Rolex is the world’s best known luxury watch and the first Swiss watch brand in 2019.
If you ask someone you meet on the street who Rolex nine out of ten is, they will be able to answer you, but the perception that most consumers have is that crowned timepieces are synonymous with top-notch watches, when in reality they are but for the quality that however it must be admitted that it is difficult to achieve at these levels.
Although the strategies of the founder replica watches Hans Wilsdorf a hundred years ago would be even more successful today, the brand’s reputation is not the result of marketing plans but of facts that the history of the watch shows without the possibility of misunderstanding.
Let’s remember some milestones together:
1910: at the beginning Rolex concentrated on the movement invoice and in 1910 marked the first wristwatch to receive the Swiss chronometric precision certificate issued by the Bureau de contrôle de la marche des montres du Bienne.
1926: Rolex creates the hermetic Oyster case that will equip the first watch that is truly resistant to water and dust. The following year, a Rolex Oyster worn by the young swimmer Mercedes Gleitze crossed the English Channel remaining in the bathroom for over 10 hours without experiencing the slightest problem.
1931: The Maison introduces the Oyster Perpetual with the Perpetual movement and patents it. It is the first automatic winding mechanism with Perpetual rotor that has inspired many automatic movements of our days.
1945: Datejust was born, the world’s first waterproof chronometer certified automatic wristwatch to indicate the date inside a small window on the dial. Completed by a Jubilé bracelet, with the Datejust the brand finally concretizes the central vision of Wilsdorf: to offer a precise and reliable watch that can never be removed, even while taking a shower.
1953: It is the most prolific year in Rolex history. At that time the brand began to move towards sports and professional replica watches and in ’53 he created the Turn-O-Graph, the Explorer model that would reach the roof of the Himalayas, and the Submariner which would be presented and marketed the following year.
1955: The Rolex GMT-Master was born, the first wristwatch to display two time zones.
1956: The Rolex Day-Date arrives, the first watch to display replica watches uk both the date and the day on the dial.
1963: Cosmograph Daytona, a new robust and waterproof sports chronograph with an Oyster bracelet and a bezel with a tachymeter scale for detecting the average speed.
1967: Sea-Dweller first timepiece specifically created for professional divers, waterproof up to 610 meters and equipped with a valve for leaking from the helium case.
1985: 904L steel. Rolex uses a special alloy otherwise identified as “surgical steel” which boasts a strength and shine far greater than 316L.
2007: Rolex introduces the Ring Command bezel on the YachtMaster II which in a regatta allows both the countdown and the timing functions.
2015: Rolex presents for the first time a bracelet made up not entirely of a metal. Called Oysterflex, it is made of proprietary rubber with a steel core. Not everyone noticed it but for the brand it was an epochal step.
What is the cheapest Rolex?
With the latest price list the cheapest Rolex is the Oyster Perpetual which in the 39 mm version costs € 5,900 (in reality it would start from € 4,700 but it is a 31 mm model that you can see in the group photo lower therefore only suitable for a female wrist).
Introduced at Baselworld 2015 the latest Oyster Perpetual is the direct descendant of the first Perpetual of 1931.
Over the years, almost unchanged in aesthetics, all models have a Rolex-made movement.
Less expensive but quality and materials are the same as the top models
Constructed of sturdy Oystersteel steel, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual case is water resistant to 100 meters. Its high-quality steel alloy offers a high level of corrosion protection. The fluted caseback is screwed tightly.
The winding crown, also screwed, is equipped with the Twinlock double waterproofing system. The finish is satin while the rounded bezel is polished.
Worth noting is the debut in 2015 of the 39 mm size. Over the years almost unchanged all references mount a Rolex movement with chronometer certificate issued by COSC endorsed by fake rolex Superlative Chronometer.
Automatic manufacture movements 3132, 3130, 2231
Rolex’s most affordable timepiece line mounts several in-house calibers depending on the size of the case.
Oyster Perpetual 26 and 31 mm = Caliber 2231
Oyster Perpetual 34 and 36 mm = Caliber 3130
Oyster Perpetual 39 mm = Caliber 3132
The 3130 and 3132 movements have the well-known blue Parachrom-made spiral which we will discuss further below.
For now none of these references mount the silicon spiral introduced the year before. All movements have an autonomy of approximately 48 hours.
The Oyster Perpetual bracelet
Also built in 904L steel, its three links side by side are not subject to updates. The folding clasp is the traditional Oysterclasp.
Are you looking for a more affordable watch? Take a look at the list in the 2020 men’s watch selection.
Why is a Rolex so expensive?
Although all Rolexes are made entirely from industrialized processes and machinery, the materials, their processing, the finishes and the countless tests they undergo make the price go up a lot.
Take the steel that has been the 904L since 1985 but only for the Sea-Dwellers, then finished in all models starting from the early 2000s and then moving to the Oystersteel from 2008. Did you know that because of their hardness, these alloys are much more difficult and longer to work than standard stainless steel ones?
Once polished, the steel that Rolex uses shines like few others. You notice it if you observe the glow emanating from the central links of the Oyster or Jubilé bracelets compared to the lateral ones.
Purists are always reluctant to polish steel cases and bracelets but when it is a Rolex if well done even after years of scratches, bumps, salt water, the steel returns to shine as if it were the first day you have it on your wrist . I repeat: the quality of the materials is truly enviable.
At one time almost all brands including Rolex used Swiss ETA or Valjoux movements. Watchmaking went like this: a brand only had to deal with developing everything around it.
But then as the new millennium approached, the great brands, not to mention those of Haute Horlogerie replica watches craftsmanship that have always done so, began to feel the need to develop their own caliber.
