Rolex Hans Wilsdorf a British subject was the founder of the Rolex company. Wilsdorf was 19 years old when he first entered the watchmaking industry. With borrowed money he and his brother in law founded Wilsdorf & Davis a company that distributed wristwatches and manufactured cases. Wilsdorf the "perfectionist" improved the standards for watch making as he strived for smaller and more accurate movements that transformed style and fashion from larger pocket watches to smaller more practical wristwatches. Aegler, a small Swiss company agreed to supply Wilsdorf with movements small enough to be worn on the wrist. Wilsdorf's production included a variety of case designs: casual, formal and sporty. His personal drive and visionary abilities brought him instant success. In 1908, Wilsdorf coined the name Rolex. In 1910, a Rolex movement was sent to the School of Horology in Switzerland. It was judged to be excellent and was awarded the world's first wrist watch chronometer rating. After World War I, a 33% hike in the English import tax forced Wilsdorf to leave England for Switzerland. There he recognized that each of his watches required maximum protection from water. In 1926 the 1st waterproof Rolex rolled off the assembly line - The Rolex Oyster Case was born. To further insure the safety of this marvelous movement Wilsdorf created a screw down crown using a twin lock system. The campaign was on. In 1927 all Rolex watches carried the name inside the case, on the movement and the dial. Today, almost every watch manufacturer followed Rolex and offers waterproof watches as well. The Rolex Prince, developed in 1928 became a best seller with its dual dial and rectangular case. In 1931 Rolex invented the "Rotor" - a semicircular plate of metal that with gravity, would move freely to wind the watch. Thus, the Rolex "Perpetual" (automatic) movement was born. From this point on, Rolex has been in the forefront of watch making and is still today. All over the world it is the watch of distinction and status. Other facts of interest 1945: Rolex introduces the 1st watch to display a date on the dial. 1952: Rolex introduces its first diving watch. Later this watch is renamed the Submariner. 1954: Rolex introduces the first ladies oyster perpetual watch. 1956: Rolex introduces the President model. The first oyster watch that also has a day/date feature. The first model produced was presented to President Eisenhower. The rest is history. The awards and accolades have continued for Rolex, as well as the quality and pride. To date, the company has manufactured in excess of 15 million watches. Each is checked and rechecked to assure its accuracy and perfection. This was stolen from the Web site located at http://www.xmission.com/~wwwads/heritage/rolex.html A service from, E-mail address: z4murray@webcom.com Mike Murray Listowner for Clockers A specialist in Atmos and 400-day clock repair. In continuous service since 04/01/1982. Mike's Clock Clinic Memberships: AWI # 17851; NAWCC # 074021 1326 Stanford Street Santa Monica, California 90404-2502 Fax: 310-828-7381 My Web site is located at http://www.webcom.com/z4murray/ Main FTP site is located at ftp.netcom.com/pub/mi/mikem Clockers sign-up/off is now as automated as its going to be at http://www.webcom.com/z4murray/mailing.html Copyright 1996 Michael P. Murray