SERVICED
PRICE/HARGA: (trade-in with TN. SIRAJUDDIN)
A BRIEF HISTORY OF LE COULTRE WATCHES
A brilliant inventor and self-taught watchmaker, Antoine-LeCoultre founded his first workshop in 1833, following the invention of a machine to produce watchmaking pinions. Ever since, the Manufacture Jaeger-Lecoultre has developed constantly around the founder's original workshops.
Surprisingly enough, it was neither a physicist nor an engineer who first measured the micron; it was Antoine LeCoultre, in 1844. He had created watch components that were so perfect no tool could actually detect their degree of inaccuracy. He followed that up by inventing the world's most accurate instrument: the Millionometer, which served as a benchmark for over half a century.
In 1847, LeCoultre created a revolutionary system that was to do away with the need for keys to rewind and set watches. His simple and brilliant solution was a pushbutton that activated a lever to switch from one function to another. It was the first keyless winding mechanism, and the first reliable system that eliminated the need for keys to wind or set a watch.
In 1866, when Swiss watchmaking was still structured around small home-run workshops, Antoine LeCoultre and his son Elie decided to bring together under one rood the many skills involved in making watches, and installed a steam-driven machine to operate their new tools. LeCoultre & Cie thus became the first Manufacture in the Vallée de Joux.
It was in 1903 when the Parisian Edmond Jaeger set Swiss watchmakers the challenge of producing ultra-thin calibres. It would lead to the Calibre 145, the world's thinnest mechanical movement, measuring no more than 1.38 mm, and the friendship of Antoine LeCoultre's grandson, Jacques-Devid LeCoultre. These two men would give a rise to a range of horological wonders, and eventually the birth of the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand in 1937.
In the year 1908, the Manufacture created its first rectangular-shaped calibre in response to the challenge created to miniaturize watches to wear on the wrist. By the "Roaring 20s" (1920s), very small ladies' wristwatches were all the rage, but extreme miniaturization always led to a loss of reliability and precision. The Duoplan brilliantly solved this problem by arranging its parts on split levels. It would lead to the world's smallest movement, Calibre 101. Outdoing the Calibre 145, Jaeger-Lecoultre miniaturized the Duoplan caliber to the extreme, weighing in at barely one gram and comprising of 74 parts. Its record is still unmatched to this date.
Since its founding, the Manufacture has created and produced over 1,000 different calibres in many varieties. Over 200 patented inventions have contributed to the progress of Swiss watchmaking in the field of movements, as well as that of cases, bracelets, dials, and watch functions.

AUTHENTIC VINTAGE LECOULTRE GENTS WRISTWATCH (SOLD)




BRAND/JENAMA: AUTHENTIC VINTAGE LECOULTRE GENTS WRISTWATCH

MADE IN/BUATAN: SWISS

CIRCA/TAHUN: 1960's

MODEL: DRESS

CRYSTAL/CERMIN: ACRYLIC - CLEAN

MOVEMENT/ENJIN: LECOULTRE 17 JEWELS MANUAL WINDING MOVEMENT CAL. K490

DIAL: GOLD TONE WITH SUB SECOND AT 6:00

HANDS/JARUM: GOLD TONE HANDS

MARKERS/TANDA WAKTU: GOLD TONE STICK MARKERS

CASING : 10K GOLD FILLED

LUGS: 18mm

MEASUREMENT/UKURAN: 35mm DIAMETER WITH CROWN and 43mm LUG TO LUG

BEZEL: 10K GOLD ILLED

DITANDA/ENGARVED BACK CASING: -

CROWN: ORIGINAL JL GP CROWN

STRAP/TALI: BLACK LEATHER BAND

SIZE STRAP/SAIZ TALI: 8.5" FULL LENGHT

DISCONTINUED LECOULTRE MODEL...

EXCELLENT CONDITION, KEEPING GOODTIME AND RECENTLY SERVICED

PRICE/HARGA: (SOLD TO TN MOHAMMAD FROM KELANTAN)

SOLD: RM1700

A BRIEF HISTORY OF LE COULTRE WATCHES

A brilliant inventor and self-taught watchmaker, Antoine-LeCoultre founded his first workshop in 1833, following the invention of a machine to produce watchmaking pinions. Ever since, the Manufacture Jaeger-Lecoultre has developed constantly around the founder's original workshops.

Surprisingly enough, it was neither a physicist nor an engineer who first measured the micron; it was Antoine LeCoultre, in 1844. He had created watch components that were so perfect no tool could actually detect their degree of inaccuracy. He followed that up by inventing the world's most accurate instrument: the Millionometer, which served as a benchmark for over half a century.

In 1847, LeCoultre created a revolutionary system that was to do away with the need for keys to rewind and set watches. His simple and brilliant solution was a pushbutton that activated a lever to switch from one function to another. It was the first keyless winding mechanism, and the first reliable system that eliminated the need for keys to wind or set a watch.

In 1866, when Swiss watchmaking was still structured around small home-run workshops, Antoine LeCoultre and his son Elie decided to bring together under one rood the many skills involved in making watches, and installed a steam-driven machine to operate their new tools. LeCoultre & Cie thus became the first Manufacture in the Vallée de Joux.

It was in 1903 when the Parisian Edmond Jaeger set Swiss watchmakers the challenge of producing ultra-thin calibres. It would lead to the Calibre 145, the world's thinnest mechanical movement, measuring no more than 1.38 mm, and the friendship of Antoine LeCoultre's grandson, Jacques-Devid LeCoultre. These two men would give a rise to a range of horological wonders, and eventually the birth of the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand in 1937.

In the year 1908, the Manufacture created its first rectangular-shaped calibre in response to the challenge created to miniaturize watches to wear on the wrist. By the "Roaring 20s" (1920s), very small ladies' wristwatches were all the rage, but extreme miniaturization always led to a loss of reliability and precision. The Duoplan brilliantly solved this problem by arranging its parts on split levels. It would lead to the world's smallest movement, Calibre 101. Outdoing the Calibre 145, Jaeger-Lecoultre miniaturized the Duoplan caliber to the extreme, weighing in at barely one gram and comprising of 74 parts. Its record is still unmatched to this date.

AUTHENTIC VINTAGE LECOULTRE TANQ GENTS WRISTWATCH

BRAND/JENAMA: AUTHENTIC VINTAGE JAEGER LECOULTRE TANQ GENTS WRISTWATCH

MADE IN/BUATAN: SWISS

CIRCA/TAHUN: 1940's

MODEL: TANQ

CRYSTAL/CERMIN: ACRYLIC

MOVEMENT/ENJIN: JAEGER LECOULTRE 17 JEWELS MANUAL WINDING MOVEMENT BY VACHERON CONSTATIN AXN

DIAL COLOR: TWO TONE SUB-SECOND AT 6:00

FUNCTION/FUNGSI: HOUR, MINUTE, SECOND

HANDS/JARUM: GOLD TONE METAL HANDS

MARKERS/TANDA WAKTU: RAISED GOLD TONE ROMAN AND SQUARE DOT MARKERS

CASING : 10K GOLD FILLED

LUGS: 16mm

MEASUREMENT/UKURAN: 24mm DIAMETER INCLUDING CROWN and 36mm LUG TO LUG

BEZEL: -

DITANDA/ENGARVED BACK CASING: -

CROWN: UNSIGNED ORIGINAL CROWN

STRAP/TALI: BROWN TEXTILE MILITARY BAND

SIZE STRAP/SAIZ TALI: 8.5" FULL LENGHT

DISCONTINUED LECOULTRE MODEL... RAREST!

EXCELLENT CONDITION, KEEPING GOODTIME AND RECENTLY SERVICED

PRICE/HARGA: USD900 (NEGOTIABLE/BOLEH DIRUNDING)

A BRIEF HISTORY OF LE COULTRE WATCHES

A brilliant inventor and self-taught watchmaker, Antoine-LeCoultre founded his first workshop in 1833, following the invention of a machine to produce watchmaking pinions. Ever since, the Manufacture Jaeger-Lecoultre has developed constantly around the founder's original workshops.

Surprisingly enough, it was neither a physicist nor an engineer who first measured the micron; it was Antoine LeCoultre, in 1844. He had created watch components that were so perfect no tool could actually detect their degree of inaccuracy. He followed that up by inventing the world's most accurate instrument: the Millionometer, which served as a benchmark for over half a century.

In 1847, LeCoultre created a revolutionary system that was to do away with the need for keys to rewind and set watches. His simple and brilliant solution was a pushbutton that activated a lever to switch from one function to another. It was the first keyless winding mechanism, and the first reliable system that eliminated the need for keys to wind or set a watch.

In 1866, when Swiss watchmaking was still structured around small home-run workshops, Antoine LeCoultre and his son Elie decided to bring together under one rood the many skills involved in making watches, and installed a steam-driven machine to operate their new tools. LeCoultre & Cie thus became the first Manufacture in the Vallée de Joux.

It was in 1903 when the Parisian Edmond Jaeger set Swiss watchmakers the challenge of producing ultra-thin calibres. It would lead to the Calibre 145, the world's thinnest mechanical movement, measuring no more than 1.38 mm, and the friendship of Antoine LeCoultre's grandson, Jacques-Devid LeCoultre. These two men would give a rise to a range of horological wonders, and eventually the birth of the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand in 1937.

In the year 1908, the Manufacture created its first rectangular-shaped calibre in response to the challenge created to miniaturize watches to wear on the wrist. By the "Roaring 20s" (1920s), very small ladies' wristwatches were all the rage, but extreme miniaturization always led to a loss of reliability and precision. The Duoplan brilliantly solved this problem by arranging its parts on split levels. It would lead to the world's smallest movement, Calibre 101. Outdoing the Calibre 145, Jaeger-Lecoultre miniaturized the Duoplan caliber to the extreme, weighing in at barely one gram and comprising of 74 parts. Its record is still unmatched to this date.

Since its founding, the Manufacture has created and produced over 1,000 different calibres in many varieties. Over 200 patented inventions have contributed to the progress of Swiss watchmaking in the field of movements, as well as that of cases, bracelets, dials, and watch functions.

RARE COLLECTION JAEGER LECOULTRE FUTUREMATIC POWER RESERVED GENTS WRISTWATCH


JEAGER LE COULTRE FUTUREMATIC POWER RESERVED GENTS WRISTWATCH

SOLD TO HAKIM FROM KAJANG

Sunday, October 30, 2011

ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL DATE GMT-MASTER 16700 GENTS WRISTWATCH (SOLD)










BRAND/JENAMA: AUTHENTIC ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL DATE GMT-MASTER GENTS WRISTWATCH
MADE IN/BUATAN: SWISS
CIRCA/TAHUN: 1993 - S/N S136275
MODEL: OYSTER PERPETUAL DATE GMT-MASTER MODEL 16700
CRYSTAL/CERMIN: ACRYLIC
MOVEMENT/ENJIN: ROLEX 25 JEWELS AUTOMATIC WINDING MOVEMENT CAL. 1375, 2880A/h HACKING, QUICKSET
DIAL COLOR: BLACK DIAL
FUNCTION/FUNGSI: HOUR, MINUTES AND SECOND. DATE AT 3:00
HANDS/JARUM: MERCEDES WHITE GOLD TRITIUM LUME HANDS
MARKERS/TANDA WAKTU: WHITE GOLD RING TRITIUM ROUND MARKERS
CASING : SOLID STAINLESS STEEL/ KELULI SEPENUHNYA
LUGS: 19mm
MEASUREMENT/UKURAN: 40mm DIAMETER INCLUDING CROWN and 47mm LUG TO LUG
BEZEL: PEPSI
DITANDA/ENGARVED BACK CASING: -
CROWN: ORIGINAL ROLEX 3 STEPS SCREW LOCK CROWN
STRAP/TALI: AUTHENTIC ROLEX OYSTER SS BRACELET 78360
SIZE STRAP/SAIZ TALI: 8.5" FULL LENGHT

DISCONTINUED ROLEX MODEL... RARE MINT DIAL!
EXCELLENT CONDITION, KEEPING GOODTIME AND RECENTLY SERVICED. NO BOX AND NO PAPER BUT GUARANTEE AUTHENTIC
PRICE: SOLD(TO ZAMIL FROM KOTA DAMANSARA)
LIST RM7,500 SOLD:RM

A History of Rolex Watches

Hans Wilsdorf founded the company we now know as Rolex in 1905. Born in Kulmbach, Germany in 1881, the company, Wilsdorf & Davies, was based in London. By 1908 it had become one of the leading watch companies in the UK. It was in this year that he coined the name Rolex.
Official Chronometer Certification was awarded to Rolex in 1910 from the "Bureau Officiel" in Switzerland, the first time this had ever been given to a wristwatch. This was to be the first of many accolades awarded to the watch, including the Class A Precision from the Kew Observatory in 1914.
In 1926 the Rolex Oyster was released. It was the first wristwatch to be considered waterproof, proven a year later when the watch was worn by the swimmer Mercedes Gleitze in his successful bid to cross the English Channel. This was beneficial to Wilsdorf whom had sponsored the event and gained considerable exposure for his new Oyster Watch. Wilsdorf recognized the importance of advertising and marketing his creation in order to gain publicity and prestige. 1931 saw the creation of the Perpetual Rotor, a mechanism now seen as the basis for self-winding movements. In the following years Rolex released the first Oyster Perpetual Lady-date (1954) the GMT Master with dual time zone function (1955) and the first Day-Date (1956).
Andre Heiniger took over the company following the death of Hans Wildorf on 06 July 1960. Rolex continued to invent and innovate in terms of technical skill and style throughout the 2nd half of the century. The Sea-dweller (1967) was certified as reaching depths of up to 1,220 meters making it the choice for Professional Divers - a point that was quickly adopted in advertising the model. The Explorer II (1978) and Cosmograph Daytona (1988) were also released to international waiting lists securing Rolex as one of the worlds most prestigious watch brands.

Rolex Dateline

  • 1905 - Hans Wildorf establishes a London firm specialising in the distribution of watches.
  • 1908 - Wildorf coins a brand name in which to sign his creations: Rolex.
  • 1910 - In Switzerland, Rolex obtains the first official chronometer certification ever awarded to a wristwatch.
  • 1914 - The Kew Observatory in Great Britain awards the Rolex wristwatch a CLASS A precision certificate.
  • 1926 - Rolex develops and patents the first airtight, dustproof and waterproof watch - named the Oyster.
  • 1927 - The Rolex Oyster crosses the English Channel unscathed.
  • 1931 - Birth of the Perpetual Rotor, a self winding mechanism later found in every modern automatic watch.
  • 1945 - The Oyster Datejust is invented. The first watch to display the date automatically.
  • 1953 - Rolex has created the diving watch of reference - the Submariner.
  • 1954 - The Oyster Perpetual Ladydate is introduced.
  • 1955 - The Oyster GMT Master is designed making it possible to read the time in any two time zones.
  • 1956 - The Oyster Day-Date is created.
  • 1960 - The so called Bathyscaphe is created and plunges 35,787 feet into the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
  • 1967 - The Oyster Sea-Dweller is invented - waterproof to a depth of 610 m / 2001 ft.
  • 1971 - The Oyster Explorer II is designed.
  • 1978 - The Oyster Perpetual Date Sea-Dweller is tested waterproof to a depth of 1220 m / 4003 ft.
  • 1988 - The first Cosmograph Daytona is fitted with a perpetual rotor.
  • 1992 - A new model is added to the Professioanl range - the Yacht-Master.
  • 2004 - Submariner celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Rolex celebrates with a special commemorative model with a green bezel and unique black dial.

AUTHENTIC VINTAGE ZENITH BOY SIZE WRISTWATCH (SOLD)






BRAND/JENAMA: AUTHENTIC VINTAGE ZENITH BOY SIZE WRISTWATCH

MADE IN/BUATAN: SWISS

CIRCA/TAHUN: 1930's

MODEL:CLASSIC

CRYSTAL/CERMIN: ACCRYLIC

MOVEMENT/ENJIN: ZENITH 15 JEWELS MANUAL WINDING MOVEMENT

DIAL COLOR: WHITE PORCELAIN - CLEAN AND NO CRACK

FUNCTION/FUNGSI: HOUR, MINUTE, SUB SECOND AT 6:00

HANDS/JARUM: BLUE METAL HANDS

MARKERS/TANDA WAKTU: BLACK ARABIC MARKERS

CASING : GOLD TOP AND STAINLESS STEEL BACK

LUGS: 16mm FIXED LUGS

MEASUREMENT/UKURAN: 30mm DIAMETER WITH CROWN and 31mm LUG TO LUG

DITANDA/ENGARVED BACK CASING:

CROWN: UNSIGNED GP CROWN

STRAP/TALI: BLACK LIZARD LEATHER BAND

SIZE STRAP/SAIZ TALI: 8.5"

GOOD CONDITION, KEEPING TIME AND RARE FIND

PRICE/HARGA: SOLD TO MR LHB FROM PONTIAN JOHOR - 2.11.11


Zenith was founded in 1865 in Le Locle, Switzerland by a 22-year-old clockmaker named Georges Favre-Jacot. Unlike competitors at the time, Zenith made its own movements. By 1875, Zenith employed almost a third of the town’s population to manufacture its pocket watches.

Acclaim for the company's products came fairly quickly. There was a gold medal at the Swiss National Exhibition in 1896, followed by a first prize for chronometers at a Neuchâtel Observatory competition in 1903. By the 1920's, Zenith had introduced its first wristwatches, which were cased in gold and reflected the Art Deco sensibility of the day.

Despite significant global disturbances such as the Great Depression in the 1930's and World War II, production increased until the 1950's, when Zenith was one of the unquestioned leaders in Swiss watchmaking (in that decade, its calibers won prizes from the Neuchâtel Observatory five years in a row).

A typical vintage Zenith dress wristwatch from 1955 had an 18k rose gold case, a silver dial, and a hand-stitched black patent alligator strap. Inside was a 135 caliber, manual-movement chronometer, which at the time was state of the art.

Sports models such as the Pilot, designed to compete with the Rolex Explorer, appeared in the 1960's, but the biggest news of that decade was the 1969 launch of Zenith’s El Primero chronograph movement. Watches from this era with this movement inside are among the most collectible vintage Zenith wristwatches available.

Work on this marvel of watchmaking (150 individual stamps were required to manufacture all its tiny parts) had begun in 1962. Despite subsequent advances in technology, El Primero remains the only integrated chronograph caliber with automatic winding in both directions, and the only mechanical movement to vibrate at a rate of 36,000 beats per hour, making it accurate to within a tenth of a second.

Zenith has a long reputation for the quality and precision of their watches, with 1,565 1st-place precision awards to date. Zenith, is one of the few Swiss watch brands that make their own mechanical movements - the Elite (standard movement) and the El Primero (chronograph). The El Primero movement has a frequency of 36,000 alternations per hour. This high rate allows a resolution of 1/10th of a second and a potential for greater positional accuracy over the more typical chronometer frequency of 28,000 alt per hour.

Ironically, at the same time that Zenith introduced it's greatest movement, quartz arrived to the watch world, an invention that would almost destroy the traditional swiss watch industry in the subsequent years. Zenith takes on the quartz challenge, preserving its precious tooling and waiting for the inevitable comeback of the mechanical movements. While many watch manufacturers ceased to exist during this rough years, Zenith was able to persist in part thanks to supplying its El Primero movement to other prestigious watch makers, the most famous being the Rolex Daytona.

The turn of the century saw Zenith reinvent itself and modernize its timepieces. In 2002 at the Basel watch fair, Zenith launched 4 new movements and 14 new models that represented an overwhelming 52 new variations. There have been several innovations made by Zenith in the 2000's and many new models have been launched. Currently, Zenith has been launching a collection of sport-chic watches entitled DEFY, and are further progressing the modernity of their timepieces.

Zenith was purchased by luxury giant LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesy) in November 1999, becoming one of several brands in LVMH's watch and jewelry division.

Presently, Zenith markets five watch lines, including the Chronomaster, Class, Port-Royal, Vintage, Defy, Star and the all new Omnipotence.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

SOLD - BEAUTIFUL COLLECTION - SOLID 18K BEZEL RING ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST 1601 GENTS WRISTWATCH







BRAND/JENAMA: AUTHENTIC VINTAGE ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST GENTS WRISTWATCH
MADE IN/BUATAN: SWISS
CIRCA/TAHUN: 1975 - S/N 4152481
MODEL: OYSTER PERPETUAL DATE JUST MODEL 1601
CRYSTAL/CERMIN: ACRYLIC
MOVEMENT/ENJIN: ROLEX 25 JEWELS AUTOMATIC WINDING MOVEMENT CAL. 1570
DIAL COLOR: BLACK DIAL
FUNCTION/FUNGSI: HOUR, MINUTES AND SECOND. DATE AT 3:00
HANDS/JARUM: GOLD TONE HANDS
MARKERS/TANDA WAKTU: RAISED GOLD TONE BATON MARKERS
CASING : SOLID STAINLESS STEEL/ KELULI SEPENUHNYA
LUGS: 19mm
MEASUREMENT/UKURAN: 37mm DIAMETER EXCLUDING CROWN and 42mm LUG TO LUG
BEZEL: SOLID 18K ROSE GOLD RING
DITANDA/ENGARVED BACK CASING: -
CROWN: ORIGINAL ROLEX 1 STEPS SOLID 18K ROSE GOLD CROWN
STRAP/TALI: BLACK LEATHER BAND
SIZE STRAP/SAIZ TALI: 8.5" FULL LENGHT

DISCONTINUED ROLEX MODEL... RARE MINT DIAL!
EXCELLENT CONDITION, KEEPING GOODTIME AND RECENTLY SERVICED
PRICE: SOLD TO AZUAN FROM DENGKEL
SOLD RM5700
LIST RM7,500 SOLD:RM

A History of Rolex Watches

Hans Wilsdorf founded the company we now know as Rolex in 1905. Born in Kulmbach, Germany in 1881, the company, Wilsdorf & Davies, was based in London. By 1908 it had become one of the leading watch companies in the UK. It was in this year that he coined the name Rolex.
Official Chronometer Certification was awarded to Rolex in 1910 from the "Bureau Officiel" in Switzerland, the first time this had ever been given to a wristwatch. This was to be the first of many accolades awarded to the watch, including the Class A Precision from the Kew Observatory in 1914.
In 1926 the Rolex Oyster was released. It was the first wristwatch to be considered waterproof, proven a year later when the watch was worn by the swimmer Mercedes Gleitze in his successful bid to cross the English Channel. This was beneficial to Wilsdorf whom had sponsored the event and gained considerable exposure for his new Oyster Watch. Wilsdorf recognized the importance of advertising and marketing his creation in order to gain publicity and prestige. 1931 saw the creation of the Perpetual Rotor, a mechanism now seen as the basis for self-winding movements. In the following years Rolex released the first Oyster Perpetual Lady-date (1954) the GMT Master with dual time zone function (1955) and the first Day-Date (1956).
Andre Heiniger took over the company following the death of Hans Wildorf on 06 July 1960. Rolex continued to invent and innovate in terms of technical skill and style throughout the 2nd half of the century. The Sea-dweller (1967) was certified as reaching depths of up to 1,220 meters making it the choice for Professional Divers - a point that was quickly adopted in advertising the model. The Explorer II (1978) and Cosmograph Daytona (1988) were also released to international waiting lists securing Rolex as one of the worlds most prestigious watch brands.

Rolex Dateline

  • 1905 - Hans Wildorf establishes a London firm specialising in the distribution of watches.
  • 1908 - Wildorf coins a brand name in which to sign his creations: Rolex.
  • 1910 - In Switzerland, Rolex obtains the first official chronometer certification ever awarded to a wristwatch.
  • 1914 - The Kew Observatory in Great Britain awards the Rolex wristwatch a CLASS A precision certificate.
  • 1926 - Rolex develops and patents the first airtight, dustproof and waterproof watch - named the Oyster.
  • 1927 - The Rolex Oyster crosses the English Channel unscathed.
  • 1931 - Birth of the Perpetual Rotor, a self winding mechanism later found in every modern automatic watch.
  • 1945 - The Oyster Datejust is invented. The first watch to display the date automatically.
  • 1953 - Rolex has created the diving watch of reference - the Submariner.
  • 1954 - The Oyster Perpetual Ladydate is introduced.
  • 1955 - The Oyster GMT Master is designed making it possible to read the time in any two time zones.
  • 1956 - The Oyster Day-Date is created.
  • 1960 - The so called Bathyscaphe is created and plunges 35,787 feet into the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
  • 1967 - The Oyster Sea-Dweller is invented - waterproof to a depth of 610 m / 2001 ft.
  • 1971 - The Oyster Explorer II is designed.
  • 1978 - The Oyster Perpetual Date Sea-Dweller is tested waterproof to a depth of 1220 m / 4003 ft.
  • 1988 - The first Cosmograph Daytona is fitted with a perpetual rotor.
  • 1992 - A new model is added to the Professioanl range - the Yacht-Master.
  • 2004 - Submariner celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Rolex celebrates with a special commemorative model with a green bezel and unique black dial.