Watchbi

スイス · 創業 1905

Rolex

Founded in London in 1905 and owned by a charitable foundation since 1960.

編集記事は英語です。

Rolex is a privately held Geneva watchmaker owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation and, by industry estimates, the largest Swiss watch brand by sales. It produces its movements in-house and is known for the waterproof Oyster case, the Perpetual rotor and tool watches such as the Submariner, GMT-Master II and Cosmograph Daytona. New watches start at about €6,000.

歴史

Hans Wilsdorf, born in Kulmbach, Bavaria, learned the trade as a clerk for a watch exporter in La Chaux-de-Fonds before moving to London. In 1905 he founded Wilsdorf & Davis there with his brother-in-law Alfred Davis, fitting Swiss movements from Hermann Aegler of Biel into British-made cases for jewellers. Wilsdorf registered the name Rolex in 1908, wanting a short word that was easy to say in any language. In 1910 a Rolex became the first wristwatch to receive the Swiss chronometer certificate from the official rating centre in Bienne, and in 1914 Kew Observatory gave a Rolex wristwatch a class A certificate.

Wartime import duties and post-war taxes on precious-metal cases pushed the business out of Britain, and Rolex settled in Geneva in 1919; Montres Rolex SA was registered there in 1920. The 1926 Oyster sealed the movement with a screw-down crown, case back and bezel, built on a crown patent Rolex had bought from Paul Perregaux and Georges Peret. In 1927 swimmer Mercedes Gleitze wore an Oyster for more than ten hours in the Channel, and Rolex advertised the result on the front page of the Daily Mail. The Perpetual rotor of 1931 made the self-winding Oyster practical.

The 1950s created most of the current professional line: the Submariner and the Explorer in 1953, the GMT-Master, developed for Pan Am crews, in 1955 and the gold-only Day-Date in 1956. In 1960 an experimental Deep Sea Special strapped to the bathyscaphe Trieste returned intact from 10,916 metres in the Mariana Trench. Wilsdorf, widowed in 1944, created the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation and left it his shares; it has owned Rolex since his death in July 1960. The Cosmograph Daytona followed in 1963 and the Sea-Dweller, rated to 610 metres, in 1967.

Later decades concentrated on materials and vertical integration. Rolex has used 904L steel since 1985, introduced Cerachrom ceramic bezel inserts on the GMT-Master II in 2005 and bought its long-time movement supplier Aegler in 2004. The company publishes no figures; a February 2025 LuxeConsult and Morgan Stanley report estimated 1.18 million watches and about CHF 10.5 billion in revenue for 2024. In 2023 Rolex agreed to acquire Bucherer, its long-standing retail partner, and in 2024 began building a new home for its US affiliate on Fifth Avenue in New York.

創業者

Hans Wilsdorf
Founder · 1881–1960
Born in Kulmbach, Bavaria, and orphaned at twelve, Wilsdorf founded Wilsdorf & Davis in London in 1905, registered Rolex in 1908 and the Tudor name in 1926. He left his shares to the foundation that still owns both brands.

主要な出来事

  1. 1905

    Wilsdorf & Davis opens in London

    Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis start casing Swiss movements for British jewellers, the business that becomes Rolex.

  2. 1908

    Rolex name registered

    Wilsdorf registers Rolex as the brand for his watches, a name short enough for a dial and easy to pronounce in any language.

  3. 1910

    First chronometer-certified wristwatch

    A Rolex becomes the first wristwatch to receive the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision from the official rating centre in Bienne.

  4. 1919

    Move to Geneva

    Rolex leaves Britain for Geneva; Montres Rolex SA is registered there in 1920.

  5. 1926

    The Oyster case

    Screw-down crown, case back and bezel make the Oyster Rolex's first waterproof and dustproof wristwatch.

  6. 1931

    Perpetual rotor

    Rolex patents a self-winding mechanism with a freely rotating rotor, and the Oyster becomes the Oyster Perpetual.

  7. 1945

    Datejust

    The Datejust is launched as the first self-winding wrist chronometer to show the date in a dial window.

  8. 1953

    Submariner and Explorer

    The Submariner arrives waterproof to 100 metres, and the Explorer follows the Everest expedition equipped with Oyster Perpetuals.

  9. 1960

    Deep Sea Special in the Mariana Trench

    An experimental Rolex fixed to the bathyscaphe Trieste returns intact from 10,916 metres. Hans Wilsdorf dies the same year.

  10. 2004

    Aegler movement works acquired

    Rolex buys its movement maker Aegler in Biel/Bienne, bringing calibre production fully under its own ownership.

コレクターが知る3つのこと

Everest watch, but not on the summit

Sir John Hunt's 1953 Everest expedition carried Oyster Perpetuals and Rolex launched the Explorer to mark the ascent, yet Edmund Hillary wore a Smiths watch to the summit.

Watches for prisoners of war on credit

Wilsdorf supplied watches to Allied officers in German camps with payment deferred until after the war. In 1943 Corporal Clive Nutting ordered an Oyster chronograph ref. 3525 from Stalag Luft III.

Paul Newman's Daytona

Newman's own Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6239, a 1968 gift from Joanne Woodward, sold at Phillips New York on 26 October 2017 for US$17,752,500, then a record for a wristwatch at auction.

代表モデル

  • Launched waterproof to 100 metres; current models are rated to 300 metres and use a Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert.

  • Chronograph with tachymeter bezel named after Daytona, Florida, where Rolex sponsors the 24-hour race.

  • Two-time-zone watch developed for Pan Am crews; today's GMT-Master II was the first Rolex with a Cerachrom bezel in 2005.

  • First self-winding wrist chronometer with a date in a dial window, according to Rolex; the 1957 Lady-Datejust was its first ladies' version.

  • First wristwatch to show the day of the week spelled out alongside the date; made only in gold or platinum.

  • Launched after the 1953 Everest ascent; a time-only tool watch with a 3-6-9 dial.

よくある質問

Who owns Rolex?
The Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, a private Swiss charitable foundation, has owned Rolex SA since the founder's death in 1960. Rolex is not listed on any stock exchange and does not publish financial results. Tudor is a subsidiary under the same ownership.
Where are Rolex watches made?
In Switzerland. Rolex is headquartered in Geneva, where it also runs production sites, and makes its movements in Biel/Bienne at the former Aegler works it acquired in 2004.
Does Rolex make its own movements?
Yes. Since buying its long-time supplier Aegler in 2004, Rolex designs and produces its calibres in-house. Only a few components, such as hands and sapphire crystals, are reported to come from outside suppliers.
Why is there a waiting list for a new Rolex?
Rolex sells new watches only through authorised dealers, and demand for steel sports models such as the Submariner, GMT-Master II and Daytona exceeds dealer allocations. Dealers therefore keep waiting lists, which also support the brand's pricing power.

出典

  1. Rolex History 1905–1919 (Rolex)
  2. Rolex History 1926–1945 (Rolex)
  3. Rolex History 1953–1967 (Rolex)
  4. Rolex – Wikipedia
  5. Hans Wilsdorf – Wikipedia
  6. The 2026 Rolex and Tudor price list (Italian Watch Spotter)

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